A "good heart, Kate, is the sun and the moon -- or rather the sun and not the moon, for it shines bright and never changes, but keeps his course truly."
— Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Work Title
Date
1600
Metaphor
A "good heart, Kate, is the sun and the moon -- or rather the sun and not the moon, for it shines bright and never changes, but keeps his course truly."
Metaphor in Context
KING HARRY
Marry, if you would put me to verses, or to
dance for your sake, Kate, why, you undid me. For the
one I have neither words nor measure, and for the
other I have no strength in measure -- yet a reasonable
measure in strength. If I could win a lady at leap-frog,
or by vaulting into my saddle with my armour on my
back, under the correction of bragging be it spoken, I
should quickly leap into a wife. Or if I might buffet for
my love, or bound my horse for her favours, I could
lay on like a butcher, and sit like a jackanapes, never
off. But before God, Kate, I cannot look greenly, nor
gasp out my eloquence, nor I have no cunning in
protestation -- only downright oaths, which I never use
till urged, nor never break for urging. If thou canst
love a fellow of this temper, Kate, whose face is not
worth sunburning, that never looks in his glass for
love of anything he sees there, let thine eye be thy
cook. I speak to thee plain soldier: if thou canst love
me for this, take me. If not, to say to thee that I shall
die, is true -- but for thy love, by the Lord, no. Yet I
love thee, too. And while thou livest, dear Kate, take
a fellow of plain and uncoined constancy, for he perforce
must do thee right, because he hath not the gift to woo
in other places. For these fellows of infinite tongue,
that can rhyme themselves into ladies' favours, they
do always reason themselves out again. What! A
speaker is but a prater, a rhyme is but a ballad; a good
leg will fall, a straight back will stoop, a black beard
will turn white, a curled pate will grow bald, a fair
face will wither, a full eye will wax hollow, but a good
heart, Kate, is the sun and the moon -- or rather the
sun and not the moon, for it shines bright and never
changes, but keeps his course truly. If thou would have
such a one, take me; and take me, take a soldier; take
a soldier, take a king. And what sayst thou then to my
love? Speak, my fair -- and fairly, I pray thee.
(V.ii.133-168)
Marry, if you would put me to verses, or to
dance for your sake, Kate, why, you undid me. For the
one I have neither words nor measure, and for the
other I have no strength in measure -- yet a reasonable
measure in strength. If I could win a lady at leap-frog,
or by vaulting into my saddle with my armour on my
back, under the correction of bragging be it spoken, I
should quickly leap into a wife. Or if I might buffet for
my love, or bound my horse for her favours, I could
lay on like a butcher, and sit like a jackanapes, never
off. But before God, Kate, I cannot look greenly, nor
gasp out my eloquence, nor I have no cunning in
protestation -- only downright oaths, which I never use
till urged, nor never break for urging. If thou canst
love a fellow of this temper, Kate, whose face is not
worth sunburning, that never looks in his glass for
love of anything he sees there, let thine eye be thy
cook. I speak to thee plain soldier: if thou canst love
me for this, take me. If not, to say to thee that I shall
die, is true -- but for thy love, by the Lord, no. Yet I
love thee, too. And while thou livest, dear Kate, take
a fellow of plain and uncoined constancy, for he perforce
must do thee right, because he hath not the gift to woo
in other places. For these fellows of infinite tongue,
that can rhyme themselves into ladies' favours, they
do always reason themselves out again. What! A
speaker is but a prater, a rhyme is but a ballad; a good
leg will fall, a straight back will stoop, a black beard
will turn white, a curled pate will grow bald, a fair
face will wither, a full eye will wax hollow, but a good
heart, Kate, is the sun and the moon -- or rather the
sun and not the moon, for it shines bright and never
changes, but keeps his course truly. If thou would have
such a one, take me; and take me, take a soldier; take
a soldier, take a king. And what sayst thou then to my
love? Speak, my fair -- and fairly, I pray thee.
(V.ii.133-168)
Categories
Provenance
HDIS
Citation
Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works. Oxford Shakespeare. Electronic Edition for the IBM PC. Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor, Editor.
Date of Entry
08/27/2003
Date of Review
04/09/2009
