Saturday, May 25, 2013

such stuff



In William Shakespeare's Tempest, Act IV, Prospero says,


You do look, my son, in a moved sort,
As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd;
Bear with my weakness; my, brain is troubled:
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:
If you be pleased, retire into my cell
And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,
To still my beating mind.


2 comments:

  1. How perfectly wonderful to see and hear the context of this one line, Ruth: "We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life
    Is rounded with a sleep." Happy Memorial Day weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. After so many centuries, his words continue to stun the unsuspecting mind, both in insight and artistry. I suppose he will never have a peer.

    ReplyDelete

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