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Mephorium Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
I'll look for coordinate conjunctions if coordinate conjunctions move.
"'I'll look to like, if looking liking move: But no more deep will I endart mine eye/ Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.'" -William Shakespeare (who else?)
For some time now this sentence has bothered me; mainly this part: "if looking liking move"
Now is this a complete phrase, and if so what is its object and referent?
I know that one thing Shakespeare did in his writing was to omit words and phrases. In the phrase that I cited, did he leave out the coordinate conjunction ( if looking and liking move). If so, is it because that it is one of those many understood yet omitted elements i.e., I am faster than she (is fast)?
We need bread, milk, butter, eggs, cheese, ham. (asyndenton)
For some time now this sentence has bothered me; mainly this part: "if looking liking move"
Now is this a complete phrase, and if so what is its object and referent?
I know that one thing Shakespeare did in his writing was to omit words and phrases. In the phrase that I cited, did he leave out the coordinate conjunction ( if looking and liking move). If so, is it because that it is one of those many understood yet omitted elements i.e., I am faster than she (is fast)?
We need bread, milk, butter, eggs, cheese, ham. (asyndenton)
Top answer
No. There is no missing conjunction. There's a play on "look to", which means both "try to" and the literal "take a look at".
- No.
- There is no missing conjunction.
- There's a play on "look to", which means both "try to" and the literal "take a look at".
- There is also a typical poetic inversion of verb and object.
- Note also that in Shakespeare's day "if" used to take the subjunctive, so (uninverted) we have "if looking move liking" instead of the modern "if looking moves liking".
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4 Answers
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No. There is no missing conjunction.
There's a play on "look to", which means both "try to" and the literal "take a look at". There is also a typical poetic inversion of verb and object. Note also that in Shakespeare's day "if" used to take the subjunctive, so (uninverted) we have "if looking move liking" instead of the modern "if looking moves liking". The similarity of sound betwe
There's a play on "look to", which means both "try to" and the literal "take a look at". There is also a typical poetic inversion of verb and object. Note also that in Shakespeare's day "if" used to take the subjunctive, so (uninverted) we have "if looking move liking" instead of the modern "if looking moves liking". The similarity of sound betwe
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No-- 'if looking moves liking', that is, if by looking at Paris, Juliet can be moved to like him (which of course she can't-- she is just waffling)
'I'll look to like' means I'll take a look and see if I like him. . . and then she modestly tells her mother she will look at him no more than her mother will permit her. (Lady Capulet has just asked Juliet, 'Speak briefly, can you li
'I'll look to like' means I'll take a look and see if I like him. . . and then she modestly tells her mother she will look at him no more than her mother will permit her. (Lady Capulet has just asked Juliet, 'Speak briefly, can you li
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I didn't even realize you were on just now!
Actually YOU did it again -- gave a briefer answer that hit it on the head, while I did my usual blah-blah-blah!
Take care!
Actually YOU did it again -- gave a briefer answer that hit it on the head, while I did my usual blah-blah-blah!
Take care!
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