Pericles Quotes

Read our selection of the very best Pericles quotes, along with speaker, act and scene. Pericles is set in the ancient world, and deals with the unpredictable and dangerous journey through life. As with so many of his plays Shakespeare brings his characters to life with stand-out dialogue and some memorable quotes. Read on below for the most important Pericles quotes:

To sing a song that old was sung
From ashes ancient Gower is come

Gower (Prologue)

For death remembered should be like a mirror
Who tells us life’s but breath, to trust it error.

Pericles (Act 1, Scene 1)

Few love to hear the sins they love to act

Pericles (Act 1, Scene 1)

Murder’s as near to lust as flame to smoke.

Pericles (Act 1, Scene 1)

See where she comes, apparelled like the spring,
Graces her subjects, and her thoughts the king
Of every virtue gives renown to men!

Pericles (Act 1, Scene 1)

Thus ready for the way of life or death,
I wait the sharpest blow, Antiochus.

Pericles (Act 1, Scene 1)

Which care of them, not pity of myself,
Who am no more but as the tops of trees.
Which fence the roots they grow by and defend them,
Makes both my body pine and soul to languish.

Pericles (Act 1, Scene 2)

‘Tis time to fear when tyrants seems to kiss.

Pericles (Act 1, Scene 2)

How dare the plants look up to heaven, from whence
They have their nourishment?

Helicanus Act I, Scene 2)

Tyrants’ fears
Decrease not, but grow faster than their years.

Pericles (Act 1, Scene 2)

My Dionzya, shall we rest us here
And by relating tales of others’ griefs
See if ‘twill teach us to forget our own?

Cleon (Act 1, Scene 4)

Who makes the fairest show means most deceit.

Cleon (Act 1, Scene 4)

Why, as men do a-land; the great ones eat up the little ones.

First Fisherman (Act 2, Scene 1)

Opinion’s but a fool that makes us scan
The outward habit for the inward man.

Simonides (Act 2, Scene 2)

The diamonds of a most praised water
Doth appear, to make the world twice rich.

Cerimon (Act 3, Scene 2)

That she would make a puritan of the devil if he should cheapen a kiss of her

Bawd (Act 4, Scene 5)

O, come, be buried
A second time within these arms.

Pericles (Act 5, Scene 3)

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