Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V.i ·Theseus
"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"The lunatic, the lover and the poet / Are of imagination all compact." Theseus — A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V.i
Why it matters
Correctly quoted; routinely claimed for lovers and poets alone. Theseus groups them with lunatics on purpose — the speech is an argument against trusting imagination.
More from the canon.
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