Original artwork, not a still
As You Like It • 1623
Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in the stones, and good in every thing.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Hardship, Shakespeare suggests, can turn out sweet. Like a toad said to carry a jewel in its head, ugly circumstances may hide something precious. Out of such a life come lessons in trees, brooks and stones, and good in everything.
Context reviewed
