1. "Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once."
2. This quote is from the famous play JULIUS
CAESAR written by Shakespeare. It represents
courage
honor
dignity.
3. You've already probably figured out that, in
this quotation, Shakespeare is drawing a
comparison between someone who is a coward
(that is, someone who is afraid to face the
challenges of life, such as dealing with difficult
situations, taking risks, and fighting for what
he or she believe in)
4. someone who is valiant (that is, someone who
is brave in facing the challenges of life, is never
afraid to face difficult or risky situations, and
will always fight for what he or she believes
in).
5. When you look at just the first part of the
quotation, "Cowards die many times before their
deaths," try to think of how someone can actually
"die many times" before they actually die. Right
away, you realize that Shakespeare is using death
as a metaphor (because a person can't physically
die multiple times in a single lifetime). Here, he
uses the metaphor of death to convey how a
person feels inside when he or she runs away from
a challenge. That person "dies" a little inside each
time he or she chickens out, meaning that he or she
loses a little strength of character each time he or
she refuses to face a challenge of life.
6. Now take the second part of the quotation, "The
valiant never taste of death but once." Shakespeare is
saying that a valiant person dies only once, which
probably means when he or she actually physically
dies. So, Shakespeare isn't using death as a metaphor in
this part of the quotation. He is saying that a person
who is not afraid to face the challenges of life doesn't
"die" inside like the coward does. This person can hold
their head up high and be proud that he or she faced
that difficult situation or fought for what he or she
believed in. So, when this brave and valiant person
physically dies, this is the only time he or she will
know death because he or she has never been afraid to
face the challenges of life.
7. A coward (however you may define one) is typically a
person who runs away from a problem, serious or
small. Well every time that person cowers, they
sacrifice their dignity or they prove how "unmanly'
they are. Most of the time, a coward is continuously a
coward and thus, dies (maybe if just a little) each time
they fail themselves or others because of their lack of
courage or braveness. On the other hand, the brave
may fail but they do things with conviction, vigor and
righteousness, never losing their honor. They are
respected and looked up to by many. They die once
(physically) while the cowardly die (metaphorically) a
little each time time they chicken out.