“I begin to be aweary of thee,
and I tell thee so before
because I would not fall out with thee”
This is a line from Shakespeare’s “All’s Well that Ends Well,” and I have always loved it.
It’s essentially a call to be honest with your friends and family, because if you’re not, you risk irreparably damaging a relationship.
Don’t allow unspoken words to take up space between you and the people you love lest you risk losing them.
Good advice. Shakespeare was wise.
But then the question arises:
What about the words you want and need to say to someone, even if you might “fall out with thee.”
The family member who has wronged your loved ones for their own profit.
The colleague who has spoken vile words behind your back.
The friend who has let you down again and again.
Telling thee might break those bonds forever.
Family gatherings become more difficult.
Your workday becomes more fraught.
Your friendship might teeter in the balance.
In these cases, what does Shakespeare advise?
Blow the whole damn thing up because it’s what you feel in your heart and mind, or swallow your words, at least for now, to make the days a gentler, easier, and more copacetic place to be?
I’ve read every Shakespearean play, and I’ve read many of them many times.
He’s got nothing to say about this as far as I can tell.
