🍦 Primrose Path, The 🌿
primrose path, the - The way of easy self-indulgence. Shakespeare used this term in two ways—as a path of pleasure (“the primrose path of dalliance,” Hamlet, 1.3) and as an easy but dangerous course of action (“the primrose way to the everlasting bonfire,” Macbeth, 2.1). The former meaning survives in the current cliché. See also garden path.
Similiar Expressions
- Garden Path - Being led astray or deceived.
- Smooth Sailing - Experiencing an easy progress.
- Bed of Roses - An easy and comfortable life.
Proverbs and Quotes
- “All that glisters is not gold.” (The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare)
- “Beware the easy path; the long road is often more rewarding.” - Anonymous
Literary References 📚
- The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 🌎
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 🏴☠️
Peculiar Poetry
“Follow the blossomed way, they say, But be wise in choices; don’t decay. For roads less traveled test valor best, And fortune favors those who invest.”
Tunes & Flicks 🎶🎥
- Song: Easy Way Out by Gotye
- Movie: Pleasantville (1998)
### Which Shakespeare play features the phrase 'the primrose path'?
- [x] Hamlet
- [ ] Romeo and Juliet
- [ ] Othello
- [ ] King Lear
> **Explanation:** The phrase “the primrose path of dalliance” appears in *Hamlet* (1.3), used to describe a lifestyle of ease and pleasure.
### Choose the correct meaning of "the primrose path":
- [ ] A difficult and uncertain journey
- [x] A way of luxury and self-indulgence
- [ ] A treacherous mountain trail
- [ ] A garden full of primroses
> **Explanation:** "The primrose path" refers to a way of easy self-indulgence, tempting but potentially problematic.
### True or False: The phrase "the primrose way to the everlasting bonfire" is used in Macbeth.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** Absolutely true! In *Macbeth* (2.1), Shakespeare uses "the primrose way to the everlasting bonfire" to suggest a dangerous but tempting course of action.
Fare thee well, dear reader, and may your path be sprinkled with wisdom rather than mere primroses.
Cross the proverb-embellished paths cautiously, Eloise Wordsmith
