The exact words
The scene
A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens in Athens with a crisis. Hermia loves Lysander, but her father Egeus wants her to marry Demetrius, and under Athenian law she must obey, or face death or life as a nun. Duke Theseus gives her a few days to decide. When the others leave, the two lovers are alone and miserable, and Lysander tries to put their troubles in perspective: “Ay me! For aught that I could ever read, / Could ever hear by tale or history, / The course of true love never did run smooth.”
He goes on to list the ways love has gone wrong in the stories: lovers of different rank, of different ages, matched by family rather than choice, or torn apart by war, death or sickness. Hermia takes comfort from the idea that suffering is part of love, and the two plan to run away into the forest that night.
Why it is hopeful
The line can sound pessimistic, but in context it is comfort. If every true love has faced obstacles, then theirs is in the best company. It also sets up the whole play. In the forest, fairy magic makes everything much worse: both young men fall in love with Hermia’s friend Helena, and the friends end up fighting. By the end, the spell is undone, the right couples are matched, and the play closes with three weddings.
How to use it
This is one of the safest Shakespeare lines for a wedding toast, because it comes from a comedy with a happy ending. It works best as a bridge into the couple’s own story, especially if their path to the altar had a few bumps. Keep the tone affectionate; the point is that the obstacles are behind them.
What people get wrong
A gloomy saying that love always ends in disappointment.
It is comforting. Lysander means that every great love story has obstacles, so theirs is in good company. And in this comedy, the lovers do end up together.
Timeline
- c. 1595Shakespeare writes A Midsummer Night's Dream, a comedy of lovers, fairies and amateur actors in a forest near Athens.
- Act 1, Scene 1Hermia's father demands she marry Demetrius or face death or a convent. Alone with her, Lysander speaks the line.
- Later that nightThe lovers flee into the forest, where fairy magic makes things far less smooth before everything works out.
- 1600The play is first printed.
Use it in a speech
Questions people ask
Who says “The course of true love never did run smooth”?
Lysander, one of the young Athenian lovers, in Act 1, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
What does it mean?
That real love has always met obstacles, so difficulties are not a sign that love is false. Lysander says it to comfort Hermia.
Is it a good wedding line?
Yes, especially when the couple overcame distance, family or timing. It comes from a comedy that ends with three weddings.
Cite this quote
These cite the original source directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.