They have been at a great feast of languages, and stolen the scraps

They have been at a great feast of languages, and stolen the scraps

"They have been at a great feast of languages, and stolen the scraps" is a line from William Shakespeare's play "Love's Labour's Lost." This quote is spoken by the character Biron in Act 5, Scene 2 of the play. In this scene, Biron is reflecting on the folly of himself and his friends, who have sworn an oath to study and abstain from women for three years. However, they have all broken their oath and fallen in love with women they have met.

The line "They have been at a great feast of languages, and stolen the scraps" can be interpreted in a few different ways. One interpretation is that Biron is criticizing himself and his friends for their shallow understanding of love and language. They have indulged in the pleasures of love and language without fully appreciating or understanding their depth and complexity. They have only taken the "scraps" of these experiences, without truly immersing themselves in the richness and fullness of love and language.

Another interpretation of this line is that Biron is commenting on the way in which he and his friends have borrowed and imitated the language of love from others. They have not truly experienced love for themselves, but have instead copied the words and gestures of others without understanding their true meaning. In this sense, they have "stolen the scraps" of love from those who have truly experienced it.

Overall, this line reflects Shakespeare's exploration of the themes of love, language, and the complexities of human relationships in "Love's Labour's Lost." It serves as a reminder that true understanding and appreciation of love and language require more than just surface-level indulgence – they require deep reflection, introspection, and genuine experience.