Literary notes about play (AI summary)
The term "play" is deployed with remarkable versatility in literature, functioning as both literal and metaphorical language. It may denote the performance of a theatrical role—as when a character is invited to "play the murder" on stage [1] or to "play the part" in a societal performance [2]—or the engaging act of participating in physical contests and games [3, 4]. The word also captures the nuanced idea of strategy in competitive settings, as seen in references to chess moves and careful decisions [5, 6]. At other times, it highlights artistic expression in music, where one "plays" an instrument to evoke aesthetic beauty [7, 8], or even the playful natural interplay of colors and light [9, 10]. In these varied usages, "play" enriches literary expression by bridging performances, games, and dynamic natural action.
- I'll leave you till night: you are welcome to Elsinore—can you play the murder of Gonzago?
— from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare - Ourself will mingle with society, And play the humble host.
— from Macbeth by William Shakespeare - M. Grimaldi proposed that I should play at quinze with him.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - When we got back to the dining-room we found everybody at play.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - This ending shows how easy it is to make weak moves, and how often, even in master-play, mistakes are made and opportunities are lost.
— from Chess Fundamentals by José Raúl Capablanca - If now White advances the Pawn, the Black King gets in front of it and White must either give up the Pawn or play K - K 6, and a stale mate results.
— from Chess Fundamentals by José Raúl Capablanca - She is a milliner, and she can play on the piano."
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - "I can now quite understand why you like to play the organ," said he, "when you can play in this manner."
— from The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Volume 01 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - And with fifty mirrors around you, which flattered your play of colours, and repeated it!
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - All around it, the calm waters of the great river play peacefully amongst the reeds, and the wagtails flutter over the moist crests of the stones.
— from The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc
