Quotes from Shakespeare…

[…] Every man will be thy friend
Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend;
But if store of crowns be scant,
No man will supply thy want.
If that one be prodigal,
Bountiful they will him call,
And with such-like flattering,
'Pity but he were a king;'
If he be addict to vice,
Quickly him they will entice;
If to women he be bent,
They have at commandment:
But if Fortune once do frown,
Then farewell his great renown
They that fawn'd on him before
Use his company no more.
He that is thy friend indeed,
He will help thee in thy need:
If thou sorrow, he will weep;
If thou wake, he cannot sleep;
Thus of every grief in heart
He with thee doth bear a part.
These are certain signs to know
Faithful friend from flattering foe.

What does Shakespeare mean in the part that reads “But if Fortune once do frown…”?

Question

Quotes from Shakespeare…

[…] Every man will be thy friend
Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend;
But if store of crowns be scant,
No man will supply thy want.
If that one be prodigal,
Bountiful they will him call,
And with such-like flattering,
'Pity but he were a king;'
If he be addict to vice,
Quickly him they will entice;
If to women he be bent,
They have at commandment:
But if Fortune once do frown,
Then farewell his great renown
They that fawn'd on him before
Use his company no more.
He that is thy friend indeed,
He will help thee in thy need:
If thou sorrow, he will weep;
If thou wake, he cannot sleep;
Thus of every grief in heart
He with thee doth bear a part.
These are certain signs to know
Faithful friend from flattering foe.

What does Shakespeare mean in the part that reads “But if Fortune once do frown…”?

Answer

“But if Fortune once do frown,
Then farewell his great renown”

The word renown is a synonym for fame. You may know the phrase “world-renowned,” like a world-famous artist.

“Fortune” means luck, and it’s capitalized because Shakespeare would personify certain qualities. Do you know the phrase “Lady Luck”? It’s like that. Also like Fortuna in Roman mythology, the goddess of fortune/luck.

Basically, these two lines are saying that fame is easily lost if you have bad luck. If luck turns sour, then say goodbye to fame!

Good job reading Shakespeare! It’s very difficult even for native English speakers.

Answer

I don't know if this helps. "El Peregrino Apasionado" in the Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes contains a Spanish translation, and those lines are translated as:

"Que si el ceño le frunce la Fortuna,		
ya puede despedirse de su fama		
y aquellos que lamían bien sus manos		
ya no querrán tener su compañía."

But perhaps that isn't any clearer in Spanish.

Answer

"Fortune" is being used like the name of a goddess. The phrase "Fortune smiles on you" is an old-fashioned, poetic say of saying "you are having good luck." "Fortune frowns" means "you are having bad luck."

The passage means that while you are winning, everyone pretends to be your friend. However, if you lose, many of your false friends desert you and you discover who your real friends are.