Sweet sorrow

Sweet sorrow means sadness mixed with pleasure, especially the pain of parting from someone loved; it appears in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The goodbye hurts, but affection and the hope of meeting again make it pleasant too.

Where it comes from

Juliet’s reluctant goodbye

The phrase appears in Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet describes the mixed feelings of parting from Romeo. Leaving him is painful, but their love gives the farewell its sweetness.

In the balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet keeps drawing out the farewell, reluctant to let Romeo leave even though they hope to meet again.

In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

A happy change that still hurts

Today, sweet sorrow can describe a farewell or ending that brings both happiness and loss. It need not involve romantic love.

In Little Women, Jo struggles with Meg’s approaching marriage because she fears losing their old closeness. Meg’s happiness comes with a painful change in the sisters’ life together.

In Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott

How to use Sweet sorrow

Choose a farewell or ending with both pleasure and sadness.
Make clear what feels sweet and what feels painful.
Save the phrase for mixed feelings, not grief alone.

3か月間無料でご利用いただけます

200,000+の古典を、すべての形式で無料から楽しめます。

電子書籍、オーディオブック、15分で読める要約を楽しめます。どの本も紙の本や大活字本として、印刷費のみで購入できます。

無料で始めます本日のお支払いはありません。初年度は一日あたりUSD 0.14、その後は一日あたりUSD 0.27です。

Is sweet sorrow an oxymoron?

Yes, sweet sorrow is an oxymoron because it joins words that seem to contradict each other. Sweet suggests pleasure, while sorrow means sadness. Together they name a familiar experience: something can hurt precisely because it matters so much.

Does sweet sorrow always mean saying goodbye?

No, sweet sorrow can describe other experiences that mix pleasure with sadness. Remembering a happy childhood or reaching the end of a much-loved book may bring that feeling. A farewell is its best-known use because of Juliet’s parting from Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.