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While many attribute the quote to William Shakespeare, it actually comes from a play called the "The Mourning Bride" (1697) by William Congreve. The complete quote is "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned / Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned." Congreve (1670-1729) was an accomplished practitioner of the wit and cynicism made famous by his contemporaries Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. His last play, "The Way of the World," (1700) is considered a classic of Restoration comedy. The late 17th and early 18th century is often considered the golden age of satire. Writers took advantage of classical forms to cleverly castigate
the royal and aristocratic classes. This was the era when the poet Alexander Pope could sum up his literary competition in a book entitled "The Dunciad," and Jonathan Swift modestly proposed solving the Irish famine by encouraging them to eat their own children. Wikiquote hosts a great page of popular misattributions and misquotations. For example, despite popular belief, Tarzan never said "Me Tarzan You Jane," Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam," and Sergeant Friday never said "Just the facts, Ma'am." It's all true, honest!
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