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Literary notes about forgo (AI summary)

The term "forgo" is employed in literature to express a conscious decision to relinquish something valuable—whether it be a cherished right, a personal pleasure, or even an essential aspect of one’s identity. In works of dramatic sentiment, characters are depicted as voluntarily abandoning their inheritances or affections, as in the case of relinquishing heritage or love [1, 2]. At times, the word appears in pragmatic contexts where its use underscores calculated sacrifices for the greater good or personal duty [3, 4]. Meanwhile, in more lyrical passages, "forgo" evokes a bittersweet resignation, suggesting that even profound delights can be left behind, as seen in contemplative reflections [5, 6]. This multifaceted deployment of the term highlights its enduring capacity to convey both loss and the nobility of choice.
  1. And she [that] maketh false pledoures, That with hir termes and hir domes 200 Doon maydens, children, and eek gromes Hir heritage to forgo.
    — from Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) — Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer
  2. You know I would ten times rather forgo the joy of having you here, than let you— OSWALD.
    — from Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen
  3. But now it was no longer necessary to persuade the owners of this same land to forgo their own interests for the sake of the public good.
    — from The Enclosures in England: An Economic Reconstruction by Harriett Bradley
  4. The fact that America has been willing to forgo this intention must be taken as evidence of a genuine desire to preserve the peace with Japan.
    — from The Problem of China by Bertrand Russell
  5. Your chilly stars I can forgo: This warm, kind world is all I know.
    — from A Popular Handbook to the National Gallery, Volume I, Foreign Schools Including by Special Permission Notes Collected from the Works of John Ruskin
  6. At times the ache of this pain became terrible, almost agonising, but I could not forgo my pastime.
    — from The Golden Fountainor, The Soul's Love for God. Being some Thoughts andConfessions of One of His Lovers by Lilian Staveley

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