Dweller in yon dungeon dark,

Hangman of creation, mark!

Who in widow weeds appears,

Laden with unhonoured years,

Noosing with care a bursting purse,

Baited with many a deadly curse?

Robert Burns (1759-1796): Ode on Mrs. Oswald.

O curse of marriage,

That we can call these delicate creatures ours,

And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad,

And live upon the vapour of a dungeon,

Than keep a corner in the thing I love

For others' uses.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): Othello. Act iii. Sc. 3.