“But love was a cold bed full of scorpions The venom stole her sanity”
Angela & Uncle Jerry note that the 'bed of scorpions' image in verse 2 is not from Hamlet but from Macbeth, where Macbeth says 'my mind is a bed of scorpions.' Uncle Jerry initially discusses the scorpion/venom imagery in relation to the poison motif in Hamlet (the king killed by poison in the ear) but then corrects himself, identifying Macbeth as the actual source. He observes that Taylor is pulling from multiple Shakespeare plays, not just Hamlet.
“Devils that you know Raise worse hell than a stranger”
Angela & Uncle Jerry note that the 'devil you know' proverb also has an echo in Shakespeare's Macbeth, making it a very famous saying with multiple literary sources.
“I guess a lesser woman would've lost hope A greater woman wouldn't beg”
Uncle Jerry mentions that the lesser/greater woman antithesis reminded him of Shakespeare's Macbeth, specifically the 'lesser than Macbeth and greater' line. He acknowledges this is probably not a direct reference for this song but notes it kept 'creeping into my head' as Taylor repeated the greater/lesser construction throughout the poem.