“Emotions, in my experience, aren't covered by single words."

  I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret."

 Good old Jeffrey Eugenides, person I've never heard of, but for my screenplay writing friends - in 1986 he received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship for his story "Here Comes Winston, Full of the Holy Spirit"
  
He goes on to say: 

"Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling. I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster." Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy." I'd like to show how "intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members" connects with "the hatred of mirrors that begins in middle age." I'd like to have a word for "the sadness inspired by failing restaurants" as well as for "the excitement of getting a room with a minibar."

 Love it! So today, this is what I'm feeling:

"The apprehension tinged with excitement and naked fear that attends visiting the West London Synagogue, venue for the big lecture I'm giving on November 1st."

Yeah, a single word doesn't really do it...

But words are words; I never yet did hear That the bruised heart was pierced through the ear.

From Othello. By Shakespeare.William, that is.

I have pierced ears on the brain. (My heart is remarkably unbruised, at the moment.)

No I am not a strange mutant.

 No I'm not thinking of THIS sort of pierced ear...

...although that might, initially, be as painful as mine. Only mine wasn't self-inflicted.

I'm thinking of pierced ear drums. I swear if I can't get anything done about my left ear I'm going to take a very long spike and ram it down and there'll be a massive WHOOSH...

I AM JOKING. Do not try this at home. Do not try this ANYWHERE. EVER. It's just how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm off to see the doctor in a few minutes. (Perhaps she has a very long spike?)

Oh, and also, I disagree with Brabantio - the character that spoke those words about words. My heart DOES get bruised with unkind words. I think you'd have to have a heart coated with Teflon not to be bruised by unkind words.

I wonder if you can get Teflon on prescription?