"Nothing in his life/ Became him like the leaving it."

I've been waiting decades to quote Shakespeare in a "Tales from the Front" column, and I think I've found the perfect opportunity. It just needs a little tweaking: Nothing in their relationship became them like the ending it.

Wouldn't it be nice if that were true of every couple that ever split? Wouldn't it be nice if it could apply to every man who ever broke a woman's heart; to every gal who ever dumped a guy?

We all know about the bad breakups. The possibilities are nearly endless. There's The Houdini: the person you've been seeing for months who suddenly disappears. They stop calling and returning your calls; they refuse to meet with you even when you accost them outside their apartment.

There's the breakup by text message, tweet, voicemail, instant message, email or postcard — "Having a wonderful time. Glad you're not here."

There's the third-party breakup, when that person says, "Jason told me to tell you he's seeing someone else."

There's the breakup by cliche: "It's not you; it's me" or "This is all happening too fast" or "You're too good for me" or "I need my space" or "My shrink says I'm not ready for a commitment."

There's the breakup due to forces beyond our control: "I'm being transferred to Brazil" or "My wife came out of the coma" or "I'm being placed in the Witness Protection Program" or "My husband found out about us."

But, if possible, breakups should be handled with grace. Nate explains why.

He says: "If I cannot maintain a friendship with any of my exes — people I spent months or years being very close to — how on earth can a prospective date expect things to go well between us?

"I've known good people who were blind-sided by bad people who then became their bad exes. But they should have become older and wiser before dating again so that they didn't get blind-sided again.

"Remember, whomever you're dating right now will probably be an ex someday. You date a lot of people before you find the one you want to settle down with. So, ask yourself, how does this person I'm now dating talk about their exes? It's important because they'll probably talk about you much the same way.

"Okay, so your current date doesn't bad mouth any of their exes. But are they still in contact with any of them? No? It makes you wonder how consistent and reliable they are if they routinely go from being very close to someone to cutting that person out of their lives completely.

"Is your current date willing to discuss their exes? Or do they breezily slide out of discussing past relationships by shrugging and saying, 'It didn't work out' without telling why? Did they learn anything that might help them avoid making the same mistake again? Can they give me any advice about what they expect in a serious relationship?

"If I'm contemplating a serious relationship with someone, I have the right to ask for more than 'We wanted different things.'"

Was your break-up handled well? Or was it a disaster? Send your tale, along with your questions and problems to [email protected]. And check out my e-books, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front" and "I'll Call You. Not."