| “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” (prologue) | Speaker: PrologueContext: This is form the prologueMeaning: From a long hate brings new love. The hatred can effect civilians. |
| “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life” (prologue) | Speaker: PrologueContext: This is from the PrologueMeaning: Through the hate two people fell in love even though their love was unpredictable. The hate caused them to take their lives. |
| “Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love, Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! O anything of nothing first create! (1.1.176) | Speaker: RomeoContext: He is talking to Benvoilo about being in love with a girl with a girl named Rosaline.Meaning: Romeo thinks love is a battle you have to conquer. |
| “Well, in that hit you miss: she’ll not be hit with Cupid’s arrow” (1.1.194) | Speaker: RomeoContext: He is taking about Rosaline with his cousin Benvoilo.Meaning: Romeo thinks Rosaline doesn’t love him. |
| “O she is rich in beauty,only poor, that when she dies with beauty dies her store.” (1.1.201) | Speaker: RomeoContext: Romeo is talking about Rosaline being chaste.Meaning: Romeo thinks Rosaline is so beautiful that when she dies no one will be able to see her beauty. |
| “It is an honor I dream not of.” (1.3.70) | Speaker: JulietContext: Lady Capulet is talking to Juliet about marrying Prince.Meaning: Juliet is being respectful to her mother by saying it is an honor but yet she is saying that she doesn’t dream to get married. |
| “Read o’er the volume of young Paris’ face, and find delight writ there with beauty’s pen.” (1.3.85) | Speaker: Lady Capulet Context: Lady Capulet wants Juliet to consider being with ParisMeaning: Lady Capulet is using a extended metaphor to describe Paris as book that needs a beautiful pen (Juliet) to write the word in it. |
| “This precious book of love, the unbound lover, to beautify him only lacks a cover” (1.3.91) | Speaker: Lady CapuletContext: Lady Capulet wants Juliet to be the cover to the book.Meaning: Lady Capulet is saying Juliet needs to be the beautiful cover. She is saying Juliet needs to make him look good. |
| “I’ll look to like if looking liking move: But no more will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly.” (1.3.101) | Speaker: JulietContext: Talking to her mother about ParisMeaning: Juliet will try to be with Paris but she won’t go any further without her mother’s consent. |
| “My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” (1.5.95) | Speaker: RomeoContext: He just met Juliet and fell in love with her.Meaning: His lips are like blushing pilgrims, two red lips, and he wants to kiss her. |
| “Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this: for saints have hands that pilgrims’ hand do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss” (1.5.105) | Speaker: Juliet Context: Romeo kissed her hand and said he shouldn’t of did that because she is like a holy shrine.Meaning: Juliet is saying she had no problem with Romeo kissing her hands. |
| “But, soft! What light though yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun.” (2.2.1) | Speaker: Romeo Context: Romeo is in the yard of Juliet’s house hiding in a tree so he can see her.Meaning: Where is the light shining from then he realizes it is coming from Juliet’s room. |
| “O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art glorious to this night, being o’er my heads is a winged messenger of heaven.” (2.2.27) | Speaker: Romeo Context: Romeo is talking to Juliet while she is on the balcony.Meaning: He is saying that Juliet is beautiful and her voice is nice. |
| “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny the father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet” (2.2.38) | Speaker: Juliet Context: Juliet wants Romeo to change his name so they can be together and if he won’t she will. Meaning: Romeo and Juliet’s love is so strong that Juliet will change her name and loose all her fourtune from her family to be with Romeo. |
| “What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title” (2.2.48) | Speaker: JulietContext: On her balcony talking about how her and Romeo can be together through the feud.Meaning: Juliet is saying does their names really matter. If they changed their last names it wouldn’t change them, they’d still be the same person. |
| “My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue’s utterance, yet I know the sound.” (2.2.58) | Speaker: Juliet Context: Romeo has just spoken to Juliet and it’s dark outside so she can’t see him.Meaning: Juliet knows who is talking to her but she thinks she remember’s his voice. This proves how little Romeo and Juliet have spoken to each other. When Juliet says “drunk a hundred words” means that she hasn’t even spoken a hundred words to Romeo. |
| “The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, And the place death, considering who thou art, if any of my kinsman find thee here.” (2.2.63) | Speaker: JulietContext: Juliet is scared for Romeo’s safety because she is at her house.Meaning: Juliet wants Romeo to leave so he won’t get caught by her cousins and be killed. |
| ” With love’s light wings did I o’er perch these walls; For stony walls | … |
Romeo and Juliet QUOETS
July 31, 2019