Romeo and JulietQuote Review

1. “Alas, my liege, my wife is dead to-night;

Grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath:

What further woe conspires against mine age?”

Lord Montague to Prince about the death of Lady Montague

Represents the theme of violence and death

Shows the tragedy that occurs when things are done in haste

Montague addresses fate at the end of the passage – thinks something is “conspiring against” him on purpose

2. “I will be deaf to pleading and excuses;

Nor tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses:

Therefore use none: let Romeo hence in haste,

Else, when he's found, that hour is his last.”

The Prince to the families after Romeo has killed Tybalt

Shows that the Prince is fair – he punishes Romeo by banishing him, but doesn’t kill him (like he stated previously) because Tybalt started the fight and killed Mercutio

Romeo will be killed if he returns to Verona – cause for more tragedy

3. “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

Romeo, during his soliloquy, gazing at Juliet on her balcony

Juliet is unaware of Romeo listening to her

Romeo is sensitive – does not want to reveal his feelings until he hears Juliet’s because he doesn’t want to get hurt again

Uses light imagery to describe Juliet’s beauty (language of love)

4. “Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low,As one dead in the bottom of a tomb.”

Juliet to Romeo during their wedding night (the last time they are both alive together)

They are sad and full of dread when partingJuliet has a vision that Romeo is dead –

similar to Romeo’s own dream of his death before

Fate is shown to be working against the lovers and giving them warnings of the future – they want to stay together despite death (R&J don’t want to part on this night even though there is danger)

5. “I saw her laid low in her kindred's vault,

And presently took post to tell it you:

O, pardon me for bringing these ill news,

Since you did leave it for my office, sir.”

Romeo’s servant bringing news of Juliet’s funeral, not realizing that she is not dead

Had the man or Romeo waited, the tragedy could have been avoided

Warning against hasteThe Friar didn’t have enough time to send

news of the plan to Romeo, so Romeo panics and goes on a suicide mission – would rather die than live without Juliet

6. “Help me into some house, Benvolio,

Or I shall faint. A plague o' both your houses!

They have made worms' meat of me: I have it,

And soundly too: your houses!

Mercutio at the time of his deathHe defended Romeo’s honor (since

Romeo refused to fight Tybalt) and died “under Romeo’s arm”

Blames the Capulets and Montagues for his death

Curses the two families – fateRomeo is driven to kill Tybalt as

revenge and prove that he is a man

7. “Thursday is near; lay hand on heart, advise:

An you be mine, I'll give you to my friend;

And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in

the streets,”

Lord Capulet to Juliet, forcing her to marry Paris

Change in his character: used to care about her happiness and wanted Juliet to love Paris; now he is controlling and cruel

Capulet is responsible for Juliet going to the Friar for poison, since he hastens the marriage

Warning against hasteThreatens his only daughter with violence

and abandonment

8. “Put this in any liquid thing you will,And drink it off; and, if you had the strengthOf twenty men, it would dispatch you

straight.”

Apothecary to RomeoDescribes the poison Romeo wants

to take at Juliet’s tomb – it will kill him fast

Romeo doesn’t take time to think – acts in haste

Love – rather die than live without Juliet

9. “Therefore love moderately; long love doth so;

Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.”

Friar Laurence’s advice to Romeo and Juliet during the wedding ceremony

Warns them to love moderately because love begun in haste has a quick ending

Knows that Romeo changed his mind about Rosaline quickly – afraid that love might not last

This is the speech where he talks about the gunpowder and fire (mixing 2 dangerous things = tragedy)

10. “This is that banish'd haughty Montague,That murder'd my love's cousin, with which grief,It is supposed, the fair creature died;And here is come to do some villanous shameTo the dead bodies: I will apprehend him.”

Paris, about Romeo at Juliet’s tombDoesn’t understand that Romeo is there

because he loved JulietThinks that Romeo caused her death by

killing TybaltThinks Romeo is there to desecrate the

bodyChallenges Romeo to a duel – haste –

doesn’t ask questions before he attacks, and dies

11. “What's in a name? that which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet;So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,Retain that dear perfection which he owesWithout that title.”

Balcony scene – Juliet thinking out loud (Romeo hears)

This speech lets Romeo know how Juliet feels about him – he feels confident in speaking to her and expressing her love

Family names are not important to Romeo and Juliet – they would give them up to be with each other (to them LOVE IS STRONGER THAN HATE)

Juliet feels awkward that Romeo heard her private thoughts and asks him to marry her to prove his love

12.

“Tis torture, and not mercy. Heaven is hereWhere Juliet lives, and every cat and dogAnd little mouse, every unworthy thing,Live here in heaven and may look on her,But Romeo may not.”

Romeo’s thoughts when he finds out about his banishment

Believes that his fate is worse than death (until Friar Laurence reminds him to count his blessings, not his curses)

Would rather be dead than without seeing Juliet

Discusses how every creature can look upon Juliet except himself, who loves her most and is the most worthy

13.

“Or bid me go into a new-made grave,And hide me with a dead man in his shroud -Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble -And I will do it without fear or doubt,To live an unstain'd wife to my sweet love.”

Juliet at Friar Laurence’s cell after she finds out about Romeo’s banishment and her marriage to Paris

She describes all of the things that she would rather do than marry Paris (leap from a tower, be locked in a tomb with corpses, deal with ghosts)

Shows her bravery and love for Romeo (would try desperate means to be with him)

Has strength and courage to use Friar’s poisons and spend the night in a tomb

14.

“She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comesIn shape no bigger than an agate stoneOn the forefinger of an alderman,Drawn with a team of little atomiAthwart men’s noses as they lie asleep.”

Mercutio’s famous “Queen Mab” speech In response to Romeo’s mention of his dreams of

his own deathShows that Mercutio doesn’t believe in dreams

(opposite of Romeo, his FOIL)Queen Mab brings dreams of a person’s desire

(war to the soldier, kisses to the maidens, money to the lawyer) but she also brings pain and suffering, because she is fickle

Mercutio is also fickle – goes from happy to depressed during the speech – shows that he doesn’t believe in love or fate

15.

“O my love, my wife!Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breathHath had no power yet upon thy beauty.”

Romeo about Juliet when he sees her in the tomb

Death has not taken her beauty yet

IRONY – she is still alive, but Romeo is in a hurry to take the poison and die with her

Warning against hastePhoto by Ivonne Carlo