Term
| "Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon," - Romeo |
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Definition
| Romeo is making references to light suggesting that she is the light come to remove the darkness in his heart left by Rosaline. |
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Term
| "Her vestal livery is but sick and green" - Romeo |
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Definition
| Here Romeo is referring to Juliet's virginity, believing that unmarried women are sick and he is going to cure her. |
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Term
| "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo. Deny thy father and refuse thy name" - Juliet |
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Definition
| Shakespeare's use of the word "wherefore" shows Juliet questioning why Romeo is a Montague and she wants him to deny his family for her love. Or if he will not, she will deny her family to be with him. |
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Term
| "Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain, deny" - Juliet |
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Definition
| Juliet is worried about having revealed her feelings too early on in the relationship and worries his feelings may not be sincere. |
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Term
| "Full soon the canker death eats up that plant" - Friar Lawrence |
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Definition
| "Rude will" and "grace" exist in all people and their fait is determined by these qualities. |
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Term
| "Was I with you there for the goose?" - Mercutio |
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Definition
| The word "goose" is an Elizabethan term for a prostitute and so Mercutio displays more suxual word play suggesting that a relationship is physical to him rather than deep and emotional such as that of Juliet's and Romeo's. |
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Term
| "You have made a simple choice" - Nurse |
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Definition
| The Nurse believes that Juliet is foolish and has chosen the wrong man but supports her anyway. |
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Term
"Being tasted, stays all senses with the heart" - Friar Lawrence
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Definition
| Here Friar Lawrence foreshadowes Romeo's foolishness later on in the play. Shakespeare hints that Romeo having been consumed by his love of Juliet, is only making decisions from the heart suggesting that this is a dangerous thing to do. |
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Term
| "What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet;" - Juliet |
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Definition
Here Juliet expresses a very modern idea of the time - 'Your name does not define you'. In her era, your name (the family that you come from) sets out how people view you. The idea that you should be judged solely on your own merit is a progressive idea for the setting and suggests that Juliet has a rebellious and modern streak. |
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Term
| "love-devouring death" - Romeo |
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Definition
| This is dramatic irony because the audience knows (from the prologue) that Romeo and Juliet must die. Romeo's remark about death builds the tension - as if he's tempting fate. |
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