Quotes to study for exam.

2. 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?”

3. 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

4. 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.”

5. 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

6. 3. “But, soft! what light through
yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

7. 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)

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

9. Juliet to Romeo during their wedding night
(the last time they are both alive together)
They are sad and full of dread when parting
Juliet 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)

10. 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.”

11. 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 haste
The 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

12. 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!

13. Mercutio at the time of his death
He 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 – fate
Romeo is driven to kill Tybalt as
revenge and prove that he is a man

14. 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, starv
e, die in
the streets,”

15. 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 haste
Threatens his only daughter with violence
and abandonment

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

17. Apothecary to Romeo
Describes 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

18. 9. “Therefore love moderately; long
love doth so;
Too swift arrives as tardy as too
slow.”

19. 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)

20. 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 shame
To the dead bodies: I
will apprehend him.”

21. Paris, about Romeo at Juliet’s tomb
Doesn’t understand that Romeo is there
because he loved Juliet
Thinks that Romeo caused her death by
killing Tybalt
Thinks Romeo is there to desecrate the
body
Challenges Romeo to a duel – haste –
doesn’t ask questions before he attacks,
and dies

22. 11. “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.”

23. 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

24. 12.
“Tis torture, and not
mercy. Heaven is here
Where Juliet lives, and
every cat and dog
And little mouse, every
unworthy thing,
Live here in heaven
and may look on her,
But Romeo may not.”

25. 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

26. 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.”

27. 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

28. 14.
“She is the fairies’
midwife, and she
comes
In shape no bigger than
an agate stone
On the forefinger of an
alderman,
Drawn with a team of
little atomi
Athwart men’s noses
as they lie asleep.”

29. Mercutio’s famous “Queen Mab” speech
In response to Romeo’s mention of his dreams of
his own death
Shows 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

30. 15.
“O my love, my wife!
Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.”

31. 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 haste
Photo by Ivonne Carlo