BEST LINES
IN
ROMEO & JULIET
By Ms. Secko
THE GREATEST LOVE
STORY OF ALL TIME…
 Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare
THE POWER OF LOVE
A C T 1 , S C E N E 5 , PA G E 2
“The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessèd my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”
Literary Technique: Rhyme
RHYME
“The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessèd my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”
Using rhyme in poetry gives a poem a repetitive quality
by sound without repeating a line or phrase. The use of
rhyme allows poetry to gain a songlike quality.
WHAT DOES IT ADD?
“The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessèd my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”
Through the use of rhyme, Shakespeare is able to capture an
enamored Romeo who is surrounded by the “notes” of love. His
rhyming speech IS the music behind his passion, Juliet. Through
rhyme, the audience is able to understand Romeo’s deep feelings
for Juliet. We want them to be together!
IS IT TRUE LOVE?
ACT 1, SCENE 5
ROMEO
[To JULIET] If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
JULIET
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.
Literary Technique: Allusion
ALLUSION
ROMEO
[To JULIET] If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
JULIET
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.
WHAT DOES IT ADD?
ROMEO
[To JULIET] unworthiest hand…holy shrine…pilgrims…
JULIET pilgrim…hand…devotion…saints have hands
that pilgrims' hands do touch…and palm to palm is holy
palmers' kiss.
Shakespeare’s allusion, or reference, to God brings this
relationship to a new level. Using biblical language assures the
audience that this relationship is different than any other; it is
Holy, true and blessed! We, too, are in love – with them!
T H E C O N S E QU E N C E O F H AT E
A C T 3 , S C E N E 1 , PA G E 5
MERCUTIO: Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Ask for me
tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man
Literary Technique: Pun
PUN
MERCUTIO: Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Ask for me
tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man
The use of pun, or play on words, is to suggest two possible
meanings. In this case, the two meanings for “grave” are 1)
serious, 2) buried. Naturally, the characters assume Mercutio
is going to take his wound seriously and seek help. The
audience, on the author hand, understands the
foreshadowing of Mercutio’s death. The audience is deeply
saddened.
D E AT H
A C T 3 , S C E N E 1 , PA G E 5
MERCUTIO: A plague o' both your houses!
Literary Technique: Metaphor
D E AT H
A C T 3 , S C E N E 1 , PA G E 5
MERCUTIO: A plague o' both your houses!
Literary Technique: Metaphor
WHAT DOES IT ADD?
MERCUTIO: A plague o' both your houses!
By using the “plague” metaphor, Mercutio is suggesting
ultimate doom. Not only will there be death, but the
audience knows that there will be pain and suffering on both
sides. A plague does not discriminate, it will kill everyone in
its path regardless of who you are, Capulet or Montague.
Shakespeare’s metaphor sends chills up his audience’s
spine – we fear the end results!
THE END
It’s not what is said, but,
rather, how it’s said that
makes it memorable….