Semih Durmuş L9-5
February 21, 2004
ROMEO AND JULIET
A PROSE
“Servant. Find them out whose names are written here!
It is written that the shoemaker should meddle with 40
his yard and the tailor with his last, the fisher with
his pencil, and the painter with his nets; but I am
sent to find those persons whose names are here writ,
and can never find what names the writing person
hath here writ. I must to the learned:—in good time!”
Pg.23 Act I Scene II
A servant of Capulet (CLOWN), speaks by himself. Before this part, on a street of Verona,
Capulet walks with Paris who is a noble kinsman of the Prince. This two discuss Paris’ desire
to marry Capulet’s daughter. Capulet is overjoyed but also states that he should be wait two
years for decision. At this time, Capulet decides to make a feast to and invite some friends and
every workers start to work. Therefore, Clown even starts to work. However, his mind is a
little bit confused.
Here, Shakespeare uses a different type of language. He doesn’t use a poetic or blank verse,
he chooses a prose for this part, and therefore he doesn’t use a rhyme skill. (Also, in his play
script he uses margins in this part.) Moreover, Shakespeare doesn’t use an advance
vocabulary; chooses simplest vocabulary for him because, Clown is a little bit ignorant and
non-clever person and Shakespeare draws the reader’s attention at the end of this prose by
using the lines that “can never find what names are here writ”. Furthermore, Shakespeare
chooses wrong words for Clown to show again that he is an uneducated person and a little bit
foolish man. For example, Clown confuses at choosing words and so says “ the fisher with his
pencil and the painter with his nets.” Generally, this prose is a little bit informal due to other
parts of the play.
Shakespeare tries to show Clown is a little bit ignorance and he doesn’t know reading. There
are two reasons at this point. First, he tries to get attention of audiences or readers by using a
little fun in mood of this prose. Secondly, he tries to bring Romeo and Juliet together with a
successful way, because in the further steps of the scene Clown wants help of Romeo, and
Romeo reads the list and sees Rosaline’s name on the list and so he comes to the feast and
there he faces with Juliet and starts to love her. Thus, the subject of the book that is great love
between Romeo and Juliet starts. Lastly, this shows the cleverness of Shakespeare.
POETIC VERSE
What say you? can you love the gentleman? 90
This night you shall behold him at our feast;
Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;
Examine every married lineament,
And see how one another lends content; 95
And what obscur'd in this fair volume lies
Semih Durmuş L9-5
February 21, 2004
Find written in the margent of his eyes.
This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
To beautify him, only lacks a cover:
The fish lives in the sea; and 'tis much pride
For fair without the fair within to hide:
That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,
That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;
So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.
Pg. 33 Act I Scene III
Lady Capulet speaks these lines to Juliet. In Capulet’s house, just before the feast is to begin,
Lady Capulet calls to the Nurse, needing help to find her daughter. Juliet enters, and Lady
Capulet dismisses the Nurse so that she might speak with her daughter alone but then she
changes her mind and wants the Nurse stay there. Then, Nurse launches into a long story
about the marriage. After that, Lady Capulet makes this speech. First she describes Paris in a
good way, and says Paris is an ideal and a perfect husband for Juliet. Also, she says Pairs is a
noble, rich and social-standing man and so Juliet doesn’t lose anything, she could gain
something. Briefly, she wants Juliet marries Paris.
Here, Shakespeare uses cogent and tender moods because he tries to show Lady Capulet
wants her daughter marriage but she doesn’t want to force her about this subject. Also,
Shakespeare uses advanced vocabulary for Lady Capulet in this stanza. Thus, he shows that
Lady Capulet have a high social class because usage of advance vocabulary comes with a
good education and a good education shows the high social class. However, Shakespeare
doesn’t use advance vocabulary for Clown because he is just an uneducated servant.
Therefore, Shakespeare is successful to define characters with the usage of vocabulary.
Moreover, Shakespeare uses an extended metaphor “Read o'er the volume of young Paris'
face, And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;” to show that Lady Capulet wants her
daughter should talk to Paris in a good way so Juliet could marry him. There is also a kind of
imagery here, because Lady Capulet explains Juliet how to speak and this explanation shows
how Juliet act. Furthermore, the language of Lady Capulet is in striking contrast with
repetitive chatter of the Nurse; because Nurse wants Juliet’ s marriage should be immediately
with Paris but Lady Capulet thinks Juliet should decide it.
Furthermore, Lady Capulet continues to use imageries for describing perfection of Paris. For
example, she says “The fish lives in the sea; and 'tis much pride, for fair without the fair
within to hide” to show Paris can’t live without Juliet and he is really a handsome and goodlooking man. Shakespeare uses all these imageries that are used in this verse to describe Paris
and the events well. Therefore, usage of imageries shows that Shakespeare used them as a
good gun to affect the audiences or readers.
Also, Shakespeare uses a conversational style of rhyme in this verse, because he doesn’t use
rhyme in first four lines but then he uses couplets. For example he uses “lies, eyes; lover;
cover; glory, story.”