PERIOD 2
METAPHOR
II, 2
“bright angel”
religious, god-like comparison about Juliet
II, 2
“Juliet is the sun”
she is important, beautiful, crucial to life, but also kind of overpowering
III, 3
“Verona’s walls are the world”
Romeo always exaggerates
I, 1
“Love is a fume of smoke”
It’s blurry and confusing, but also a result of fire/passion
ANTITHESIS
III, 2
“serpent heart, fair dragon”
J is confused and is in love and angry with R for killing Tybalt. She sees him as good and bad at
the same time
PERSONIFICATION
II, 3
“what is her womb…is her tomb”
Earth is like a mother and life begins and end with her
SIMILE
I, 5
“a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear”
J stands out. She is something light and bright colored within something dark
II, 3
“like a wanton’s bird”
J compares R to a bird she would like to put on a chain, he is like a prisoner, she doesn’t want
him to go, but love traps him, she is being clingy
CLASSICAL ALLUSION
II, 4
“blind bow boy’s butt shaft”
Merc is saying R is controlled by cupid, we can relate to this, he also mocks him with the
repetition of the b sound
REVERSED SENTENCE
III, 1
“which way, ran he”
stands out, calls attention to it, shows confusion, of the fight
I, 1
“this love feel I”
shows Romeo’s confusion, love is controlling him
PERIOD 4
METAPHOR:
Act II, Scene 2
“It is the east and Juliet is the sun”
Romeo is in love with Juliet
The sun is a big and important thing; without the sun we die
Juliet is so important to Romeo, he feels he would die without her
Act III, Scene 3
“A pack of blessings, light upon thy back”
Romeo doesn’t think he’s lucky, but he actually is and is blessed that he is still alive
Blessings follow you everywhere, lands on your back
Romeo and Juliet compared eachother to holiness; Friar Lawrence is also doing this because
blessings come from God (religious metaphors)
ANTITHESIS
Act I, Scene 1
“There is much to do with hate, but more with love.”
Hate and love are two different ideas
Audience focuses on the difference between the two
Love/hate relationships – hate and love can sometimes go together
Possible to love someone but hate what they do
Act I, Scene 1
“Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate”
Contrast of the two ideas says that Romeo is confused and conflicted, adds situational irony
Polar opposites adds mirror of plot – Romeo is talking about the conflict between Capulets and
Montagues, but is completely out of it with Rosaline in his thoughts
REVERSE SENTENCE:
Act III, Scene 5
“More light and light, more dark and dark are woes.”
Sounds sophisticated, shows a contrast between Romeo and Juliet’s relationship
Shows the good and bad in the relationship
Bad: Families don’t like each other; Good: Happy when around each other
The lighter it gets outside, the worse their troubles are; more of a chance to get caught and killed
in daylight
The two have to keep their love in the dark; hidden
Dark and light have reversed
PERSONIFICATION:
Act III, Scene 3
“Happiness courts thee in her best array”
Juliet is happiest with Romeo, and happiness attracts others
Happiness acts like a person
Best array: good-looking clothes
Act III, Scene 3
“Affliction is enamored of thy parts and thou art wedded to calamity”
Adds to the feeling of Romeo being wedded to disaster
Dry humor because he just married Juliet, things are going bad; you’re married to disaster
Act II, Scene 2
“He jests at scars that never felt a wound”
Romeo is saying that Mercutio hasn’t had the experience of being in love
Romeo is defensive and using personification makes him very heartfelt and dramatic about the
topic
CLASSICAL ALLUSION:
Act I, Scene 1
“With Cupid’s arrow she hath Dian’s wit”
Enhances character setting by showing the culture of the area
Shows Romeo’s intelligence and passion
Comparing Rosaline to the virgin goddess Dian
SIMILE:
Act II, Scene 2
“Love goes towards love as schoolboys from their books, but love from love towards school with
heavy looks”
Relatable – on Fridays you want to go home and get away from books
Same intensity of longing to go home is very easy to understand (for young people)
Extended metaphor with personification
Act 2, Scene 2
“The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp.”
Adds to how Romeo feels about Juliet, very physically attracted to her
Stars are pretty and bright, comparing to the star makes her beautiful
PERIOD 6
ALLUSION
II, 3
“from forth day’s path and Titan’s fiery wheels”
knowledge of mythology, tells us Friar is smart, Friar Lawrence is more like a wise father than
R’s own father, Titan = Helios, god of sun, he is thoughtful and likes science and astronomy, it’s
almost heathenish, and shows he might be more open-minded and it’s like he is questioning or
using a non-Christian view, he is progressive
II, 2
“arise fair sun and kill the envious moon
her vestal livery is but sick and green”
moon is Rosaline darkness and danger & sun is Juliet is good
METAPHOR
II, 2
“It is the east and Juliet is the sun”
Juliet is important, can’t live without her, he looks up to her literally and figuratively
III, 3
“tis torture and not mercy Heaven is here where Juliet is”
R says that being with Juliet is being in heaven, and I’m banished, so I’m in hell
II, 2
“brightness of her cheek would shame those stars…bright angel”
R thinks of J as pure, contrasts with Rosaline a weaker love, angels are above, he looks up to her,
protectors, religious
PERSONIFICATION
III, 1
“Dry sorrow drinks our blood”
Romeo’s emotion of sadness towards the fighting, helplessness, force beyond your control taking
your life force
II, 2
“Summer’s ripening breath”
summer is happy and “around the corner” coming soon, like a flower (“bud of love”) compares
her to a flower too, the word “budding” is also used in a new relationship
II, 1
“blind is his love”
(about Romeo) Love is fate because you don’t know what will happen, but it will turn out well,
love is blind because it’s about emotions, not looks, feeling act without you, you can’t control
them
SIMILE
II, 2
(Juliet) “as daylight doth a lamp her eye in heaven”
R can’t live w/o her, she is important, natural & brighter compared to a lamp that is dimmer &
smaller with a small glow and man made, daylight impacts the whole world compared to a small
lamp, light is good, darkness /dimness is not as good
REVERSED SENTENCE
II, 5
“the clock struck nine when I did send the nurse”
J. sounds confused and worried. Overthinking it. Shows urgency with the time. Shows that she’s
worried about the time, it’s important
III, 5
“much of grief shows still some want of wit” Lady Capulet
you’re stupid for grieving for him, and ruining it for everyone, it’s stupid because life has to go
on, no time for this kind of thing
ANTITHESIS
III, 2
“beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical”
J. talking about R. after he has killed. Shows R’s two sides, he’s a demon and an angel, J is torn
between the two sides- her husband & her cousin, everyone has 2 sides
II, 2
“parting is such a sweet sorrow”
seeing each other is sweet, but time away is sad, because it gives the opportunity to reunite, the
anticipation to get back together, realistic for a relationship
SYNTAX/RHYTHM
III, 1
“Consort, what, dost thou make us minstrels?”
Before Merc is killed and he is angry. This is NOT iambic pentameter. He seems foolish and it
leads to his death. Also R & J act foolishly and it causes their death.