Romeo Flashcards
“…Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate,/ O any thing of nothing first create!…”
Use of oxymorons in this section highlights the ineffable quality of love: it is full of contradictions and does not make sense.
This speech is 13 lines, which is arguably an imperfect sonnet. This reflects the idea that Romeo’s experience with love is incomplete and flawed.
Irregular rhyming couplets in the section indicates the unpredictable nature of love. This section highlights Romeo’s role as the Petrarchan lover, who suffers from unrequited love.
In Baz Luhrmann’s directorial interpretation, the poetry is personified - it is made more visible, as Romeo is shown writing his dialogue. This emphasises Petrarchan self-conscious suffering.
“Some consequence yet hanging in the stars… But He hath the steerage of my course”
Shakespeare continues to form his image of Romeo as someone who is lacking control of his own life. “…the stars”, indicate the heavens, and the idea that life on earth is dictated by that macrocosm. This, additionally, foreshadows fate’s interference in the text. In line 112, Shakespeare allegorically represents Romeo as a ship and God as the captain- “…He hath steerage of [Romeo’s] course”. Thus, signifying lack of self-autonomy and the character’s passivity to higher power.
“But Soft, what light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the east and Juliet is the sun./ Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon.”
Juliet being described metaphorically as the “fair sun”, illustrates Romeo’s growing obsession and infatuation, as the sun is the source of all life; Juliet vitalises Romeo. Modern interpretation may allude to the helio-centric model of the solar system, thus Juliet becomes the centre of Romeo’s world.
Antithesis constructed between the “sun” and “moon”. The “moon” refers to Diana, the patroness of virgins, which Romeo wishes to “kill”, suggesting his carnal desires to have Juliet.
“With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls,/ For stony limits cannot hold love out”.
Dichotomy between the abstract noun “love” with concrete nouns such as “walls” and “stony limits”.
Highlights that love transcends borders, with the allegory of flying over the walls with “love’s light wings”. Use of alliterative sounds “Love” “light” “walls” “limits”, draw attention to the word “love” , which is repeated twice.
“…O sweet Juliet,/ Thy beauty hath made me effeminate,/ And in my temper soften’d valour’s steel!”.
Analogy is with the hardness imparted to steel by the process of tempering; Romeo is presented as a blunt sword, which symbolises his emasculation. Swords are typically associated with violence and bravery.
The inability to conform to violent behaviour is considered feminine. The quote shows how Juliet has caused Romeo to change.
Alliterative “t” sounds heighten the tension.
Away to heaven, respective lenity, / And fire-ey’d fury be my conduct now!”
Fricatives of “fire-eye’d fury” accentuate the harshness of the dialogue.
Shakespeare juxtaposes “heaven” with descriptions of hell, “fire-ey’d fury” to emphasise the conflict between mercy and revenge.
“O, I am fortune’s fool.”
Simple sentence underline’s Romeo’s subjugation to “fortune”; Romeo’s language prowess have been diminished to an unimpressive syntax.
Romeo makes himself the object, “fortune’s fool”, which communicates his passive stance on life and his inability to accept responsibility for his actions.
“Fortune”, was perceived as a woman during the Elizabethan era, thus “fortune” may also refer to Juliet in this instance.
“Friar Lawrence: Thy tears are womanish, thy wild acts denote/ The unreasonable fury of a beast.”
“unreasonable fury of a beast”, is a metaphor used to describe Romeo’s irrational nature.
“Womanish” conveys the patriarchal society in which the text is set and written, as
Friar Lawrence exposes Romeo’s loss of self, by describing him as “womanish”, describing his actions as “wild”, and drawing an analogy to a beast, implying a level of dehumanisation.
“Is it e’en so? Then I defy you, stars!”
Caesura “…so? Then I…” indicates an assertion of agency and self-autonomy, in order to defy the will of the heavens, which is symbolised by the “stars”. Therefore, Shakespeare creates the conflict between the individual and fate.
Romeo’s belief that he can “defy the stars” suggests a self-assured hubris. In Greek Mythology hubris is followed by nemesis, fate and destruction. This echoes the structure of the play as Romeo’s defiance against the stars, leads to his destruction. The use of broken syntax in the line elucidates his internal turmoil.
