Romeo and Juliet - Key Quotes

Question 1

Finish the quote and analyse: ‘From forth the fatal…’

Answer 1

• ‘From forth the fatal loins of these two foes’
• In the Prologue, establishes the tragedy of fate
• However, ‘foes’ are referring to the parents, family feud, and blaming them (fate/stars too)
• The fricative alliteration of ‘forth…fatal…foes’ shows Shakespeare’s contempt for the parents

Question 2

Finish the quote and analyse: ‘Thrust…maids to the…’

Answer 2

• ‘Thrust…maids to the wall… my naked weapon’
• Sampson and Gregory set the scene of a patriarchal society
• Meant to be funny (maybe for Victorian audience), sexual innuendoes and under pinned by sexual violence
• ‘maids’ = women who are sexually pure, they had to be in order to marry if not compromises status for women
• ‘my naked weapon’ sexual innuendoes, Shakespeare suggests violence in this society has sexual undertones. Foreshadowing Juliet’s tragic death and why all woman are oppressed (J’s mother is not against marrying her daughter off)

Question 3

Finish the quote and analyse: ‘And too soon marred…’

Answer 3

• ‘And too soon marred are those so early made’
• Capulet says to Paris to marry his daughter off (says to wait, still young)
• May link to Shakespeare marrying young and highlights the negatives that come with it through R&J
• ‘marred’ means ruined, suggests that Capulet married J’s mother too young and ruined her
• Further blames parents for arranged marriages

Question 4

Finish the quote and analyse: ‘For saints have hands…’

Answer 4

• ‘For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch’
• When the lovers meet they speak in a sonnet, shows love between them as a sonnet is a love form. However, normally, whoever is being written about, doesn’t respond the love (Petrarchan sonnet.)
• Shakespeare manipulates the unusual Petrarchan sonnet to base the love they have on falsehood
• Romeo refers to J as ‘pilgrims hands’ referencing to statues of worship/saints. Linking to how Church of England destroying statues as they were idolatry, false gods.
• Alarms Elizabethan audience uses religious imagery (wrong religion) and comedically to talk about their love (hubris)

Question 5

Finish the quote and analyse: ‘What satisfaction canst…’

Answer 5

• ‘What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?’
• Juliet to Romeo, after they have confessed their love to each other but Juliet will not satisfy him as if she does she is compromising her status, if they are not married.
• Juliet gives him in ultimatum, choosing marriage or losing her. This is a device for Shakespeare portray that marriage would be better if fathers couldn’t arrange marriages, undermining patriarchal society

Question 5

Finish quote and analyse: ‘Young men’s love then lies…’

Answer 5

• ‘Young men’s love then lies/Not true in their hearts but in their eyes
• Friar to Romeo, doesn’t believe his love to Juliet (just lust)
• Double entendre of the word ‘lies’ can mean rests or actual untruthfulness (emphasising the word ‘truly’ - contrast)
• Criticising the Friar because he marries them knowing it’s just lust. Morality? But he is trying to end the feud.

Question 6

Finish the quote: ‘Good king of cats,…’

Answer 6

• ‘Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives’
• Mercutio to Tybalt, mocking him by comparing him to a fable
• ‘one of your nine lives’ emphasising it is merely a joke and won’t kill him, just a duel to show off their masculinity
• Underestimates Tybalt’s anger, from the ‘two foes’ (family feud). Shakespeare uses the character of Tybalt to show that what is wrong with society is that men have to prove themselves through violence
• Tybalt breaks the law, by killing Mercutio, because the family feud, even though he isn’t even a part of the family

Question 7

Finish the quote: ‘O I am fortune’s…’

Answer 7

• ‘O I am fortune’s fool’
• After killing Tybalt, to prove his masculinity and family honour, he blames fortunes. Showing his deep immaturity and Shakespeare’s criticism of him
• Emphasised by the fricative alliteration, showing Shakespeare’s contempt to Romeo’s own word

Question 8

Finish the quote and analyse: ‘But fettle…’

Answer 8

• ‘But fettle your fine joints’
• When Capulet forces J to marry Paris, he says this to her, telling her to prepare her ‘joints’ to use on their wedding night as he is marrying her off.
• Sexual imagery with his daughter, showing this father-daughter relationship is not healthy (objectification). She is an object for him to get money and she only has to look good for a man
• Even though he knows it is likely to ruin her.
• Shakespeare is criticising patriarchal society

Question 9

Finish the quote and analyse: ‘Oh happy dagger…’

Answer 9

-‘Oh happy dagger, this is thy sheath’
- When she does this, portrays a sexual imagery, as the dagger and sheath are sexually symbolic
- On purpose, as this is the last sexual union with Romeo (he is dead), hinting she wants to be with in the after life
- In the religious doctrine, as they both committed suicide, they would have go to hell. But they aren’t worried about this because they are young and immature, which is implied by Shakespeare