Romeo & Juliet Flashcards
Star-crossed
‘A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life’
Said by the chorus, in the prologue. Link to fate - audience knows how the story ends from the start.
Prologue - Chorus
Forfeit
‘Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace’
Prince introduces death penalty for anyone who fights, raising the stakes of future fights.
Act 1, Scene 1 -
Age
‘I can tell her age unto an hour’
Closeness of relationship between nurse and Juliet. Contrasts that of Juliet and her mother.
Act 1, Scene 3 - Romeo
Lead
‘I have a soul of lead’
Love is a burden - Romeo obsessed with the idea of being in love. Playing the role of a courtly lover.
Act 1, Scene 4 - Romeo
True beauty
‘Foreswear it sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night.’
True love at first sight - Romeo understands what love is when he sees Juliet. Forgets about Rosaline.
Act 1, Scene 5 - Romeo
Sin
‘To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.’
Tybalt angered by Romeo intruding on a Capulet party and wants to kill him - despite the Prince’s law.
Act 1, Scene 5 - Tybalt
Wherefore
‘Oh Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?’
After the ball Juliet questions why Romeo has to be a member of the enemy family - questioning identity.
Act 2, Scene 2 - Juliet
East
‘It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.’
Juliet is the centre of his universe. Romeo always uses light imagery to describe her.
Act 2, Scene 2 - Romeo
Rose
‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’
Juliet’s feelings won’t change based on a name. Like Romeo she doesn’t care about the feud, only her love for him.
Act 2, Scene 2 - Juliet
Violent
‘These violent delights have violent ends.’
After agreeing to marry the young couple to end the feud, Fair starts to have doubts about how quickly they are moving. Foreshadows ending.
Act 2, Scene 6 - Friar Lawrence
Villian
‘Thou art a villain.’
Tybalt insults Romeo to force him to fight him (in response of Romeo’s insult of attending the party.)
Act 3, Scene 1 - Tybalt
Plague
‘A plague on both your houses.’
Angry that the feud has caused his death when he isn’t part of either family, Mercutio wishes death on both families instead. Marks the start of the escalation of violence.
Act 3, Scene 1
Fortune
‘O, I am fortune’s fool.’
Blames fate for his actions - doesn’t take responsibility for what he has done. first tie we see Romeo engage with the feud.
Act 3, Scene 1
Mantua
‘Pass to Mantua, where thou shalt live, till we can blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends, beg pardon of the prince.’
Friar again making plans to sort out the mess. Trying to buy the couple some time but audience knows that the couple regularly act in haste.
Act 3, Scene 3
Thanks
‘Doth she not give us thanks? Is she not proud?’
Lord Capulet is furious that Juliet is disobeying him - important as it shows a huge character change from Act 1 in Capulet. Sees daughter as possession and insults her when she does not do what he wants.
Act 3, Scene 5
Leap
‘O bid me leap than marry Paris.’
Juliet is desperate.
Act 4, Scene 1 - Juliet
Letters
‘Romeo by my letters shall know our drift.’
Friar continues to make plans to undo the mess caused by his plan. he does not foresee fate intervening and continues to scheme.
Act 4, Scene 1 - Friar Lawrence
Reclaimed
‘This same wayward girl is so reclaimed.’
Juliet lies to her family and pretends she is willing to marry Paris. Collapse of her relationship with family.
Act 4, Scene 2 - Lord Capulet
Desperate
‘And dash out my desperate brains.’
Juliet’s thoughts turn morbid as she becomes more anxious about faking her death. She thinks of Romeo to give her the courage to try.
Act 4, Scene 3 - Juliet
Stars
‘I defy you, stars.’
Romeo thinks he is disobeying fate by rushing back to Verona to enact his suicide. Audience knows that this is part of fate’s plan.
Act 5, Scene 1 - Romeo
Kiss
‘Thus with a kiss I die.’
Romeo’s final act is one of love.
Act 5, Scene 3 - Romeo
Happy
‘O happy dagger! This is thy sheath.’
Juliet is happy to die - she cannot cope with life without Romeo so she decides to join him in death.
Act 5, Scene 3 - Juliet
Woe
‘For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and Romeo.’
The Prince summarises the ending. In dying, love has conquered all; its passion is shown to be the brightest and most powerful.
Act 5, Scene 3 - Prince Escalus
