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DRAMATIC IRONY
1. Act 1 Scene 3: From line 101-108 Pg. 33
Benvolio:
"Tut, you saw her fair, none else being by,
Herself poised with herself in either eye;
But in that crystal scales let there be weighed
Your lady's love against some other maid
Tat I will show you shining at this feast,
And she shall scant show well that now seems best."
Romeo:
I'll go along, no such sight to be shown,
But to rejoice in splendor of mine own."
Explanation: Benvolio says that Romeo will probably fall in love again with a different woman,
but Romeo doesn't believe so. What Romeo doesn't know is that he will fall in love again just like
Benvolio says, and we, the readers, know this.
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2. Servingman says to Romeo, "Now I'll tell you without asking. My master is the great rich
Capulet, and, if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray come and crush a cup of wine. Rest
you merry" (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 85).
This is an example of dramatic irony because Servingman doesn't know that Romeo is a part of
the Montague family, and he just told him about all the guests attending the party at the
Capulet's household. This is important information to Romeo because in the list it says that
Rosaline, the lady who Romeo loves, is invited.
METAPHOR
1. Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 197-198
Romeo: "Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lover's eye."
This is an example of metaphor because it compares love to smoke without using "like" or "as."
This example shows what Romeo thinks of love [that it can both fog and choke us up like smoke
or put a sparkle in our eyes] and really ties into the story line because the story is about finding
love.
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2. Scene 5, Line 55
Romeo says about Juliet, “So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows.”
Juliet stands out like a pristine white dove in the middle of some common crows
What Romeo is saying is that from his point of view, love is harsh and harmful, and that it
emotionally hurts and punctures emotions/feelings just like a thorn pricks human skin. This is
important to the story because it shows the thoughts of Romeo early in the play, which gives the
reader more understanding of the character.
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2. Act 1, Sc. 4, line 6
Benvolio: "Scaring the ladies like a crowkeeper"
Translation + Context: Benvolio says they should not go in to the party apologetically
and not scare all the women away like they are scarecrows and the women are like crows.
FORESHADOWING
1. An example of foreshadowing comes at 1.4.118.
Romeo says that he has a bad feeling about going to the party and he says that he fears for his
own life. This foreshadows his death, which is also an example of dramatic irony because the
reader knows that Romeo will die during the play.
OXYMORON
Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 176-186
Use of oxymoron here makes complete sense. The conflicting descriptions match Romeo’s own
conflicting emotions about love, about the strife in the community.
PUN
1. Act 1, scene 1 on page 1 of the play.
Explanation: This is a clever pun that Romeo throws in; he throws the words that his friend uses
trying to get him to stop moping around (soar and bound) and uses them to whine some more.
BLANK VERSE
1. Act1 Scene 4 lines 3-6 pg 42-43
Translation: Entering the party in a big, noticeable way is not in fashion any more.
We will not deceive people by putting paint on our face like warriors. That will just scare the
ladies as if we were scarecrows.
RHYMED VERSE
1. Act 1, Sc 1, Ln 191-201
Romeo says that that's what love does, it breaks hearts, that love is "madness." He is upset that
Rosaline doesn't love him back.
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[Rhymed verse, continued]
Take our good meaning for judgment sits/ Five times in that era once in our five wits
It is a rhymed verse because delay rhymes with day and sits rhymes with wits. It is also spoken
by Mercutio, who is in a very high social class. It is important because he is talking about how
they are wasting time when they could be crashing the party.
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This is rhymed verse because Lady Capulet is a high power and she is talking. The rhyme pattern
is A,A,B,B,C,C and so on.
PROSE
1. 1.3 line 106-110 pg.41 (1.3.106-110)
Servingman [to Lady Capulet]: "Madam, the guests are come, supper
Served up, you called, my young lady asked for, the
Nurse cursed in the pantry, and everything in
Extremity. I must hence to wait. I beseech you,
Follow straight."
These lines are in prose because the servingman is of lower social status and what he is saying
(basically, everyone is asking for you because the guests are here and the party is beginning) is
not really important to character or theme development, it just moves the plot forward.
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3. Scene: 3 line: 66-67
Nurse: "An I might live to see thee married once, I have my wish."
This line means that Juliet's nurse wants to live long enough to see Juliet get married.