SHAKESPEARE – Page 2 – Grail of Grapes

Romeo and Juliet – Quote Analysis

1. “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Soliloquy
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Juliet wishes Romeo weren’t a Montague.
Context: Balcony scene; Juliet reflects on the feud.
Analysis: Conflict between love and identity; irony of love born from hate.

2. “A plague o’ both your houses!”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Romeo and Tybalt (indirectly)
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Mercutio curses both feuding families.
Context: After being mortally wounded by Tybalt.
Analysis: Symbolizes senseless destruction caused by hate.

3. “Thus with a kiss I die.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Soliloquy
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Romeo dies believing Juliet is truly dead.
Context: He drinks poison beside Juliet.
Analysis: Love becomes fatal; tragic misunderstanding.

4. “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: She’s sad to part, but joyful they’ll meet again.
Context: Romeo leaves after the balcony meeting.
Analysis: Oxymoron highlights emotional complexity of young love.

5. “These violent delights have violent ends.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 6
Meaning: Passionate love can lead to destruction.
Context: Before marrying Romeo and Juliet.
Analysis: Foreshadowing the tragic fate of impulsive passion.

6. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Soliloquy
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: A name doesn’t define the person.
Context: Juliet questions the importance of Romeo’s surname.
Analysis: Critique of social identity; love over labels.

7. “My only love sprung from my only hate!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse (indirectly to herself)
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: She falls in love with her enemy.
Context: After learning Romeo is a Montague.
Analysis: Irony and inner conflict between love and loyalty.

8. “O, I am fortune’s fool!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself (in public)
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: He blames fate for his actions.
Context: After killing Tybalt.
Analysis: Theme of fate and helplessness.

9. “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
Meaning: Rushing into things leads to trouble.
Context: Advising Romeo about his love for Juliet.
Analysis: Irony; wise advice ignored by the lovers.

10. “Death lies on her like an untimely frost upon the sweetest flower of all the field.”

Speaker: Capulet
To Whom: Lady Capulet/Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 5
Meaning: Juliet appears to be dead too early in life.
Context: Upon discovering Juliet’s ‘death’.
Analysis: Poetic metaphor for innocence lost; dramatic irony.

11. “If love be rough with you, be rough with love.”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
Meaning: Don’t let love hurt you — fight back.
Context: As Romeo mourns Rosaline’s rejection.
Analysis: Mercutio’s playful, cynical view contrasts Romeo’s romanticism.

12. “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Soliloquy (watching Juliet)
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Juliet brings light to Romeo’s world.
Context: During the balcony scene.
Analysis: Celestial imagery elevates Juliet to divine beauty.

13. “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Speaker: Prince Escalus
To Whom: Audience/Final words
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Summarizes the tragic love story.
Context: After the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Analysis: Conveys the depth of the tragedy; final judgment.

14. “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself (publicly)
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Romeo believes he’s never loved until Juliet.
Context: First seeing Juliet at the Capulet party.
Analysis: Impulsive nature of his emotions; fickle love.

15. “O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo’s outward beauty hides betrayal.
Context: On hearing he killed Tybalt.
Analysis: Juxtaposition of appearance vs. reality.

16. “This day’s black fate on more days doth depend.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Today’s events will trigger future tragedies.
Context: Just before fighting Tybalt.
Analysis: Foreshadows a chain of dark consequences.

17. “You kiss by the book.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: His kiss is proper, almost rehearsed.
Context: After their first kiss at the party.
Analysis: Subtle wit; early chemistry and power balance.

18. “I defy you, stars!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
Meaning: He rejects fate after hearing Juliet is ‘dead’.
Context: Decides to return to Verona.
Analysis: Theme of fate vs. free will; tragic defiance.

19. “Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo seems both heavenly and monstrous.
Context: Reacting to Romeo killing Tybalt.
Analysis: Oxymorons reflect emotional conflict and betrayal.

20. “My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Romeo flirts using religious imagery.
Context: During their first conversation.
Analysis: Shows romantic and poetic nature; sacred love metaphor.

21. “Younger than she are happy mothers made.”

Speaker: Paris
To Whom: Capulet
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 2
Meaning: Girls younger than Juliet are already mothers.
Context: Paris argues for marrying Juliet.
Analysis: Highlights societal pressure and early marriage norms.

22. “My grave is like to be my wedding bed.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: If Romeo is married, she would rather die.
Context: Upon falling in love with him instantly.
Analysis: Foreshadowing the tragic ending; love and death entwined.

23. “Come, gentle night; come, loving, black-brow’d night.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Soliloquy
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Juliet longs for night to be with Romeo.
Context: Awaiting their wedding night.
Analysis: Sensual imagery; night as a symbol of intimacy and secrecy.

24. “Banishment! Be merciful, say ‘death’.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Friar Laurence
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 3
Meaning: Romeo sees exile as worse than death.
Context: After being exiled for Tybalt’s murder.
Analysis: Immaturity; he equates life without Juliet to death.

25. “O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: She asks him not to make changeable promises.
Context: During the balcony scene.
Analysis: Juliet’s practicality contrasts with Romeo’s romantic idealism.

26. “Thou art as glorious to this night’s being as is a winged messenger of heaven.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo compares Juliet to an angel.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Elevates love to divine imagery; intense romanticism.

27. “Then plainly know my heart’s dear love is set on the fair daughter of rich Capulet.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Friar Laurence
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
Meaning: Romeo reveals his love for Juliet.
Context: Asking Friar to marry them.
Analysis: Sudden shift from Rosaline to Juliet; impulsive emotion.

28. “Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Love is fleeting and painful.
Context: Lamenting his unreturned love for Rosaline.
Analysis: Melancholic metaphor; romantic disillusionment.

29. “Oh, she is rich in beauty; only poor that when she dies, with beauty dies her store.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Rosaline’s beauty will die with her.
Context: Discussing Rosaline’s chastity.
Analysis: Obsession with physical beauty and legacy.

30. “Go wisely and slowly. Those who rush stumble and fall.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
Meaning: Rushing into love is dangerous.
Context: Warning before the secret wedding.
Analysis: Wise counsel; irony in the lovers’ fate.

31. “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Saying goodbye is both sad and sweet.
Context: As they reluctantly separate after the balcony scene.
Analysis: Oxymoron; reflects the intensity and conflict in their love.

32. “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
Meaning: Rushing leads to mistakes.
Context: Advising Romeo about the wedding.
Analysis: Foreshadowing the tragic consequences of haste.

33. “These violent delights have violent ends.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 6
Meaning: Intense pleasures often end in disaster.
Context: Just before marrying Romeo and Juliet.
Analysis: Thematic warning about passion and recklessness.

34. “O God, I have an ill-divining soul!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 5
Meaning: She fears something terrible will happen.
Context: Their final farewell before Romeo leaves for Mantua.
Analysis: Foreshadowing; shows intuitive dread of tragedy.

35. “A plague o’ both your houses!”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Capulets and Montagues (as he dies)
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Curses both families for their feud.
Context: After being fatally wounded by Tybalt.
Analysis: Critical turning point; symbolizes consequences of hate.

36. “O, I am fortune’s fool!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: He feels fate has mocked him.
Context: After killing Tybalt.
Analysis: Theme of fate; loss of control over his life.

37. “I think it best you married with the County.”

Speaker: Nurse
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 5
Meaning: Advises Juliet to marry Paris.
Context: After Romeo’s banishment.
Analysis: Betrayal; shows Nurse’s practicality over loyalty.

38. “Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Why must you be Romeo, a Montague?
Context: Balcony scene, reflecting on the family feud.
Analysis: Conflict between love and identity.

39. “Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself / Juliet’s body
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: He dies by poison, kissing Juliet one last time.
Context: Believing Juliet is dead.
Analysis: Final tragic act; love and death entwined.

40. “Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: She kills herself with Romeo’s dagger.
Context: Moments after Romeo’s death.
Analysis: Suicide as union; irony in “happy” death.

41. “My only love sprung from my only hate!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself / Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: She has fallen in love with someone from the enemy family.
Context: After discovering Romeo is a Montague.
Analysis: Paradox; reveals the irony and intensity of forbidden love.

42. “With love’s light wings did I o’er-perch these walls.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Love gave him the strength to climb the wall.
Context: Sneaking into the Capulet orchard.
Analysis: Romantic hyperbole; love defies danger and boundaries.

43. “Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Kissing Juliet cleanses his “sin.”
Context: Their first meeting.
Analysis: Religious imagery; love portrayed as sacred.

44. “This alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancour to pure love.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
Meaning: Their marriage might end the family feud.
Context: Agreeing to marry them.
Analysis: Hopeful tone; tragic irony as peace comes through death.

45. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo’s name doesn’t change who he is.
Context: Balcony scene, reflecting on the feud.
Analysis: Challenges societal identity and labels.

46. “O, I am slain! If thou be merciful, open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.”

Speaker: Paris
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: He wants to die beside Juliet.
Context: After being fatally wounded by Romeo.
Analysis: Humanizes Paris; even he loved Juliet genuinely.

47. “Death lies on her like an untimely frost upon the sweetest flower of all the field.”

Speaker: Capulet
To Whom: Lady Capulet, Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 5
Meaning: Juliet looks dead before her time.
Context: Discovering her “dead” body.
Analysis: Poetic mourning; death as unnatural and cruel.

48. “Oh, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Friar Laurence
Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
Meaning: She would rather die than marry Paris.
Context: Seeking a solution to avoid forced marriage.
Analysis: Extreme devotion to Romeo; desperation.

49. “I defy you, stars!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
Meaning: He rejects fate’s cruelty.
Context: After hearing of Juliet’s death.
Analysis: Rebellion against destiny; theme of fate vs free will.

50. “There is thy gold, worse poison to men’s souls, doing more murder in this loathsome world.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Apothecary
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
Meaning: Money corrupts more than poison does.
Context: Buying poison to kill himself.
Analysis: Social critique; philosophical depth amid tragedy.

51. “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Speaker: Prince Escalus
To Whom: All (Final lines)
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: No tale is sadder than Romeo and Juliet’s.
Context: Concluding the tragedy.
Analysis: Ironic couplet; sums up the fatal cost of hatred.

52. “Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo is who he is regardless of his name.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Identity vs love; challenges social divisions.

53. “I dreamt my lady came and found me dead.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
Meaning: He dreamt Juliet found him dead and revived him.
Context: Before hearing of Juliet’s “death.”
Analysis: Irony and foreshadowing; dream reflects reality soon.

54. “Do not swear by the moon, the inconstant moon.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Don’t make promises based on something changeable.
Context: As Romeo swears his love.
Analysis: Symbolism of inconsistency; Juliet’s maturity.

55. “You kiss by the book.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: You kiss perfectly, like it’s learned.
Context: After their first kiss.
Analysis: Teasing compliment; flirtatious tone.

56. “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself (about Juliet)
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: She is his light and life.
Context: Upon seeing her at the balcony.
Analysis: Metaphor; elevates Juliet to celestial beauty.

57. “If love be rough with you, be rough with love.”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
Meaning: If love hurts, fight back.
Context: Before the Capulet party.
Analysis: Comic bravado; contrasts Romeo’s romanticism.

58. “Under love’s heavy burden do I sink.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
Meaning: Love weighs me down.
Context: Lovesick over Rosaline.
Analysis: Melancholic tone; introduces Romeo’s depth.

59. “This day’s black fate on more days doth depend.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself / Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Today’s tragedy will cause more misfortune.
Context: After Mercutio’s death.
Analysis: Foreshadowing; fate’s unfolding tragedy.

60. “Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo is both lovely and cruel.
Context: After learning he killed Tybalt.
Analysis: Oxymoron; conflict of love and betrayal.

61. “For exile hath more terror in his look, much more than death.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Friar Laurence
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 3
Meaning: Being banished is worse than death.
Context: After being sentenced to exile.
Analysis: Highlights Romeo’s despair and isolation.

62. “Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Wishes Romeo to become a constellation after death.
Context: Eagerly awaiting Romeo’s arrival.
Analysis: Romantic imagery; eternalizes Romeo’s presence.

63. “O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo’s appearance is sweet but he is cruel.
Context: Learning Romeo killed Tybalt.
Analysis: Metaphor and oxymoron expressing betrayal.

64. “A plague o’ both your houses!”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Tybalt and Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Curses both feuding families.
Context: After being fatally wounded.
Analysis: Foreshadows tragic consequences of feud.

65. “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Mercutio and Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Love is painful and suffocating.
Context: Discussing love’s troubles.
Analysis: Metaphor for love’s elusive nature.

66. “O, teach me how I should forget to think!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Desires to stop thinking about Rosaline.
Context: Lovesick at the play’s start.
Analysis: Shows Romeo’s emotional vulnerability.

67. “When I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Wishes Romeo’s memory to shine forever.
Context: Waiting for Romeo.
Analysis: Symbolizes immortal love.

68. “My bounty is as boundless as the sea.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Her love has no limits.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Hyperbole; expresses deep affection.

69. “These violent delights have violent ends.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 6
Meaning: Intense pleasures can lead to intense sorrow.
Context: Warning before the wedding.
Analysis: Foreshadowing; theme of passion and danger.

70. “I have bought the mansion of a love, but not possessed it.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: She is married but not yet with Romeo.
Context: Before seeing Romeo.
Analysis: Marriage metaphor; yearning.

71. “O God, I have an ill-divining soul!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 5
Meaning: She senses something bad will happen.
Context: After Romeo leaves at dawn.
Analysis: Foreshadowing tragedy; mood of dread.

72. “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
Meaning: Advise to proceed cautiously.
Context: Before marrying Juliet.
Analysis: Theme of haste vs caution.

73. “You kiss by the book.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Romeo kisses perfectly, like he learned it.
Context: Their first kiss.
Analysis: Playful compliment; shows Juliet’s charm.

74. “My only love sprung from my only hate!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Her love comes from the family she must hate.
Context: Discovering Romeo is a Montague.
Analysis: Irony and conflict; love vs family loyalty.

75. “Tempt not a desperate man.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Paris
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Warning to Paris not to provoke him.
Context: At the Capulet tomb confrontation.
Analysis: Desperation and tension.

76. “The fearful passage of their death-marked love.”

Speaker: Chorus
To Whom: Audience
Act & Scene: Prologue
Meaning: Their love is doomed by fate.
Context: Opening sonnet.
Analysis: Sets tragic tone; fate theme.

77. “Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Love looks gentle but can be harsh.
Context: Discussing his love for Rosaline.
Analysis: Contrast between ideal and reality.

78. “I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it.”

Speaker: Sampson
To Whom: Gregory
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: He insults the Montagues.
Context: Opening fight.
Analysis: Symbol of defiance; starts conflict.

79. “For you and I are past our dancing days.”

Speaker: Capulet
To Whom: Paris
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 2
Meaning: They are too old for romance or fun.
Context: Talking about Paris marrying Juliet.
Analysis: Shows age and societal expectations.

80. “Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-browed night.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Night is her friend for meeting Romeo.
Context: Before Romeo’s arrival.
Analysis: Personification of night; intimacy and hope.

81. “O, she is lame! Love’s heralds should be thoughts, which ten times faster glide than the sun’s beams.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself (Soliloquy)
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: His thoughts of Juliet move faster than any messenger.
Context: Balcony scene, longing for Juliet.
Analysis: Metaphor for swift thoughts; impatience of love.

82. “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself (Soliloquy)
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Juliet’s beauty shines against the dark night.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Simile highlighting Juliet’s radiant beauty.

83. “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Love gave him the courage to climb walls to see Juliet.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Personification of love; courage and risk.

84. “Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face, else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: She would blush if it were daytime.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Symbolism of night concealing emotions.

85. “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Saying goodbye is painful but sweet.
Context: End of balcony scene.
Analysis: Oxymoron expressing bittersweet emotion.

86. “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Her love is infinite and grows by giving.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Hyperbole and metaphor showing generous love.

87. “I am fortune’s fool!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: He feels unlucky and manipulated by fate.
Context: After killing Tybalt.
Analysis: Personification of fortune; tragedy.

88. “Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: She loves Romeo for who he is, not his name.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Conflict of love vs family identity.

89. “I defy you, stars!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
Meaning: He challenges fate and destiny.
Context: After hearing Juliet is dead.
Analysis: Rebellion against destiny; despair.

90. “Thus with a kiss I die.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Romeo dies after kissing Juliet.
Context: Final scene.
Analysis: Love and death intertwined; tragic end.

91. “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Speaker: Prince Escalus
To Whom: Audience
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Summarizes the tragic nature of the story.
Context: Final lines of the play.
Analysis: Conclusive moral; emphasizes the sadness of the tale.

92. “O, I am slain! If thou be merciful, open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.”

Speaker: Paris
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Paris begs to be laid next to Juliet after being wounded.
Context: Capulet tomb fight.
Analysis: Love and tragedy entwined; Paris’s devotion.

93. “Do not swear by the moon, for she changes constantly.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Advises Romeo not to swear by something inconstant.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Symbolism of change; warning against false promises.

94. “I have bought the mansion of a love, but not possessed it.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: She is married to Romeo but hasn’t been with him yet.
Context: Waiting for Romeo’s arrival.
Analysis: Metaphor of marriage as property.

95. “Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Describes love as painful and confusing.
Context: Talking about his unrequited love for Rosaline.
Analysis: Metaphor for love’s torment.

96. “O, teach me how I should forget to think!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: He wants to forget his love pain.
Context: Early scene about Rosaline.
Analysis: Shows Romeo’s emotional distress.

97. “A plague o’ both your houses!”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Everyone around
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Curses both Montagues and Capulets.
Context: After being fatally wounded.
Analysis: Highlights the senseless feud’s cost.

98. “O, I am fortune’s fool!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Feels controlled by fate after killing Tybalt.
Context: Post-duel with Tybalt.
Analysis: Fatalism theme.

99. “Young son, it argues a distemper’d head.”

Speaker: Capulet
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 5
Meaning: Calls Juliet’s refusal to marry Paris foolish.
Context: Family conflict.
Analysis: Shows generational conflict.

100. “Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Accepts death willingly because of Juliet.
Context: Final scene.
Analysis: Death as escape and reunion.

101. “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
Meaning: Advises Romeo to be cautious in love.
Context: Before Romeo marries Juliet.
Analysis: Foreshadowing; caution vs impulsiveness.

102. “These violent delights have violent ends.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 6
Meaning: Passionate joys can lead to destructive consequences.
Context: Warning during wedding ceremony.
Analysis: Foreshadowing the tragic outcome.

103. “O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself (aside)
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo’s appearance is sweet but his actions are cruel.
Context: Learning of Tybalt’s death.
Analysis: Metaphor; appearance vs reality.

104. “I talk of dreams, which are the children of an idle brain.”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
Meaning: Dismisses dreams as meaningless fantasies.
Context: Before the Capulet party.
Analysis: Mercutio’s skepticism; foreshadowing.

105. “A thousand times good night!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Passionate farewell in the balcony scene.
Context: Saying goodbye after the balcony talk.
Analysis: Hyperbolic expression of love.

106. “Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Lovers rush to each other eagerly.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Simile showing youthful enthusiasm.

107. “If love be rough with you, be rough with love.”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
Meaning: If love hurts, fight back.
Context: Before the party.
Analysis: Mercutio’s pragmatic view on love.

108. “My only love sprung from my only hate!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself (aside)
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Realizes Romeo is from the enemy family.
Context: Capulet party.
Analysis: Oxymoron; conflict between love and hate.

109. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Names don’t affect the essence of things.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Metaphor for identity vs labels.

110. “Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Saying goodbye is painful but sweet.
Context: Balcony scene, farewell.
Analysis: Oxymoron expressing bittersweet love.

111. “I defy you, stars!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
Meaning: Rejects fate after hearing of Juliet’s death.
Context: Decides to kill himself.
Analysis: Shows defiance against destiny.

112. “For you and I are past our dancing days.”

Speaker: Capulet
To Whom: Paris
Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
Meaning: Suggests their youth is gone, implying Paris should hurry.
Context: Arranging Paris and Juliet’s wedding.
Analysis: Tone of urgency; pressure on Juliet.

113. “Henceforth I will never be Romeo.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Friar Laurence
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Declares love for Juliet has transformed him.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Identity transformation through love.

114. “The earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she.”

Speaker: Capulet
To Whom: Paris
Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
Meaning: Juliet is his last hope for family continuation.
Context: Arranging marriage.
Analysis: Shows parental pressure and expectation.

115. “O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Welcomes death to be with Romeo.
Context: Juliet kills herself after Romeo’s death.
Analysis: Symbolism of death as release and union.

116. “You kiss by th’ book.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Compliments Romeo’s perfect kissing technique.
Context: Capulet party.
Analysis: Light-hearted and playful tone.

117. “Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Expresses confusion about love’s contradictory nature.
Context: Talking about his feelings.
Analysis: Oxymoron showing love’s complexity.

118. “Methinks I see thee, now thou art below, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 5
Meaning: Foresees Romeo’s death.
Context: After Romeo leaves Juliet’s chamber.
Analysis: Foreshadowing; tragic premonition.

119. “My only love sprung from my only hate!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Realizes Romeo is a Montague.
Context: Capulet feast.
Analysis: Oxymoron, the conflict of love and hate.

120. “Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Juliet’s gaze is more dangerous than swords.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Metaphor for powerful love.

121. “I am fortune’s fool!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Feels unlucky and controlled by fate.
Context: After killing Tybalt.
Analysis: Shows themes of fate and consequence.

122. “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Questions why Romeo must be a Montague.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Highlights conflict between love and family.

123. “Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Nurse
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Expresses desire to be with Romeo even in death.
Context: Waiting anxiously for Romeo.
Analysis: Romantic and celestial imagery.

124. “I will withdraw; but this intrusion shall now seeming sweet convert to bitterest gall.”

Speaker: Tybalt
To Whom: Himself (aside)
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Plans revenge on Romeo for crashing the party.
Context: After seeing Romeo at the feast.
Analysis: Foreshadowing conflict.

125. “O, teach me how I should forget to think!”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Wishes to stop thinking about his unrequited love.
Context: Lovesick over Rosaline.
Analysis: Shows Romeo’s emotional turmoil.

126. “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Speaker: Prince Escalus
To Whom: Audience
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Concludes the tragic story.
Context: Final lines of the play.
Analysis: Emphasizes the tragedy’s magnitude.

127. “My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Juliet
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Invites Juliet for a kiss.
Context: Capulet feast, first meeting.
Analysis: Religious metaphor, courtly love.

128. “The courteous passenger.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Describes his approach to Juliet.
Context: Capulet feast.
Analysis: Romantic imagery.

129. “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Expresses sadness at parting yet sweetness in love.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Oxymoron, bittersweet emotion.

130. “O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you.”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
Meaning: Jokes that Romeo’s dreams are fanciful.
Context: Before the Capulet party.
Analysis: Fantasy vs reality theme.

131. “Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Juliet reassures Romeo his name doesn’t change who he is.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Identity vs social labels.

132. “These violent delights have violent ends.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 6
Meaning: Warns that intense pleasures often lead to disaster.
Context: Before marrying Romeo and Juliet.
Analysis: Foreshadowing tragedy.

133. “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
Meaning: Advises caution in love.
Context: Before secret marriage.
Analysis: Theme of patience.

134. “My only love sprung from my only hate!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Expresses shock that her love is from the enemy family.
Context: Capulet feast.
Analysis: Oxymoron showing conflict.

135. “I am too bold, ’tis not to me she speaks.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Romeo doubts Juliet is speaking to him.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Shows Romeo’s humility and awe.

136. “Thus with a kiss I die.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Romeo dies kissing Juliet.
Context: Final scene.
Analysis: Death and love intertwined.

137. “More than prince of cats.”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 4
Meaning: Refers to Tybalt’s reputation for dueling.
Context: Conversation about Tybalt.
Analysis: Nickname reflecting aggression.

138. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Names don’t change true nature.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Theme of identity beyond labels.

139. “If love be rough with you, be rough with love.”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
Meaning: Advises Romeo to fight back against love’s hardships.
Context: Before party.
Analysis: Personification of love.

140. “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Declares love for Juliet instantly.
Context: First sight of Juliet.
Analysis: Theme of love at first sight.

141. “O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Herself
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Juliet uses the dagger to kill herself.
Context: After finding Romeo dead.
Analysis: Symbolizes tragic love and death.

142. “A plague o’ both your houses!”

Speaker: Mercutio
To Whom: Montagues and Capulets
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
Meaning: Curses both families for his fate.
Context: After being wounded by Tybalt.
Analysis: Highlights consequences of feud.

143. “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Benvolio
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Describes love’s confusing, painful nature.
Context: Complaining about unrequited love.
Analysis: Metaphor for love’s emotional turmoil.

144. “You kiss by th’ book.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Compliments Romeo’s kissing technique.
Context: After their first kiss.
Analysis: Playful tone, romantic interaction.

145. “These violent delights have violent ends, and in their triumph die, like fire and powder.”

Speaker: Friar Laurence
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 6
Meaning: Warns that passionate pleasures can lead to destruction.
Context: Before marrying Romeo and Juliet.
Analysis: Foreshadowing tragedy.

146. “Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!”

Speaker: Benvolio
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 1
Meaning: Notes love’s contrast between appearance and reality.
Context: Discussing Romeo’s lovesickness.
Analysis: Theme of love’s duality.

147. “For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

Speaker: Romeo
To Whom: Himself
Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
Meaning: Realizes Juliet’s beauty surpasses all others.
Context: Capulet feast.
Analysis: Theme of love at first sight.

148. “O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
Meaning: Feels betrayed by Romeo after Tybalt’s death.
Context: Learning Romeo killed Tybalt.
Analysis: Juxtaposition of appearance vs reality.

149. “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Speaker: Prince Escalus
To Whom: Audience
Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
Meaning: Summarizes the tragic story.
Context: Final lines of the play.
Analysis: Emphasizes the tragedy’s impact.

150. “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Speaker: Juliet
To Whom: Romeo
Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
Meaning: Expresses sadness at parting, sweetness of love.
Context: Balcony scene.
Analysis: Oxymoron; bittersweet emotion.