Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Act 2 Scene 2 PDF

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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare line by line analysis of Act 2 Scene 2. Summary of the entire chapter broken down into sectors to ensure greater understanding. An analysis of the summary is provided to ensure complete depth of understanding of the scene as a whole...

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Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2

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Romeo “But soft (quiet)! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” -

Imagery

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This is the most famous scene in the history of theatre, and Shakespeare begins it with some great imagery.

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Romeo can see light streaming from Juliet’s bedroom window though she is not visible.

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He compares this image to that of a sunrise when the sun’s rays are radiating above the horizon though the sun itself is not yet visible.

Romeo “Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, that thou (Juliet), her maid (virgin worshipper), art far more fair (beautiful) then she.” -

Romeo imagines Juliet as a worshipper of Diana, the goddess of chastity and virgins whose symbol is the moon, and that Diana is envious because Juliet is more beautiful than she.

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This has made Diana pale with grief which explains why the moon's light is sickly and pale compared to that of the sun.

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Romeo calls on Juliet to rise and kill the jealous moon (which the real sun will appear to do once it rises above the horizon and the moon becomes barely visible).

Romeo “Her vestal livery (uniform) is but sick and green” -

When a girl reaches puberty and starts menstruating, she can lose so much blood that she becomes anaemic, and her skin turns a greenish yellow.

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This condition, which was called the Green Sickness, is rarely seen today since it’s easily treatable, but in Shakespeare’s day it affected perhaps one in five young women.

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It was also known as the Virgin’s disease because it principally affected young unmarried women.

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According to the standard medical advice of the time, the cure was simple – have sex.

Romeo “Two of the fairest (brightest) stars in all the heaven, having some business (errands), do entreat (request) her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return” -

In the 16th century it was still widely believed that the stars were fixed to a gigantic sphere which revolved around the earth.

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Romeo’s imagining Juliet’s sparkling eyes taking the place of two of the stars in this sphere.

Romeo “O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night… and sails upon the bosom of the air.” -

Simile “winged messenger”

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In this simile, Romeo compares his looking up at Juliet to mortals looking up at an angel ("a winged messenger of heaven") stepping across clouds, which are the puffy bosom of the sky.

Romeo “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls” -

Perch derives from the Latin word pertica which means a rod or pole used for support or as a unit of measurement

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Much later it came to be referred to a rod or pole used as a resting place for domesticated hawks

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Thus, the verb “to perch” eventually took on its common meaning – anything that occupies an elevated position

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Shakespeare invents the word overperched to allude to Romeo flying with loves white wings to the top

Romeo “I am no pilot (ships navigator), yet wert thou as far as that vast (desolate) shore washed with the farthest sea, I would adventure for such merchandise (goods)” -

In this metaphor Romeo compares himself to the captain of a trading ship venturing on a dangerous voyage across a vast sea to obtain valuable merchandise.

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This is an appropriate metaphor for a period in England’s history when bold ship captains and risk taking investors were opening sea lanes to the Caribbean for sugar and the East Indies for spices, both of which were worth fortunes once successfully transported back to Europe.

Juliet “And not impute (attribute) this yielding to light (loose) love, which the dark night hath so discovered” -

Wordplay “light love” “dark night”

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Note the antithesis of light love followed by dark night.

Romeo “Lady, by yonder blessed moon… That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops” -

Imagery

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Romeo begins to swear his love until he’s interrupted by Juliet. He swears by the moon which as it passes across the night sky appears to be a silver ball atop the fruit trees in the orchard.

Juliet “O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,” -

As the appearance of the moon is constantly changing during its monthly course around the earth, it’s hardly the object by which a lover would want to swear his or her constancy.

Juliet “…the inconstant moon that monthly changes in her circled orb (orbit)” -

Just as the stars were believed to be fixed in a gigantic sphere which rotated around the earth, the moon was thought to be fixed in a different sphere which also rotated around the earth, but at a slightly different speed than that of the stars.

Juliet “Which is the god of my idolatry…” -

Idol derives from the Latin word idolum which means an image such as a reflection in the waterm a statue, or a vision.

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This Latin word derives from the old Greek term “eidos” which means form or shape

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But in English its meaning was quickly developed to refer to an image of a false god (even in English today)

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Idolatry then, is the sin of worshipping a false god

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In this line when Juliet ironically refers to Romeo as the God of her idolatry. It is the first instance of anyone using idol or idolatry in a positive sense.

Juliet “Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contract tonight.”

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In Shakespeare’s time all it took for a couple to marry was for them to swear an oath of their love for each other; there was no requirement for a justice of the peace or for the signing of any documents.

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Just saying “I swear I love you” was all it took and and you could immediately start having sex without committing a sin or breaking the law.

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For a marriage contract to be enforceable in a court of law however required a witness – but that could be anyone, even the barmaid in a pub. So, in this scene, when Romeo swears his love for Juliet, he’s essentially proposing that they become married right here and now.

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It’s no wonder that Juliet’s not happy rushing into such a contract, especially without a witness.

Juliet “This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flow when next we meet.” -

Metaphor “bud of love”

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In this metaphor, Romeo and Juliet's sudden love is like an emerging flower bud, which will blossom into a beautiful flower with time.

Juliet “But to be frank, and give it thee again,” -

Juliet's use of the word "frank" results in a double meaning:

A) In one sense, "frank" means "free." Juliet wants to be free to give her vow of love again. B) In another sense, the word means generous. Juliet wants to be generous to Romeo by repeating her vow of love.

Juliet “O, for a falconer’s voice to lure this tassel-gentle back again!” -

Training falcons was a popular sport and form of hunting in Shakespeare's day.

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Juliet wishes she had the skill to lure Romeo back with her voice, just as a falconer can call his tassel-gentle, his male wandering falcon.

Juliet “Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies, and make her airy tongue (loud voice) more hoarse than mine, with repetition of my Romeo’s name” -

Allusion “the cave where Echo lies”

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According to Greek mythology, Echo was a beautiful nymph (mythical spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden living in rivers or woody locations, like a fairy) who consorted with Zeus (king of the gods).

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When Zeus' wife found out, she punished Echo by limiting her speech to repeating the last few words she heard.

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Echo is often portrayed as living in an isolated cave.

Romeo “It is my soul that calls upon my name.” -

Romeo refers to Juliet as “my soul” as if the two of them had already been joined together into a single entity.

Romeo “My nyas?” -

Metaphor falconry

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Picking up on Juliet’s earlier metaphor in which she called Romeo a peregrine falcon, he now refers to her as his “nyas”, a baby hawk.

Juliet “Who lets it hop a little from her hand, like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves (chains)…so loving-jealous of his liberty.” Romeo “I would (wish) I were thy bird.” -

Metaphor “a wanton’s bird”

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Juliet compares her desire to control Romeo's whereabouts to a spoiled child who has a pet bird tied by a thread like a prisoner in shackles.

Romeo “Hence will I to my ghostly (spiritual) Friar’s cell (cottage)” -

A Friar is a member of one of several Catholic religious orders.

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In some ways friars are like monks – for example, they both take vows of poverty and chastity – but in other ways they are very different.

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Monks retreat from society and live an ascetic life of religious devotion in a selfsustaining monastery, whereas a friar lives out in society and is devoted to providing services to his community.

Summary and Notes ✓ Romeo comes out of hiding just as a light in a nearby window flicks on and Juliet exits onto her balcony. ✓ “It is the east,” Romeo says, regarding Juliet, “and Juliet is the sun.” ✓ He urges the sun to rise and “kill the envious moon.” ✓ He urges Juliet to take her “vestal livery” and “cast it off.” ✓ He continues observing Juliet as she looks up at the stars, becoming poetic about her beauty and wishing he could hold and touch her.

Notes -

Though the word balcony is never technically mentioned in the play, this is the iconic “balcony scene” that has been so heavily referenced in art and popular culture since Romeo and Juliet was first performed.

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Romeo’s speech about Juliet here is poetic, but there is also a deeper sexual connotation, as “envious moon” is a reference to Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon and protectress of virgins.

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He wishes aloud for Juliet to surrender her virginity to him and “kill the envious moon,” or erase her connection to the goddess of purity and virginity.

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Themes: Love and violence, language and wordplay

✓ Juliet speaks, sighing “Ay me!” and Romeo, hearing her, remains hidden, but quietly says he wishes she would speak again. ✓ Juliet sighs again, wondering aloud why Romeo has to be who he is. ✓ She says he wishes he would “refuse [his] name.” If he won’t change his name, though, she says she would change hers if it meant they could be together. ✓ Romeo wonders aloud if he should speak up and let Juliet know he’s below her window, or whether he should listen some more. ✓ Juliet continues speaking, meditating on the nature of names and how they define the things they describe. ✓ She wishes that Romeo could be called something else—he would be the same person he is if he were, just as “a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.”

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Juliet’s love for Romeo is making her existential.

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She wants to be with him desperately—and if he simply had another name, there would be no obstruction to their courtship.

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Juliet is wondering why fate, family, and duty seem to be conspiring against her, and wishes that Romeo would abandon his name, his allegiances, and his identity in order to be with her.

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The reader can see, then, that there is an unstable and subtly violent undertone to Romeo and Juliet’s love, as Juliet is perfectly fine with the destruction of Romeo’s entire sense of self if it means she can be with him.

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Themes: Love and violence, individual vs society, language and wordplay, family and duty, fate

✓ Romeo speaks up and says he’ll take Juliet’s advice and allow her to “baptize” him anew—if she wants, he says, he’ll cease being Romeo. ✓ Juliet asks who is hiding in the darkness, and Romeo replies that he’s loath to use his own name, which is now “hateful” to him “because it is an enemy to [her.]” ✓ Juliet asks if it is Romeo hiding in the garden, and he says that if she dislikes his name, he’ll be anything she wants. ✓ Juliet warns Romeo that if any of her kinsmen find him, they’ll kill him, but Romeo says that the things “love can do” make him invincible to harm. ✓ Juliet again warns Romeo of the danger he’s put himself in, but he says he'd rather have his life ended abruptly by her kinsmen’s hatred than go through life without her.

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Though Romeo and Juliet have only just met, they are already making grand promises and demands of each another.

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Juliet wishes Romeo would sever his allegiances to his own family, and he happily complies—even adding that he’d rather perish than face another day without her love.

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This further portrays love as a chaotic state of being that is deeply entwined with selfdestruction and violence.

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Juliet tells Romeo that normally she’d be embarrassed about all the things he’s overheard her saying tonight—but now that he’s heard them, she refuses to “dwell on form” or manners.

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Juliet asks Romeo outright if he loves her truly and urges him to “pronounce it faithfully” if he does.

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Romeo begins to tell Juliet about his feelings, swearing to them by the “blessed moon,” but Juliet urges him not to swear by the changeable, “inconstant” moon and instead swear by himself, as he is “the god of [her] idolatry.”

Notes -

Again, the wordplay surrounding the idea of the moon appears.

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Romeo wants to swear by the moon, given his experience with Rosaline and her commitment to her virginity—but Juliet insists the moon is “inconstant,” suggesting that she is ready to lose her own virginity.

✓ As Romeo begins to swear his love again, however, Juliet cuts him off, telling him that they are being “too rash.” ✓ She tries to bid Romeo goodnight, but he claims that Juliet is leaving him “unsatisfied.” ✓ Juliet asks Romeo what satisfaction he could have tonight, and Romeo replies that what he wants is the exchange of Juliet’s vows of love for his. ✓ Juliet says that she gave it to him before he even asked for it, but now wishes she could take it back just so she could give it to him again. ✓ The more love Juliet gives to Romeo, she says, the more she has. Notes -

When Juliet asks Romeo what satisfaction he wants from her, she’s perhaps expecting him to make a suggestive joke, given the mood of their conversations so far.

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But he surprises her by insisting that all he wants is for her to profess her love, something she’s all too happy to do.

✓ Juliet’s nurse calls for her, and Juliet tells Romeo that she has to go inside but will come right back.

✓ She hurries in, and Romeo says that he can hardly believe what’s happening to him tonight—it must be a dream, because it’s too “sweet” to be real. ✓ Juliet returns to the window and tells Romeo that if he truly loves her and wants to marry her, he should send for her tomorrow. ✓ If she hears from him, she says, she’ll send a messenger back to him to arrange the time and place of the marriage. ✓ Juliet’s nurse continues calling for her and Juliet assures her that she’ll be in soon, while begging Romeo not to call upon her tomorrow unless his intentions are truly honourable. ✓ As Juliet heads inside again, Romeo laments how hard it is to say goodbye to one’s lover. Notes -

Juliet really wants to believe that Romeo truly loves her, and that their vows of love have not been rash or false.

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She keeps setting up situations in which Romeo gets an out, or a chance to escape his vows—but he insists he’s ready to commit to her no matter what.

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This passage highlights the tension between choice and fate—it’s almost as if Romeo nor Juliet really has any say in what happens next.

✓ Romeo turns to leave, but Juliet comes out to the balcony yet again and calls down to him, asking what time she should send a messenger to Romeo tomorrow. ✓ Romeo says 9:00. ✓ Juliet laments that time will drag between then and now as if “twenty year[s]” are passing. ✓ Juliet tells Romeo that he should probably leave—even though she wants him to stay, as if he is a small bird a child keeps in a cage. ✓ Romeo says he wishes he could be Juliet’s bird. ✓ Juliet says if Romeo were truly her pet, she would “kill [him] with too much cherishing.” Notes -

This instance is yet another in which Romeo and Juliet’s speech turns violent as they attempt to express the depths of their love for each other.

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Here, Juliet suggests that if Romeo really were her pet bird, she’d love him to death or crush him with her hands from trying to “cherish” him too closely.

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Juliet’s love is overwhelming and intense, and she doesn’t know how to express it other than to render it as a violent, unpredictable force.

✓ Juliet bids Romeo goodnight, and he says he hopes she sleeps peacefully. ✓ Juliet hurries inside, and Romeo says how badly he wishes he could stay and sleep with Juliet. ✓ He resolves to head to see his priest and seek the man’s help in arranging the marriage. Notes -

Romeo is hasty in his intentions to marry Juliet—perhaps it is the very fact that she’s offlimits which makes him want to consecrate their love so quickly and formally....