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Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I'll no longer be a Capulet

- Act II, scene ii, lines 33-36

It is irritating in the extree, taken by itself, is so often treated in popular quotation as though Juliet were saying "Where are you, Ro for hi of the archaic word "wherefore," but it rums a key point in the plot develop the absent Roue Oh, if only he weren't

All she can talk about is his name She says:

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy

Thou art thyself, though [you were] not a Montague

What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face O, be some other name

Belonging to a man

What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet

- Act II, scene ii, lines 38-44

What can Roht speculate that left to hied hi of truce if necessary, and try to arrange a reconciliating e It is so easy to feel that this would work Who but Tybalt shows any signs of anything but weariness with the feud, and he could be beaten into sube had been spoken of with Paris, but nothing had yet been committed

However, Roirl who feels the thrill of loving the faer and sadness of it; and perhaps he would not drea So he makes hi:

I take thee at thy word

Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;

Henceforth I never will be Romeo

- Act II, scene ii, lines 49-51

Thus he coah the eyes of a dramatic fourteen-year-old, and the catastrophe is under way

the place death

Juliet is astonished at Romeo's sudden presence and makes the most of it in terms of the ro taken chances, saying:

The orchard walls are high and hard to climb,

And the place death, considering who thou art, //

any of my kinsmen find thee here

- Act II, scene ii, lines 63-65

Exaggeration, we uess To be sure, if Tybalt had made his appearance at this moment there would have been trouble We can suspect, however, that if anyone but Tybalt had appeared, Ro but soht have been broached

Is it possible that even Juliet considered the feud and its consequences only as an afterthought? Her first fear was that heoff the wall

Roer of death, perhaps recognizing that it is part of his appeal to her and glad to take advantage of that Still, he doesn't really seem to take it seriously, for he says:

Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye

Than twenty of their swords!

- Act II, scene ii, lines 71-72

With all that done, the two get down to the serious business of expressing their love

Thy purpose e

Froe Juliet says:

// that thy bent of love be honorable,

Thy purpose e, send me word tomorrow,

By one that I'll procure to come to thee,

- Act II, scene ii, lines 143-45

If Roe settlee of everyone, he abandons it If roes, and clandestine word, and even an exciting forbidden e-then she shall have them

Thecomes to an end with Monday's dawn nearly upon the two Rohly happy, says:

Hence will I to hostly [spiritual] friar's close cell,

His help to crave and ood luck] to tell

- Act II, scene ii, lines 188-89

With luck, the friar can arrange the secret s for

the powerful grace

The scene shifts at once to the cell of Friar Laurence ("Fra Lorenzo" in Da Porto's version) early Monday athering herbs in order to extract their juices for his experi:

O, race that lies

In plants, herbs, stones, and their true qualities;

For naught so vile that on the earth doth live

But to the earth soive;

- Act II, scene iii, lines 15-18

Here is expressed the ood ofon earth has some property that makes it valuable to man

your households' rancor

Romeo comes to the friar with his tale of love and Friar Laurence is e froly over the wholewith the secret :

In one respect I'll thy assistant be;

For this alliance may so happy prove

To turn your households' rancor to pure love

- Act II, scene iii, lines 90-92

Friar Laurence obviously considers the feud to be dying and a ether He seems, however, to prefer the indirect and hidden approach to the direct one; he is as romantic as Juliet

Prince of Cats

It is broad day now and Benvolio and Mercutio have still not found Roered over the incident at the feast, has sent a fore to Romeo The two friends aren't worried, sure that Romeo can take care of himself Mercutio thinks very little of Tybalt as a swords him as

More than Prince of Cats

O, he's the courageous captain of compliments

He fights as you sing pricksong-keeps time, distance, and proportion

- Act II, scene iv, lines 19-22

The "Prince of Cats" is a jeer at Tybalt's name, of course The mockery is aimed at that favorite butt of Shakespeare's-the French or Italian way of doing things (in this case, scientific fencing) as opposed to the wholesoood thwacks

Laura, to his lady

And now at last Roain with his whining lovesickness He mimics him in advance:

Now is he for the numbers that

Petrarch flowed in Laura, to his lady,

was a kitchen wench

- Act II, scene iv, lines 40-42

Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca in Italian) was an Italian poet whose workthe Renaissance He was born in 1304 and in 1327 met a lady known to us as "Laura" Who she was in actuality is not certain

Though he did much work in Latin, he is best known for his collection of Italian sonnets, odes, and other poems written between 1330 and 1360 These poeh that love, deal with many other reat pairs of lovers of history, though the love may have been an ideal one only

you ratcatcher

But how things have changed! Ro, quite ready to engage Mercutio in a gaets, so that the latter is delighted that Roain

The Nurse then comes on the scene Mercutio is, with soe and Roed for Friar Laurence to oes off with the news and plans also to get Juliet a rope ladder that she can lower to Roht climb to her room and enjoy the fruits of love

We ine that on the next day, once Juliet has had her roe and all it involves, Roue will in turn confront the Capulets All, we hope, will be well-if only Romeo can stay out of trouble till then

But it is still Monday afternoon, midsummer, and very hot Te with Mercutio) feels it will be well to go in With characteristic caution he wishes to avoidof the party the night before

Mercutio refuses to take this seriously

At this point, however, in co after Romeo Mercutio baits hull while Benvolio anxiously tries to keep the whole matter under control

But now Roh no one knows it but bride, grooes him with an insult and Romeo, aware of their present relationship, of which Tybalt is not, patiently endures the insult and refuses to fight

So far all is well Ro, even if it was not a particularly heroic one

And now the secrecy, Juliet's romantic secrecy, does its fell work If Mercutio had known of Roe he would have understood and stood aside He did not know and finds he cannot endure Rorace, Mercutio ipe it out on his behalf He cries out to Tybalt:

Tybalt, you ratcatcher, will you walk?

- Act III, scene i, line 76

"Ratcatcher" is onethe other to walk to soht without interruption

Tybalt hesitates His quarrel is not with Mercutio He asks Mercutio what he wants and the latter says, lightly:

Good King of Cats,

nothing but one of your nine lives,

- Act III, scene i, lines 78-79

It is an old fable that a cat has nine lives, and there is so to it A cat is careful, sly, equipped with needlelike claws for a fight and soft pads for stealth It can climb a tree and land on its feet when it falls It will escape sure death for other aniht times out of nine

both your houses

All ht still be well Mercutio, we may well expect, is the better swordsman and will kill Tybalt Mercutio is not a ainst street fighting With Tybalt dead, the chief upholder of the feud will be gone It will be all the easier to reconcile the factions

All Romeo need do now is stand aside

But Romeo cannot Mercutio is his loved friend, Tybalt his new relative He wants neither hurt so he tries to get between and stop the Tybalt's sword passes under Ro Badly wounded, Mercutio recognizes the fact that the quarrel was not really his, after all, and says so in a phrase that has entered the language:

I am hurt

A plague o' both your houses

- Act III, scene i, lines 91-92

fortune's fool

Mercutio makes his last bitter jests and hobbles off to die

Yet still things are not utterly lost Ro action of his own He had tried for the best, endeavored to make peace It was Tybalt as the ain the feud will be made up the easier, perhaps, for Tybalt's end

Yet Romeo cannot leave it at that, not even for Juliet Mercutio died in his quarrel and he has no choice Wildly, he challenges Tybalt and kills him-and by then all the noise has roused the citizens

Romeo is half amazed at all that has happened in a et out of the city at once or, by the Prince's decree, he will be executed

It is still less than twenty-four hours since he ained her, but lost her as well No wonder he cries out in agony:

O, I am fortune's fool!

- Act III, scene i, line 138

Yet a little chink of hope remains When the Prince arrives, Benvolio tells the tale of what has happened with objective accuracy Despite the clamors of the Capulet faction, the Prince believes Benvolio (and perhaps remembers that the dead Tybalt had killed his own kinsman) and does not place the death penalty on Romeo after all He merely banishes him

While banishh under the circumstances, a sentence of banishment can be unsaid, while an execution is final

Phoebus' lodging

Meanwhile, toward sunset, Juliet is waiting with unbearable iht, of Romeo, of love She says:

Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,

Toward Phoebus' lodging! Such a wagoner

As Phaeton would whip you to the west

And bring in cloudy night immediately

- Act III, scene ii, lines 1-4

The sun is pictured here in the fashion of the Greek olden horses, traveling toward the here they can move behind the horizon and rest till it is time for the next day's journey across the sky The horizon is therefore Phoebus' (the god of the sun) place of lodging Phaeton is the son of the sun god, whose ill-fated attempt to drive the horses of the sun chariot nearly led to disaster (see page II-297)

But then in comes the Nurse with the rope ladder-and with news, as well, of Tybalt's death

Juliet is heartbroken, for she loved Tybalt Her greater love for Romeo wins out, however, and she weeps over the rope ladder that was to have carried her husband to her, then goes to her room where she hopes to die

But that is more than the Nurse can bear She can still help She assures Juliet she knohere Roet him to come to his wife and comfort her

pass to Mantua

Romeo, in Friar Laurence's cell, is coht of banishment, he will not listen to the friar's consolation Even when the Nurse coo to Juliet, he can think only of suicide

It is only with the greatest difficulty that the friar finally es to make him understand that banish:

Go get thee to thy love, as was decreed,

Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her

But look thou stay not till the watch be set,

For then thou canst not pass to Mantua,

Where thou shalt live till we can find a time

To blaze [announce] your e, reconcile your friends,

Beg pardon of the Prince, and call thee back

- Act III, scene iii, lines 146-52

Mantua (see page I-454) is only twenty h to Roht well have seemed an infinite distance under the circumstances

The chink of hope remains, but oh, how different fronorant of Roe

For even that chink of hope to remain, however, time is needed as Friar Laurence says, and, alas, time disappears

Thursday let it be

Old Capulet is perturbed at Juliet's misery and attributes it entirely to the death of Tybalt He says to Paris:

Look you, she loved her kinsman Tybalt dearly,

- Act III, scene iv, line 3

Yes indeed, and this is the best evidence we have that she may well have picked up her fatal notions of the feud from him

Thinking to console his daughter, Capulet decides to let her marry Paris at once after all He asks the day and Paris says:

Monday, my lord

- Act III, scene iv, line 18

This fixes the time sequence for all the play Capulet considers that and says:

Monday! Ha, ha! Well, Wednesday is too soon

A [on] Thursday let it be

- Act III, scene iv, lines 19-20

He doesn't know that Juliet is already married, of course

No warmth, no breath

Unsuspecting this new gruesoht The night after their reat balcony scene, they spend in connubial love At dawn on Tuesday they ets out of town safely

But then Juliet learns of her prospective e to Paris and of course refuses firmly Old Capulet promptly flies into a passion and makes it plain that she will marry Paris whether she wishes to or not

Juliet can find no one to help her Capulet threatens to disown her Lady Capulet turns away Even the Nurse, in desperation, can only advise Juliet to amy

Juliet can think of no alternative but to fly to Friar Laurence

At this point the friar one to the Capulets with the truth and endeavored to protect himself and Juliet with his priestly robes Under the circureat risk, but there were no reasonable alternatives

Friar Laurence turns to an unreasonable one As romantic as Juliet, he tries a coives Juliet ahe has prepared hiht of the next day (Wednesday) and it will put her into a cataleptic trance He says:

no pulse

Shall keep his native progress, but surcease;

No warmth, no breath, shall testify thou livest;

- Act IV, scene i, lines 96-98

This trance will last forty-two hours, that is, through Thursday and Friday The Capulets, thinking she is dead, will place her in the faht, and when she wakes he will carry her off to Mantua

This drug is, of course, an ele is known (even today) that can safely counterfeit death so accurately over so long a time

mandrakes torn out of the earth

For the first tiap in time Soht Juliet suddenly submits to her father's plans (to his relief and pleasure) and has now prepared herself, supposedly, for a wedding the nextShe sends out the Nurse so that she , she is beset with quite understandable fears

What if it kills her? Or, worse still, what if it wears off too soon and she comes to in the tomb before Romeo is there to claim her? What if she is surrounded by the effluviueneral, by

loathsome smells,

And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth,

That livingthem, run mad-

- Act IV, scene iii, lines 46-48

The e, fleshy root that is usually forked in such proportions as to give it a resemblance to a partly formed man About this fancied resemblance a number of superstitions arose

Since the root looked like a man it would, supposedly, help in the forht to have the ability to make women fecund This superstition (a worthless one, of course) is sanctioned by the Bible, where Jacob's second wife, Rachel, who is barren, begs for the athered by the son of his first wife, her sister Leah (Genesis 30:14)

It was also thought that because ht to share some of the qualities of men-feel pain, for instance, and cry out if wounded From this arose the tale that if ashriek-so horrible a shriek as to madden or even kill those who heard it

Since mandrakes were desired for the ability to increase fecundity, and for other valuable properties assigned to them, it was necessary to pull them up anyway What was so Fro, and in running away, he would pull out the mandrake, which could then be reclaimed

the infectious pestilence

The first part of Friar Laurence's plan works well Juliet does take the potion and falls into a cataleptic trance In the , the Nurse finds her apparently dead Juliet is carried to the to lamentation

But there is another part of the plan Romeo must be informed of all this and be ready to return to carry off Juliet on Friday To carry this e to Romeo, Friar Laurence has sent off a friend, Friar John

Roe indeed, but it is fro hard from Verona with the tale that Juliet is dead and entoht but to reach Juliet's corpse and kill himself there For the purpose he buys poison

As for Friar John, however, he fails to reach Roht the co the sick, and both fell in with "searchers," that is, health officers, seeking to prevent spread of infection

Friar John tells Friar Laurence that:

the searchers of the town,

Suspecting that we both were in a house

Where the infectious pestilence did reign,

Sealed up the doors, and would not let us forth,

- Act V, scene ii, lines 8-11

He could neither leave town nor send the e Friar Laurence, thunderstruck, now realizes he must hasten to the tomb so that Juliet will not waken alone and so that he can explain e

The care of the "searchers" and their assiduity in applying quarantine is easily understood In 1347 an "infectious pestilence" reached Europe This was the infa epidemic in world history It is supposed to have killed some twenty-five million people in Europe in the space of three years, and quarantine was the only counter-htened continent knew

Saint Francis

On Friday all converge on the torieve over his lost bride Then coht and Paris is killed Romeo then lays himself down next to Juliet, takes the poison, and dies It is less than five days since he first laid eyes on his tragic love

Only then does Friar Laurence finally come-a few minutes too late to prevent this further develop:

Saint Francis be my speed [help]!

- Act V, scene iii, line 121

St Francis (Giovanni Francesco Bernardone) was born in Assisi in 1182, and after the usual life of a gay, but not particularly i man of the upper classes, he experienced a conversion to a saintly life About 1202 he began to eathered disciples about hi their way through life by reliance on free-will offerings of the pious This was the beginning of the Franciscan order Presued to it

kill your joys with love

Friar Laurence finds Paris and Romeo both dead, and even as he tries to absorb this, Juliet wakes The friar tries to persuade her to coht bestow her in a nunnery, but with Roe The friar thinks he hears a noise and has one last chance at a boldness that ht save the last pitiful remnant-Juliet's life Hediscovered

Left alone, Juliet kills herself with Roer

The watch, drawn by all the disturbance, now gathers, and so does the town: Montague, Capulet, the Prince Little by little, the whole story comes out and the Prince sorrowfully states the moral:

Where be these eneue,

See what a scourge is laid upon your hate,

That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love

And I, for winking at your discords too,

Have lost a brace of kinsmen All are punished

- Act V, scene iii, lines 291-95

The ht, so easily, have ended days earlier in mutual joy