| He heareth not, he stirreth not, he moveth not.The ape is dead, and I must conjure him.—I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes,By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh,And the demesnes that there adjacent lie,That in thy likeness thou appear to us. | Mercutio |
| He jests at scars that never felt a wound. | Romeo |
| But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,Who is already sick and pale with grief,That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. | Romeo |
| See how she leans her cheek upon her hand.Oh, that I were a glove upon that handThat I might touch that cheek! | Romeo |
| O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?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. | Juliet |
| (aside) Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this? | Romeo |
| What’s in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other word would smell as sweet.So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,Retain that dear perfection which he owesWithout that title. | Romeo |
| What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night,So stumblest on my counsel? | Juliet |
| My ears have not yet drunk a hundred wordsOf that tongue’s uttering, yet I know the sound. | Juliet |
| With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls,For stony limits cannot hold love out,And what love can do, that dares love attempt.Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me. | Romeo |
| I have night’s cloak to hide me from their eyes,And but thou love me, let them find me here.My life were better ended by their hateThan death proroguèd, wanting of thy love. | Romeo |
| O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon,That monthly changes in her circle orb,Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. | Juliet |
| Do not swear at all.Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self,Which is the god of my idolatry,And I’ll believe thee. | Juliet |
| Although I joy in thee,I have no joy of this contract tonight.It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,Too like the lightning, which doth cease to beEre one can say “It lightens.” Sweet, good night. | Juliet |
| O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied? | Romeo |
| What satisfaction canst thou have tonight? | Juliet |
| Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed. | Juliet |
| Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books,But love from love, toward school with heavy looks. | Romeo |
| Within the infant rind of this small flowerPoison hath residence and medicine power…Two such opposèd kings encamp them still,In man as well as herbs—grace and rude will.And where the worser is predominant,Full soon the canker death eats up that plant. | Friar Lawrence |
| God pardon sin! Wast thou with Rosaline? | Friar Lawrence |
| I have been feasting with mine enemy… | Romeo |
| Then plainly know my heart’s dear love is setOn the fair daughter of rich Capulet.As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine,And all combined, save what thou must combineBy holy marriage…’ll tell thee as we pass, but this I pray:That thou consent to marry us today. | Romeo |
| Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here!Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear,So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then liesNot truly in their hearts, but in their eyes. | Friar Lawrence |
| But come, young waverer, come, go with me,In one respect I’ll thy assistant be,For this alliance may so happy proveTo turn your households’ rancor to pure love. | Friar Lawrence |
| Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast. | Friar Lawrence |
| Tybalt, the kinsman to old Capulet,Hath sent a letter to his father’s house. | Benvolio |
| More than Prince of Cats. Oh, he’s the courageous captain of compliments. He fights as you sing prick-song, keeps time, distance, and proportion. He rests his minim rests—one, two, and the third in your bosom. | Mercutio |
| Signior Romeo, bonjour! There’s a French salutation to your French slop. You gave us the counterfeit fairly last night. | Mercutio |
| Good, Peter, to hide her face, for her fan’s the fairer face. | Mercutio |
| Farewell, ancient lady. Farewell, lady, lady, lady. | Mercutio |
| But first let me tell ye, if ye should lead her into a fool’s paradise, as they say, it were a very gross kind of behavior, as they say. For the gentlewoman is young, and therefore, if you should deal double with her, truly it were an ill thing to be offered to any gentlewoman, and very weak dealing. | Nurse |
| Bid her deviseSome means to come to shrift this afternoon.And there she shall at Friar Lawrence’ cellBe shrived and married. (gives her coins) Here is for thy pains. | Romeo |
| The clock struck nine when I did send the Nurse.In half an hour she promised to return.Perchance she cannot meet him. | Juliet |
| Is three long hours, yet she is not come.Had she affections and warm youthful blood,She would be as swift in motion as a ball…But old folks, many feign as they were dead,Unwieldy, slow, heavy, and pale as lead. | Juliet |
| I am aweary. Give me leave awhile.Fie, how my bones ache! What a jaunt have I! | Nurse |
| Jesu, what haste! Can you not stay awhile?Do you not see that I am out of breath? | Nurse |
| How art thou out of breath when thou hast breathTo say to me that thou art out of breath?The excuse that thou dost make in this delayIs longer than the tale thou dost excuse.Is thy news good, or bad? Answer to that. | Juliet |
| Lord, how my head aches! What a head have I!It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces.My back a’ t’ other side. Ah, my back, my back!Beshrew your heart for sending me about,To catch my death with jaunting up and down! | Nurse |
| Where is my mother? Why, she is within.Where should she be? How oddly thou repliest!”Your love says, like an honest gentleman,’Where is your mother?'” | Juliet |
| Then hie you hence to Friar Lawrence’s cell.There stays a husband to make you a wife…Hie you to church. I must another wayTo fetch a ladder, by the which your loveMust climb a bird’s nest soon when it is dark.I am the drudge and toil in your delight,But you shall bear the burden soon at night.Go. I’ll to dinner. Hie you to the cell. | Nurse |
| hese violent delights have violent endsAnd in their triumph die, like fire and powder,Which, as they kiss, consume. The sweetest honeyIs loathsome in his own deliciousnessAnd in the taste confounds the appetite.Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so. | Friar Lawrence |
| Come, come with me, and we will make short work.For, by your leaves, you shall not stay aloneTill holy church incorporate two in one. | Friar Lawrence |
| This is the only new character introduced in Act 2. | Friar Lawrence |
Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Quotations
August 25, 2019