Romeo and Juliet Key Quotes by Character

Prince of Verona “If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace” -Act 1:1 – The Prince issuing his ultimatum that execution will result for any participation in future fighting.
Prince of Verona “Let Romeo hence in haste, else when he is found, that hour is his last” Act 3:1 – The Prince banishing Romeo. If he returns he will be executed.
Prince of Verona “Capulet, Montague! See what a scourge is laid upon your hate…All are punished.” Act 5:3 – The Prince blaming the heads of both families for the ultimate deaths of their children.
Paris “Younger than she are happy mothers made” -Act 1:2 – Paris trying to persuade Capulet to allow him to take Juliet as his wife.
Paris “That ‘may be’ must be, love, on Thursday next.” – Act 4:1 -Modal into an Imperative. Paris speaking to Juliet in the church about his hopes of marrying her on Thursday.
Paris “O, I am slain! If thou be merciful, open the tomb, lay me with Juliet” -Act 5:3 Paris dying and hoping to be buried alongside Juliet. He isn’t.
Juliet “You kiss by the book” Act 1:5 – metaphor – falling in love with Romeo
Juliet “My only love sprung from my only hate” Act 1:5 – juxtaposition/Oxymoron – Realising Romeo’s family.
Juliet “What’s in a name? That which we call any rose would smell as sweet.” Act 2:2 -metaphor -Juliet questioning whether Romeo’s family name should matter
Juliet “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep -the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.” -Act 2:2- Hyperbole / simile – showing her love.
Juliet “If that thy bent of love be honourable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow.” Act 2:2 – directive / Juliet checking Romeo’s intentions are genuine and geared towards marriage.
Juliet “Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low, as are dead in the bottom of the tomb” Act 3:5 -Juliet has a vision of Romeo lying dead.
Juliet “Proud I can never be of what I hate” Act 3:5 – Juliet saying to her father that she cannot be proud of his action that has led to her being paired with Paris.
Juliet “Be not so long to speak, I long to die” Act 4:1 – Repetition/ Pun on long. Juliet asking Friar Laurence to get to a solution quickly!
Juliet “Rather than marry Paris, bid me lurk where serpents are, chain me with roaring bears.” -hyperbole -showing Juliet is not keen on marrying Paris.
Juliet “Pardon,I beseech you! Henceforward I am ever ruled by you.”Act 4:2 – Juliet promising to do as Capulet has instructed (after secretly securing the sleeping drug!)
Juliet “What if when I am laid into the tomb,I wake before the time that Romeo come to redeem me?” Act 4:3- Use of questions – to consider the frightening thought that she might wake up alone in the tomb.
Juliet “O happy dagger -let me die!”Act 5:3-Personification – Juliet before she kills herself.
Tybalt “What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee” -Act 1:1 -Repetition – Tybalt showing his primary character trait of loving fighting.
Tybalt “This, by his voice, should be a Montague.— Fetch me my rapier, boy.” Act 1:5 Tybalt recognises Romeo who has gatecrashed the party and wants to attack him.
Tybalt “Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain.”
Tybalt Act 3:1 – Metaphor – Tybalt damning Romeo’s actions at the party as no more than those of a common criminal.
Tybalt “Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw.” Act 3:5 – Metaphor – Tybalt emphasising how he feels psychologically damaged by Romeo’s behaviour, and is therefore determined to fight.
Lord Capulet …
Lord Capulet “What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!” Act 1:1 – Capulet keen to join in the fighting between the two families.
Lord Capulet “But Montague is bound as well as I, in penalty alike, and ’tis not hard, I think, For men so old as we to keep the peace.” – Act 1:2 – Capulet being obedient to the Prince’s instructions -vowing not to allow any more fighting between his family and the Montagues.
Lord Capulet “And, to say truth, Verona brags of him to be a virtuous and well-governed youth.” – Act 1:5 -Adjectives – At Capulet’s party, he admits that Romeo is an honourable, respectable young man.
Lord Capulet “O’ Thursday let it be.—O’ Thursday, tell her,she shall be married to this noble earl.” – Act 3:4 – Repetition / Adjective – Capulet now decided that his daughter should be married to respectable Paris.
Lord Capulet “It makes me mad. Day, night, hour, tide, time, work, play, alone, in company, still my care hath been to have her matched.” Act 3:5 – Listing – Capulet’s frustration that his hard work in trying to arrange a good marriage for Juliet has been not appreciated.
Lord Capulet “Speak not; reply not; do not answer me. An you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend” – Act 3:5 – Directives / Objectification – Capulet insisting to Juliet that she is his property and she will be given to who he decides.
Lord Capulet “Life and these lips have long been separated. Death lies on her like an untimely frost upon the sweetest flower of all the field.” – Act 4:5 – Simile & Metaphor – Capulet is distraught at the sight of his supposedly dead daughter.
“O brother Montague give me thy hand.” -Act 5:3 – Capulet vowing to reconcile his differences with Lord Montague.
Lady Capulet “Well think of marriage now; younger than you,” Act 1:3 – cajoling tone – questioning – LC is trying to persuade Juliet to marry Paris.
Lady Capulet “You are too hot.” – Act 3:5 short sentence – she is telling her husband not to be so angry with Juliet.
Lady Capulet “Do as thou wilt for I have done with thee” -Act 3:5 – Lady Capulet disassociating herself from her daughter’s disobedience, and telling her that she is on her own.
Lady Capulet “O woeful time!” Act 4:5 exclamation mark, adjective, despairing tone – LC has just learnt of her daughter’s death, she repeats the upset phrases of the nurse.
The Nurse “What lamb? What Ladybird! God forbid, where’s this girl? What Juliet?” – Act 1: 3 – Rhetorical questions – nurse calling Juliet to speak to her mother.
The Nurse “Bigger women grow by men” Act 1:3 – The nurse’s love of innuendo comes out here, as she warns that women easily fall pregnant at the hands of men.
The Nurse “I am so vexed that every part about me quivers.” – Act 2:4 adjectives hyperbole – the nurse is angry about the way Romeo and his friends are speaking to her when she has met him to arrange the marriage.
The Nurse “I think you are happy in this second match, for it excels your first” – Act 3:5 Even the Nurse betrays Juliet by recommending she marries Paris.
The Nurse “She’s dead decease’d, she’s dead, she’s dead!” – Act 4:5 Repetition – The nurse alerts Lady Capulet to Juliet’s pretend death
Friar Laurence “For this alliance may so happy prove/To turn your households rancour to pure love.” A2:3 rhythmic/poetic/hopeful tone – FL agrees to marry R&J in the hope that it stops the fighting
Friar Laurence “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.” Act 2:3 Friar Lawrence’s wise words against impulsivity.
Friar Laurence “Run to my study. – By and by! – God’s will,” – Act3:3 caesura, panicked tone, repetition – FL is begging Romeo to hide so he does not get caught before leaving for Mantua.
Friar Laurence “O Juliet, I already know thy grief,” Act 4:1 – compassionate tone, connotations, showing FL is aware of how Juliet feels about marrying Paris and that he is complicit in her possible bigamy if she does marry Paris.
Friar Laurence “A cold and drowsy humour;” – noun phrase, adjectives to show FL is plotting for Juliet to take a sleeping draught.
Friar Laurence “Get me an iron crow and bring it straight/Unto my cell.” Act 5:3 imperatives, FL realises the mistake he has made and tries to go straight to the tomb.
Friar Laurence “Come, I’ll dispose of thee among a sisterhood of Nuns.” Act 5:3 Friar Laurence plotting even at the end to try and help Juliet escape the marriage to Paris, even when the sleeping drug plan goes wrong.
8. “here untimely lay The noble Paris and true Romeo dead.” Act 5:3 anecdote – FL tells the assorted people of his plan and how this has unravelled most horrifically.
Benvolio “I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,” Appeasing tone. Short sentence – to show he doesn’t want to fight.
Benvolio “I’ll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.” Hyperbole/exaggeration, alliteration to show he is loyal to Romeo.
Benvolio “Go then, for tis in vain/To seek him here” A2:2 – Imperative – leaving Romeo after the ball when he is in Juliet’s orchard.
Mercutio “Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance” Act 1:4 Imperative ‘must’ persuading Romeo to go to the ball.
Mercutio “A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! So ho!” A2:4 – repetition insult suggesting he is a brothel keeper from the nurse which he repeats in an incredulous tone.
Mercutio “vile dishonourable submission” Act 3:1 – Adjectives – Mercutio not understanding why Romeo is cowardly and backing down from a fight with Tybalt.
Mercutio “A plague a’both your houses!” Act 3: 1 -Metaphor blaming both the Montagues and the Capulets and wishing them the most unpleasant death.
Romeo “In sadness, cousin, I do love a women” Act1:1 – juxtaposition Romeo swooning and pining for Rosaline.
Romeo “I have lost myself. I am not here. This is not Romeo. He is some other where.” Act 1:1 Metaphor – Romeo’s unrequited love having a major effect on him.
Romeo “By some vile forfeit of untimely death” act 1:5 foreshadowing -hinting at his own death before the ball scene.
Romeo “o she doth teach the torches to burn bright!” act 1:5 Light Imagery and metaphor when speaking about Juliet at the ball .
Romeo “Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon,” Act 2 Metaphor to show his rejection of Rosaline in favour of Juliet.
Romeo “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls,” Act 2:2″ Celestial Imagery to show he is linked to God and the heavens.
Romeo “But love thee better than thou canst devise” Act 3:1 exaggeration to persuade Tybalt not to fight.
Romeo “Yet, thy beauty hath made me effeminate.” Act 3:1 Cursing his love of Juliet that has led to him behaving less like a man should, and Mercutio fighting and dying instead of him.
Romeo “O I am Fortune’s fool” Act 3:1 -Metaphor/ Alliteration. Cursing fate after he has killed Tybalt
Romeo “it was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale” Foreshadowing, Symbolism, imagery Act 3:5 after the consummation of their marriage and before he is banished to Mantua.
Romeo “…let me have/A dram of poison” Act 5:1 demanding tone to show he is in despair.
Romeo “Death hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.” Act 5:3 Imagery to show that death hasn’t changed Juliet’s appearance yet – Shakespeare is playing with the audience here.
Romeo “And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh” Act 5:3 -Metaphor and Alliteration to show Romeo’s desire to rid himself, through death, of fate’s control over him shortly before he dies.
Romeo “Thus with a kiss I die” Act 5:3 statement first person – he dies
Lord Montague “With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew” Act 1: 1 – metaphor to show he is worried about Romeo.
Lord Montague “Who set this new quarrel abroach?” Act 1:1 – Rhetorical question to find out how the fight started.
Lord Montague “For I will raise her statue in pure gold,” Act 5:3 hyperbole, persuasion – Montague assures Capulet that he will erect a gold statue in her memory
July 1, 2019