Friday, January 17, 2020
Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2 Analysis
Romeo replies to Julietââ¬â¢s speech by agreeing to disown his name ââ¬Å"Henceforth, I never will be Romeoâ⬠. Shakespeare implies the danger that the lovers are in when Juliet points out ââ¬Å"the place death, considering who thou artâ⬠. This creates tension for the audience, and demonstrates Julietââ¬â¢s concern for Romeoââ¬â¢s safety ââ¬â ââ¬Å"If they do see thee, they will murder thee. â⬠Romeo speaks metaphorically when he says ââ¬Å"With loveââ¬â¢s light wings did I oââ¬â¢erperch these wallsâ⬠, suggesting there is no boundary to his love.Romeo claims to find the idea of his death preferable to a life without the love of Juliet, ââ¬Å"My life were better ended by their hate than death prorogued, wanting of thy love. â⬠Juliet admits to be blushing ââ¬Å"the mask of night is on my face, else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheekâ⬠and asks, ââ¬Å"Dost thou love me? â⬠She goes on to express concern that she may have be en too forward in her soliloquy asking him to forgive her for her foolishness ââ¬Å"Therefore pardon me, and not impute this yielding to light loveâ⬠.Romeo declares his love by ââ¬Å"yonder blessed moonâ⬠using celestial references. Juliet responds by refusing to allow Romeo to swear by something so changeable ââ¬Å"O swear not by the moon, thââ¬â¢ inconstant moonâ⬠. She fears that it is the way their love will be ââ¬Å"Lest that thy love prove likewise variableâ⬠. Juliet encourages him to be genuine and to use a less traditional, more spiritual concept of love, reinforcing the idea that she is taking the relationship seriously.Juliet then tries to say goodnight ââ¬Å"Sweet, good night. This bud of love, by summerââ¬â¢s ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. â⬠She then uses a rhyming couplet, ââ¬Å"as sweet repose and rest come to thy heart as that within my breast. â⬠Romeo expresses his wish to prolong their time together ââ¬Å"O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied? â⬠but they part as Julietââ¬â¢s nurse calls her and they agree to meet again. ââ¬Å"Stay but a little. I will come againâ⬠as they make a commitment to each other.Juliet, going against stereotype, suggests that they should marry, ââ¬Å"If that thy bent of love be honorable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrowâ⬠. This is very bold and, rather than taking her time as she suggests earlier in the scene, this is because she has realized Romeo has matured and is taking their relationship seriously. Julietââ¬â¢s promise to Romeo to ââ¬Å"follow thee, my lord, throughout the worldâ⬠is full of dramatic irony and foreshadows the final scene of the play, when Juliet follows Romeo into death.The nurse calls for Juliet again who uses hyperbole ââ¬Å"A thousand times good night! â⬠which indicates that neither wants to leave and reinforces the message that their meeting must reach a conclusion for now. Juliet says, ââ¬Å"Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloudâ⬠. This is referring to the fact that the lovers must keep their love quiet and away from the family feud. Later, Juliet uses further hyperbole ââ¬Å"ââ¬â¢Tis twenty years till thenâ⬠implying that it will seem a lifetime until they next meet. At the end of the scene, Juliet says one of her most famous lines ââ¬Å"Parting is such sweet sorrowâ⬠.This is a very well known oxymoron and demonstrates that she cannot bear to leave Romeo. The scene ends on several rhyming couplets. In conclusion, this scene demonstrates Romeo and Julietââ¬â¢s attraction to each other and their desire never to be parted. I feel it is very moving, and poetic albeit surreal that a maiden could be so frank in those times and that a couple could achieve such a depth of love in such a short space of time particularly against such a divide. It also sets the scene for the final tragic sequence ahead.
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