Romeo and Juliet Quotes

Key Quotes You Should Know


You should have the following quotes memorised so you can:

1. PEE all over your critical essay
2. have a nifty plan to keep you focused in the exam
3. show off how clever you are later in life



How you go about memorising these is your business. You can use flashcards, make a song, use 'post it' notes, or ask a parent to quiz you. It is probably best to leave the tattoos for now....



Quote:

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife (Prologue)

Analysis: Shakespeare gives us the plot of the play before the play even begins. The lovers are destined to die tragically.

Quote:

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night (1:5)

Analysis:Romeo realises his love for Rosaline was artificial and this is the moment he falls in love with Juliet - rather quickly!

Quote:

O she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear
Beauty too rich for use, for Earth too dear! (1:5)

Analysis: Romeo proclaims his infatuation for Juliet and he says this mere hours after uttering similar thoughts about Rosaline. These words give insight into Romeo's instability and how he is controlled by his emotions. The final line foreshadows Juliet's death.

Quote:

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. (2:1)


Analysis: To Romeo, Juliet is fairer and more brilliant than the moon. The metaphor, 'Juliet is the sun', is speaking of her radiance. This is another compliment on her beauty and power, and to Romeo, Juliet is the centre of his world.

Quote:

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name (2:2)

Analysis: The key word in Juliet's question is wherefore, which means why, not where . Juliet, in these lines, declares her willingness to disown her own family if she can be with her true love, who she's known for almost an hour-and-a-half! Juliet thinks of Romeo separate from the Montagues, and thus, her love for him overrides her family’s hatred for the Montague name.

Quote:

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet (2:2).

Analysis: Juliet tries to ease her conscience with this reasoning, claiming that Romeo's name matters not, despite the ancient family feud, for he is her true love.

Quote:

Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say good night till it be morrow (2:2).

Analysis:The famous balcony scene. Romeo and Juliet have been conversing all night long and they have made an agreement that Romeo will send word tomorrow about when and where they should be married. She feels sorrow and sadness that they need to say goodbye, but on the other hand what is to come is sweet and beautiful when they shall be together again.

Quote: A plague a both your houses (3:1)

Analysis: It's ironic that Mercutio blames Romeo even though Mercutio instigated the violence as Romeo attempted to stop it. Romeo feels responsible for Mercutio's death and gets his revenge by slaying Tybalt. Mercutio's curse foreshadows the lovers' suicide.

Quote:

Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical!
Dove feathered raven! Wolvish-ravening lamb!
Despised substance of divinest show!
A damned saint, an honorable villain! (3:2).

Analysis: Juliet can't quite wrap her mind around the fact that Romeo, her true love, has killed her cousin. Shakespeare's use of oxymorons emphasizes Juliet's confused state.

Quote:

Then I defy you, stars! (5:1)

Analysis:Romeo feels trapped by fate, thinking 'the stars' have somehow tried to separate him from Juliet. When Romeo screams “Then I defy you, stars” he is defying fate by killing himself and spending eternity with Juliet.

Quote:

I will lie with thee tonight (5:1)

Analysis: Tragically, it is Romeo’s very decision to avoid his destiny that actually brings fate about. In killing himself over the sleeping Juliet, he ensures their ultimate double suicide.


These are just some of the quotes that are important when discussing the play. Make sure you revise your notes on the religious imagery used by Romeo, to communicate the depth and purity of his love for Juliet.