William Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II

Capulet's orchard.

 

   Enter ROMEO

 

ROMEO

   He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

 

   JULIET appears above at a window

 

   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:

   Be not her maid, since she is envious;

   Her vestal livery is but sick and green

   And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.

   It is my lady, O, it is my love!

   O, that she knew she were!

   She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?

   Her eye discourses; I will answer it.

   I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:

   Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,

   Having some business, do entreat her eyes

   To twinkle in their spheres till they return.

   What if her eyes were there, they in her head?

   The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,

   As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven

   Would through the airy region stream so bright

   That birds would sing and think it were not night.

   See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!

   O, that I were a glove upon that hand,

   That I might touch that cheek!

 

JULIET

   Ay me!

 

ROMEO

   She speaks:

   O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art

   As glorious to this night, being o'er my head

   As is a winged messenger of heaven

   Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes

   Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him

   When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds

   And sails upon the bosom of the air.

 

JULIET

   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.

 

ROMEO

   [Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

 

JULIET

   'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

   Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

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

   Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

   Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

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

   By any other name would smell as sweet;

   So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,

   Retain that dear perfection which he owes

   Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

   And for that name which is no part of thee

   Take all myself.

 

ROMEO

           I take thee at thy word:

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

   Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

 

JULIET

   What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night

   So stumblest on my counsel?

 

ROMEO

   By a name

   I know not how to tell thee who I am:

   My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,

   Because it is an enemy to thee;

   Had I it written, I would tear the word.

 

JULIET

   My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words

   Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound:

   Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?

 

ROMEO

   Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.

 

 

ANALYSIS “THE BALCONY SCENE”

 

"Romeo and Juliet" is one of Shakespeare's most famous works and it is about the love between Romeo and Juliet. This text is the second scene of the second Act and it is referred to the Balcony scene. It tells about the Romeo and Juliet's first meeting.

The reader analysis the text from the point of view of Romeo.

Romeo speaks more than Juliet.

Shakespeare uses poetical language; he uses a lot of metaphors to make a judgment.

 

Analysing the title an intelligent reader can understand that the scene takes place in the Capulets' garden, near an orchard.

 

Analysing the layout the reader understands that the scene can be divided into three sections:

- The first section focuses on Romeo's monologue

- In the second sequence Juliet speaks but she does not know about Romeo's presence

- The third sequence is a dialogue between the two lovers

 

The Act concentrates on the development of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet.

 

The text is characterized by hyperbole and metaphor, the language is full of rhetorical figures. Images fanciful, hyperbolic claims and elegant metaphors express the tender passion of Romeo and Juliet. He uses personifications and he uses cataphoric references to keep the attention of the reader. Romeo does not speak in a rational manner, he is fully involved. The references to the distance make the reader understand the Romeo’s desire to Juliet. Shakespeare appeals to the language of sense: at the sight, at the touch.

He plays on contrast (the sun against the moon, distance against closeness, eternity against mortality, beauty against disease).

The language has to capture the attention, it has to entertain.

 

The first 25 lines are devoted to the Romeo’s monologue: he thought he was alone, so his voice is loud enough to be heard by Juliet, who is standing on top of a window, lost in thought. The scars and wounds are a metaphor for the marks left from the pains of love.

 

Romeo begins with "but ", which captures the reader's attention: at the beginning Romeo talking to himself, but after he notices a light through the window and realizes Juliet is there and he can hear, so his voice becomes very strong. In the second verse there is a reference to the cardinal points. The window is the east and Juliet is the sun.

Romeo compares Juliet to the sun and he says that Juliet shines more than the moon. The word “maid” gives the idea of a pure girl.

“It’s my lady, it’s my love!” is a climax.

Romeo then refers again to the semantic field of astronomy (stars, sun) to describe the beauty of Juliet. Romeo imagines that two stars, ask to be replaced by the bright eyes of the girl.
The beauty of Juliet is described in an exaggerated manner with a hyperbole, reinforced by the metaphor of the eyes, like stars enlighten the sky with their light.

Large use of metaphors focuses reader attention on Juliet’s uniqueness. Shakespeare compares Juliet to the Sun and to the moon to underline the uniqueness of Juliet.

Romeo compares Juliet's cheek to the brightness of a light saying that his light would hide all the stars. Romeo’s monologue ends with his desire to touch Juliet: he is so in love with her that it is not enough for him just to see her, he needs to touch her. The desire to touch her is expressed in the text by the use of the words “cheek” and “hand”.

Juliet’s first words are an exclamation: she hears some strange noises and she is curious to find out what are the next words of the mysterious man. So Romeo compares Juliet to a bright angel.

 

Now Juliet says her famous words “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” With the expression she lets the reader understand she knew the mysterious man was Romeo. The Montagues (Romeo’s family) and the Capulets (Juliet’s family) have been enemies for life. She tells Romeo that she wants to give up the name of her family and escape with him.

 

Romeo is now confused, he does not know whether to respond to Juliet. Then the words of Juliet convince him: she does not care about their families’ rivalry, she just wants his love. Montague and Capulet are just a name, it is not enough to forbid their love. As an example of the fragility of the name to be responsible for a social class conflict Juliet presents this example of the rose: a rose would smell the same even if it had another name and so Romeo would always be perfect even he had a different name. To convince the audience that she really appreciates Romeo and she really loves him, Juliet declares herself ready to change her name and to give up her name. After listening Juliet’s considerations, Romeo revises his feelings that are well expressed in the famous line “Call me but love”.

The two young lovers promise each other eternal love.

Juliet defends love as if it were a flash in the night, something that illuminates darkness.

In addition love is compared to a beautiful flower.