Act 1 Scene 1: O, She Doth Teach The Torches To Burn Bright (Spoken by Romeo)

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!

It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.

"O, She Doth Teach The Torches To Burn Bright" Soliloquy Translation

Romeo stared. She was so beautiful that she made the torches around the hall appear to grow dim. She was a
dazzling jewel illuminating the dark night sky. She stood out from the other girls like a snowy dove in a field of
crows. She ... Oh. he could never find the words to describe her. She couldn't be real: such beauty wasn't
possible. 'I don't believe what I'm seeing.' he said aloud and pushed his mask right up to the top of his head to
see better.

Act 2 Scene 2: What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks? (Spoken by 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:
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!

"What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?" Soliloquy Translation

A light came on in a window.

Perhaps it was her! Lighting the world like the morning sun! She was the sun, so much more beautiful than the
goddess of the night, the moon.

As though in answer to his wishes a door opened and she came out on to a balcony.

'It's her!' he whispered. 'Oh, it's my love.'

He wished she could know he was there, sitting on the wall, watching her. Her lips were moving but he couldn't
hear what she was saying. Anyway, she couldn't be talking to him.

As he stared at her he tried to understand how anyone could be so beautiful. It was as though the two most
radiant stars in the sky had business somewhere else and had begged her eyes to take their place while they
were away. It was as though they had changed places and the stars were in her head, her eyes in the heavens.

But even then, the beauty of her cheek would dim those eyes in the same way as daylight overwhelms a lamp.
Her eyes would shine so brightly in the heavens that birds would start singing, thinking it was daytime

As he watched she leant her cheek on her hand!

Oh how he wished he could be a glove on that hand so that he could touch that cheek! Oh how .

She sighed loudly

He had to get closer

He jumped.

At any other time he might have hurt himself but now he didn't even feel the ground as he landed. All he was
thinking was that he wanted her to speak again. She was an angel. Wherever she was the night would be lit up.

Act 2 Scene 5: The Clock Struck Nine When I Did Send The Nurse (Spoken by Juliet)

The clock struck nine when I did send the nurse;

In half an hour she promised to return.
Perchance she cannot meet him: that's not so.
O, she is lame! love's heralds should be thoughts,
Which ten times faster glide than the sun's beams,
Driving back shadows over louring hills:
Therefore do nimble-pinion'd doves draw love,
And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings.
Now is the sun upon the highmost hill
Of this day's journey, and from nine till twelve
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;
My words would bandy her to my sweet love,
And his to me:
But old folks, many feign as they were dead;
Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead.

"The Clock Struck Nine When I Did Send The Nurse" Soliloquy Translation

Juliet could see by the way the sun hung over the distant hill that it was twelve o'clock. Her Nurse had been
gone three hours! She had promised to return in half an hour.

Perhaps she hadn't found him! No, that couldn't be. Oh, Nurse. was pathetic. The messengers of love should be
as light as thoughts, traveling ten times faster than sunbeams, pushing all doubts and fears away, as light does to
threatening shadows. That's why Love's coach is always drawn by swiftly flying doves: that's why Cupid has
wings!

If her Nurse had any feelings - any passion whatsoever - her message would travel as fast as a tennis ball. The
Nurse would be the ball. Juliet would serve and Romeo would return it just as fast. But like all old people, the
Nurse might as well be dead. She was clumsy, slow, heavy and dull, like lead.

Juliet stuck her head out of the window every few seconds, searching the alleyway along which the Nurse
would come.

Sonnet prologue of romeo and juliet

where civil blood makes civil hands unclean

from forth the fatal loins of these two foes
whose misadventured piteous overthrows
doth with their death bury their parents strife
which, but their children's end, nought could remove
the fearful passage of their death-marked love
is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
the which if you with patient ears attend,
what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend

Plain English Romeo & Juliet Quote

Where fighting between citizens make a great number of people guilty

from the families of these two enemies
(a pair of star crossed lovers kill themselves)
whose accidental unfortunate reversals
end their parents' conflict with their own deaths.
which nothing could end except their children's death
the terrible course of their doomed love
is now what you are going to see on the stage during the next two hours
and if you pay attention with all ears
what we've missed out in this prologue we will make up for in the play

Prologue Act II

Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie,

And young affection gapes to be his heir;
That fair for which love groan'd for and would die,
With tender Juliet match'd, is now not fair.
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again,
Alike betwitchèd by the charm of looks,
But to his foe supposed he must complain,
And she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks:
Being held a foe, he may not have access
To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear;
And she as much in love, her means much less
To meet her new-beloved any where:
But passion lends them power, time means, to meet
Tempering extremities with extreme sweet.

People scorned heirs who "gaped" (waited with open mouths, like baby birds)
for the deaths of their parents. Perhaps some of this scorn is contained in the
image of Romeo's love for Juliet eagerly awaiting the death of his love for
Rosaline. The Chorus also points out that Romeo was willing to die for a beauty
(Rosaline's) which is now not beautiful, since it has been compared to Juliet's
beauty. These comments may make Romeo appear immature and shallow, but
the play is, after all, a story of young love, and the next line points out an
important difference between Romeo's new love and his former love. In "Now
Romeo is beloved and loves again" (2.Prologue.5), the"again" does not mean
"for the second time"; it means "in return." Romeo's love for Rosaline was a
one-way street, but Romeo and Juliet have a mutual love.

ACT I, scene v

ROM: ROM:

If I profane with my unworthiest hand If I desecrate with my most unworthy hand

This holy shrine, the gentle fine is
this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready
stand(100)
To smooth that rough touch with a
tender kiss.
This holy shrine of your hand, the gentle end
is this,
My lips, like two blushing pilgrims, ready
stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender
kiss.

JUL: JUL:

Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand Good pilgrim, you wrong your hand too
too much, much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in Which is showing devotion and good
this; manners in this touch;
For saints have hands that pilgrims’ For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands
hands do touch, touch,
 And palm to palm is holy palmers’ And putting a palm to another palm is a holy
kiss.(105) pilgrim's kiss.

ROM: ROM:

Have not saints lips, and holy palmers Don’t saints and holy pilgrims have lips too?
too?

JUL: JUL:

Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in Yes, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
prayer.

ROM: ROM:

O, then, dear saint, let lips do what O, then, dear saint, let our lips do what hands
hands do! do;
They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn They pray, as you said, in case faith should
to despair. turn to despair.

JUL: JUL:

Saints do not move, though grant for Saints do not move, though they do grant
prayers’ sake.(110) favors for prayers' sake.

ROM: ROM:

Then move not while my prayer's Then don’t move while I take my prayer's
effect I take. answer.
Thus from my lips, by thine my sin is Thus from my lips, by your lips, my sin is
purg'd. purged.