FRIAR LAWRENCE
So smile the heavens upon this holy act
That after-hours with sorrow chide us not.

• Explanation: Friar Lawrence begins by wishing that the heavens (or fate) will bless this secret marriage. He hopes that later, they won’t regret their actions.
• Analysis: This is an expression of hope for the couple’s future, even though Friar Lawrence knows that the marriage is hasty and secretive.
• Language Technique: Foreshadowing – “sorrow chide us not” hints that there will be consequences for the rushed marriage. Imagery – “smile the heavens” creates a divine, celestial image.

ROMEO
Amen, amen. But come what sorrow can,
It cannot countervail the exchange of joy
That one short minute gives me in her sight.
Do thou but close our hands with holy words,
Then love-devouring death do what he dare,
It is enough I may but call her mine.

• Explanation: Romeo enthusiastically agrees with Friar Lawrence’s wish, saying that even if sorrow comes, it can’t outweigh the happiness he feels just being with Juliet for a moment. He says that as long as he can call Juliet his, he will accept whatever comes, even death.
• Analysis: Romeo’s intense passion for Juliet leads him to believe that the joy of their love outweighs any potential tragedy.
• Language Technique: Hyperbole – exaggerating the depth of his love. Juxtaposition – love and death are placed together, showing the connection between life and death in Romeo’s mind.

FRIAR LAWRENCE
These violent delights have violent ends,
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss, consume. The sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness,
And in the taste confounds the appetite.
Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so.
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

• Explanation: Friar Lawrence warns Romeo that extreme emotions, like their passionate love, often lead to negative consequences. He compares it to fire and gunpowder, which destroy each other when they meet. He advises Romeo to love more moderately because true love grows over time, and rushing it could ruin everything.
• Analysis: This is Friar Lawrence’s attempt to offer wisdom and caution against the impulsive nature of their relationship. He is trying to guide Romeo towards more patience and balance.
• Language Technique: Metaphor – “violent delights” are compared to fire and powder, illustrating how intense passions can burn out. Contrast – “too swift” and “too slow” to emphasize balance in love.

Enter Juliet.

FRIAR LAWRENCE
Here comes the lady. O, so light a foot
Will ne’er wear out the everlasting flint.
A lover may bestride the gossamers
That idles in the wanton summer air,
And yet not fall, so light is vanity.

• Explanation: Friar Lawrence comments on Juliet’s lightness and beauty. He says that she is so graceful and light-hearted, like a breeze or a delicate summer thread, that nothing can weigh her down or tire her.
• Analysis: The Friar admires Juliet’s youthful energy and joy, using these metaphors to highlight her innocence and purity.
• Language Technique: Metaphor – “light a foot” and “light is vanity” convey Juliet’s delicate and carefree nature. Imagery – “everlasting flint” and “gossamers” paint a vivid picture of her grace.

JULIET
Good even to my ghostly confessor.

• Explanation: Juliet greets Friar Lawrence as a “ghostly confessor,” a term for a spiritual advisor, showing respect for his role in their secret marriage.
• Analysis: This phrase shows Juliet’s reverence for Friar Lawrence’s spiritual guidance. She is also acknowledging the seriousness of what they are about to do.
• Language Technique: Formal address – showing her respect for the Friar.

FRIAR LAWRENCE
Romeo shall thank thee, daughter, for us both.

• Explanation: Friar Lawrence says Romeo will be grateful to Juliet for both of them, implying that Romeo is very lucky to marry her.
• Analysis: This highlights Friar Lawrence’s view of the marriage as a blessing for Romeo, but also a matter of deep importance.
• Language Technique: Affectionate language – “daughter” shows Friar Lawrence’s fatherly affection toward Juliet.

JULIET
As much to him, else is his thanks too much.

• Explanation: Juliet responds humbly, saying she hopes her love for Romeo is equal to what he feels for her.
• Analysis: This shows Juliet’s modesty and selflessness in love. She doesn’t want Romeo to be overly grateful.
• Language Technique: Humility – this line expresses her modest view of her love.

ROMEO
Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy
Be heaped like mine, and that thy skill be more
To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath
This neighbor air, and let rich music’s tongue
Unfold the imagined happiness that both
Receive in either by this dear encounter.

• Explanation: Romeo says that if Juliet’s joy is as great as his, and if she can express it as beautifully as he does, then they should share their joy with the world, as it is a perfect moment of happiness.
• Analysis: Romeo’s words express a longing to celebrate their love openly. He is so in love that he wants the whole world to know how joyful they are.
• Language Technique: Metaphor – “sweeten with thy breath” compares Juliet’s words to sweetness. Personification – “rich music’s tongue” gives the music the ability to speak.

JULIET
Conceit, more rich in matter than in words,
Brags of his substance, not of ornament.
They are but beggars that can count their worth,
But my true love is grown to such excess
I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth.

• Explanation: Juliet responds by saying that true love is richer in feeling than in words. She says those who brag about their love with words are like beggars, but her love for Romeo is so great that it cannot be counted or summed up.
• Analysis: Juliet is showing that their love is beyond expression and material wealth. She emphasizes the depth of her feelings, which cannot be reduced to mere words.
• Language Technique: Metaphor – “beggars that can count their worth” highlights the difference between shallow love and deep love. Hyperbole – exaggerating the depth of her love.

FRIAR LAWRENCE
Come, come with me, and we will make short work,
For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone
Till Holy Church incorporate two in one.

• Explanation: Friar Lawrence encourages them to hurry and get married quickly, so they won’t have to be apart before the marriage ceremony.
• Analysis: The phrase “make short work” shows the urgency and efficiency with which Friar Lawrence wants to conduct the ceremony.
• Language Technique: Metaphor – “incorporate two in one” refers to the union of their marriage.

They exit.

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Key Language Techniques in This Scene:

1. Metaphor: Comparing things that are not alike to highlight qualities (e.g., love to fire and honey, “rich music’s tongue”).
2. Hyperbole: Exaggeration for emphasis (e.g., “my true love is grown to such excess”).
3. Foreshadowing: Hinting at future consequences (e.g., “violent delights have violent ends”).
4. Imagery: Using vivid descriptions to evoke sensory experiences (e.g., “gossamers,” “neighbor air”).
5. Juxtaposition: Placing contrasting ideas together to highlight differences (e.g., love and death).