IGCSE Lit quotes (all texts)

…tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew...his deep sighs...shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, and makes himself an artificial night

Capulet to Tybalt after the fight in the town square.
Signs of depression to love sicknes- typical teenage behaviour. Signs of Petrachan love. Morning dew adds natural imagery.

O heavy lightness, serious vanity...This love feel I, that no love in this.

Romeo to Benvolio lamenting about Rosaline.
Vocative O exclaiming to God & Oxymorons- petrachan love.

show his contrasting feelings, describing his inner conflict and the strength of his feelings

O I am Fortune’s Fool!

Romeo blaming fate for him killing Tybalt
Blames fate- exclaiming to god

Immature & can’t take blame

Personifying it as if it is a person who decides his future implying he has little autonomy over his life

The Elizabethans believed that the stars, planets and gods were powerful over human lives,

Questions the influence of fate in the violence

I defy you stars!

Romeo when he learns of Juliet’s death about stars

Hence-banished is banish’d from the world, and world’s exile is death: then banished, is death mis-term’d

Romeo to friar after he is banished
Saying the Friar doesn’t understand what it is to be in love

Rambling and panicked dialogue

The repetition of “banish’d” and “death” suggests Romeo’s frustration at his powerlessness

My mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars shall bitterly begin his fearful date

Romeo to Mercuitio and Benvolio before capulet ball saying he had a bad dream and this is going to end badly

Alliteration, allusion to astrolodgy & Chorus-star crossed lovers.

Foreshadowing & dramatic irony of his death

Aware that something bad will happen

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... So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows

Romeo describing Juliet when he first meets her
Aliteration, simile- juxtaposing bright jewel and dark-skinned african.

Doves- symbolic and biblical.

Doves & crows-antithesis
she is exotic like a rich Ethiopian in Elizabethan London. An Ethiopian person would not fit into Shakespeare’s London so this may be a symbol of potential conflict.

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.

Romeo when he first meets Juliet
Rhyming couplet. Forgets about rosaline

A plague o' both your houses!

Mercuitio’s final words as he is dieing blaming romeo and tybalt
Plague” refers to a deadly disease (a terrifying reality for Shakespeare’s audience, who lived through outbreaks of bubonic plague). It is a curse directed at both the Montagues and Capulets. The repetition of this line in the scene emphasises anger and injustice.

The word “houses” refers to family dynasties

O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!

Mercuitio to romeo after he refuses to fight tybalt
Submission” suggests weakness and surrender.

Mercutio criticises Romeo for refusing to duel Tybalt.

The emotional exclamation (“O”) shows outrage.

Mercutio believes masculinity = aggression + honour. Romeo’s peace appears cowardly.

Elizabethen society masculitny was prized and most men knew how to duel and carried swords

If love be rough with you, be rough with love;

Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.

Mercutio to romeo before capulet ball
Extended metaphor of violence and combat.

“Prick” has a double meaning:

To wound

A sexual pun (Elizabethan slang)

Imperatives (“be rough”, “prick”) show dominance.

Mercutio mocks romantic love and encourages aggression instead of emotional vulnerability.

Context

Courtly love (idealised, poetic suffering) was fashionable. Mercutio rejects this, favouring realism and physical desire

More than the prince of cats, I can tell you. O, he is the courageous captain of compliments.

“Prince of cats” references a skilled swordsman (and the character Tybalt in the Reynard the Fox tales).

Alliteration in “courageous captain of compliments”.

Mocking tone.

Mercutio both mocks and acknowledges Tybalt’s skill.
He criticises fashionable, performative masculinity.

A sail, A sail!

Comedic relief what mercuitio says when the nurse approaches them morning after capulet ball

Now art thou sociable, now art thou Romeo

mercutio to romeo after he falls in love with juliet showing his is restored to his true self

For the bawdy hand of the dial is now upon the prick of noon

Mercuito to the Nurse when they meet morning after capulet ball
Humor, phallic imagery loved by elizabethens

O calm dishonourable, vile submission! Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?

Mercutio challenging tybalt to duel
Vocative O, prose, exclamation- anger 

Saying R is disnourable for not fighting him 

Prince of Cats reference

Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.

mercuito before dying
Pun- grave meaning tombstone and serious 

Part, fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do.

Benvolio stopping capulet and montague servants fighting in town square
Imperitive and “fools” shows a commanding nature, allusion to jesus showes he is a peacemaker. 

I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire...these hot days is the mad blood stirring.

benvolio to mercutio before the duel with tybalt asking to leave
Peacemaker wants to leave before a fight happens. 

Foreshadowing the fight

Thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as any in Italy

Mercutio to Benviolio when they are in the square before the duel
Hypocrite, can be aggressive

Why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more or a less in his beard than thou hast

Mercuito telling Benvolio that he can fight over stupid things before the duel

By my head, here comes the Capulets. 

By my heel, I care not

Benvolio and Mercutio before duel when capulets arrive
Stickomythia, and antithesis of head and heel 

Shows their diffrence & M’s pride

What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee.

Tybalt when benvolio tries to stpo fight between montagues and cuplets in town square
Triad, Repition of hate, Reference to hell a place feared by Elizabethens. 

Thee meaning informal, little boy

A villain that is hither come in spite, 

To scorn at our solemnity this night

Tybalt to capulet about romeo coming to capulet ball

Rhyming couplet, contrasting love before. Agressive and ready to fight for honour.

hatred for Romeo: “villain”

pride is implied by his use of “scorn” sibilance of “spite”, “scorn” and “solemnity” shows indignance

Thou art a villan

Tybalt to Romeo after he refuses to duel
Thou- boy/child (disrespectful) 

Villan-offensive & aggressive 

Tybalt deaf to peace

how benvolio describes tybalt when recounting the duel

I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitt’rest gall.

Tybalt to Montague after being told nto to attack romeo at the capulet ball
Rhyming couplet 

Tybalt doesn’t let anything go

This trick may chance to scathe you

Capulet to tybalt after he tries to attack romeo at capulet ball
Foreshadowing his death. Shows how tybalts anger will kill him

What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death”

Tybalt to benvolio when he tries to break up fight
he insults “all” Montagues and unjustifiably threatens to kill the peaceful Benvolio 

alliteration of “heartless hinds” -aggressive, giving the impression that these words are shouted

I bade her come. What, lamb! What, ladybird! God forbid! Where’s this girl? What, Juliet!

Nurse calling Juliet so her mother can talk to her about marriage
Terms of endearment: “lamb”, “ladybird” → affectionate, maternal imagery.

“Lamb” suggests innocence and vulnerability.

Repetition of “What” shows impatience but also familiarity.

Shift from pet names to “Juliet” signals rising concern.

The Nurse sees Juliet as a child. She is more mother than servant.

Wealthy Elizabethan children were often raised by nurses rather than their biological mothers. This explains their deep emotional bond.

I am a-weary, give me leave awhile: Fie, how my bones ache!

Nurse complaining about her joints after returing from talking to romeo
Physical imagery: “bones ache”.

• Exclamation: “Fie” expresses complaint.

• Emphasis on bodily discomfort.

Shows her earthy, physical nature.
Contrasts with Romeo and Juliet’s poetic language.

Lower-class characters often speak in prose rather than elevated blank verse.
This highlights class differences.

I think it best you married with the county. O, he's a lovely gentleman!

Nurse advising juliet to marry paris after she is scolded by her parents
Practical tone replaces emotional warmth.

• “Best” implies logical decision-making.

This is her turning point.
She prioritises safety and social stability over romantic love.

Marriage in Elizabethan England was often about:

• Wealth

• Security

• Family alliances

The Nurse reflects realistic social values, unlike Juliet.

Lady, such a man As all the world—why, he’s a man of wax.

nurse calling paris handsome
Metaphor: “man of wax” suggests:

Handsome (like a wax model)

Artificial/perfect but lifeless

🎭 Meaning

The Nurse values appearance.

She is impressed by surface beauty.

Is she not proud? Doth she not count her blest,unworthy as she is...

Capulet scolding juleit for not wanting to marry paris
Upset- rhetorical questions 

Switches call Juliet ungrateful

‘Tis not hard, I think, for men so old as we to keep the peace

capulet to tybalt when romeo is at the capulet ball
does nto care for the feud

My child is yet a stranger in the world...let two more summers wither in their pride, ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.

Capulet wanting juliet to wait a few years before she is married off
Wants to wait for his daughter to be married. Unusual as most men wanted their daughters married to men like Paris as soon as possible 

Hang, beg, starve, die in the streets 

Disobedient wretch! 

capulet swearing at juliet when she refueses ot marry paris
Lists of violence and list of imperatives reflects his aggressive and domineering nature. No love or connection here and he seems quick to be willing to disown her

I would not for all the wealth of all this town here in my house do him disparagement

capule tot tybalt refusing to remove romeo from cpaulet ball

Does not care about the feud.

Respects Romeo doubling tragedy as he would allow them to marry.

He [Romeo] shall be endur’d. What, goodman boy, I say he shall, go to!

Capulet gets very angry and frustrated as tybalt

She lov’d her kinsman Tybalt dearly, and so did I. Well, we were born to die.

capulet to paris about tybalt’s death affecting juliet
Did not love Tybalt very much and has no grief

I think she will be rul’d in all respects by me; nay more, I doubt it not

Capulet sayign his is confident juliet would want to marry tybalt
His daughter always does what he tells her too he is confident she will. 

Views her as chattel.

my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars,

romeo before the cpaulet ball saying he fears something will happen
Romeo’s tragic flaw is that he ignores fate's warning and goes to the ball anyway - his hamartia (tragic flaw) is his hubris (arrogance against the gods/fate).

The tragedy of a Greek tragedy is always caused by fate, so with this, and the prologue foreboding the lovers’ death, the Elizabethan audience can already assume the bad ending of the play. Alliteration of ‘mind misgives’ emphasises the mistake that he is making.

Shakespeare's way of showing that the tragedy is indeed Romeo's fault as he had the choice not to go to the ball. Dramatic irony as we know this will end in death due to the prologue. ‘Some consequence hanging in the stars’ is a metaphor, hanging is usually associated with death.

Sweet Juliet, thy beauty hath made me effeminate

Romeo says this after Mercutio has been killed, and decides to get revenge by killing Tybalt.
links to original sin where eve convinces adam to eat apple, juliet “ruins” romeo
R sees wanting peace and avoiding conflict as being effeminate, he must get revenge to claim his masculinity back

Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake
Then move not while my prayer’s effect I take

J’s volta. Part of the sonnet they share when they first meet. Would expect R to woo J (patriarchal society) but J is in charge of the seduction, trying to get him to kiss her lips instead of her hands. This is the first way she leads him towards marrying him - adam and eve
Ironic that J presents herself as the statue of a saint which is quite blasphemous, using religious imagery to make him kiss her - using Christianity to justify lust which could shock the audience.

Good father, I beseech you on my knees, hear me with patience but to speak a word

Capulet threatens to kick J out if she does not marry Paris. Even whilst being

threatened by her father, who unreasonably made a drastic change in the wedding plans

(from 2 years to 2 days), she still has to refer to him as ‘good father’. She falls to her

knees to beg, as if she were praying, which dramatises the idea that male power can be

likened to that of God if you were a woman, as fathers and husbands have complete

control over womens’ lives. This also demonstrates the fact that she is inferior to him in

status due to her gender as she is literally on the ground below him. Ironically, she asks

for as little as she can get - only to ‘speak a word’, which would not cost him anything,

but he refuses to listen to even that.
iambic pentameter puts an emphasis on the ‘me’ in ‘hear me’ as this is her plea for her father to see her identity as an individual rather than a commodity.

These violent delights have violent ends, and in their triumph die; like fire and powder, which as they kiss consume.

Friar lawrence cautioning romeo

Friar is predicting the future: out of this love born out of violence and conflict, R and J will reach an end in that way too.
ronic as the audience already knows these words have truth to them due to the prologue - dramatic irony.

Come, I’ll dispose of thee/ Among a sisterhood of holy nuns

friar lawrence to juliet after she wakes up in the tomb
Friar is a coward as he flees rather than being caught with J and the corpses of R and Paris.

offers J this final solution: rather than confess his part in their marriage and his plan to drug J to fake her death, he wants to get rid of her and cover up the whole scheme. He says that he will ‘dispose of’ her as if she's rubbish.

This language is quite callous - he's not offering to help her escape or hide her from her family, he’s treating her and her future as refuse: something to be thrown away. Although J is religious, the audience can assume that J is not interested in living in a convent with nuns.

despite everything, we still have known thee for a holy man

prince to frair after finding out of his involvement with romeo and juliet’s deaths

the prince accepts that the Friar’s motives were all good, including the decision to marry R&J in the first place:

If ever you disturb our streets again
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace

prince escales after fight in town square

declaring death penalty for fueds

…younger than you, here in Verona, ladies of esteem, are made already mothers.

Lady Capulet trying to pressure juliet into marriage says
LC values status so highly and uses this to persuade J; those who are already married are now ‘ladies of esteem’ which suggests that the only way for J to gain status is to marry. The subtle addition of the phrase ‘by my count’ also reminds J of Paris’ high status as a count - subliminal messaging.

The way in which LC says all of this to J highlights an element of competition - it is as if the other young ladies are her rivals who are getting ahead of her socially; LC is trying to show J that if she waits too long, all of the most desirable and powerful men will already have been married.

LC’s phrasing also makes it seem as if J’s age is already too old to be a mother, even she herself was a mother by that age. LC contrasts starkly with Capulet:

O heavy lightness, serious vanity...This love feel I, that no love in this.

romeo said to benvolio complainign about rosaline
Vocative O exclaiming to God & Oxymorons- petrachan love.

Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh

mercutio after capulet ball ttrying to summon romeo

Mocking Romeo love for Rosaline. Mocking petrachan love-sighs & exclamations

Men’s eyes were made to look, and let them gaze; I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I

mercutio when cpaulets are staring at him before duel

Arrogant- I Ty doesn’t even want to fight him bc related to Prince

we must talk in secret. Nurse, come back again

lady capulet when she has to talk to juliet about arrange dmarriage to paris

Lady M is uncomfortable about the conversation she has to have with juliet
so she wants the nurse there showing their distant relationship

An I might live to see thee married once, I have my wish

the nurse when juliet is being conviced to marry paris initally

This shows that the nurse loves Juliet very much. This highlights the true connection that both the Nurse and Juliet have. The fact that it is the Nurse's wish to see Juliet married illustrates how motherly she is towards Juliet.

The Nurse loves Juliet like a daughter. She has brought her up and breast-fed her when she was a child. Her own daughter, Susan, died and Juliet then became her source of attention and maternal care

Verona brags of him To be a virtuous and well-govern'd youth

capulet says this about romeo to tybalt at the capulet ball

shows romeo is popular and well liked

My only love sprung from my only hate!

juliet to nurse at the end of the capulet ball when she realises who romeo is

What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet

juliet’s soliquy on balcony which romeo overhears

saying their families are not important

Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow

juliet saying goodbye to romeo after he shows up by her balcony showing her love for him rhyming couplet

Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink- I drink to thee

juliet taking the medincine ending her soliquouy

For doting, not for loving, pupil mine

friar lawrence to romeo when romeo says he scolded him for loving rosaline

Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet

paris says to romeo as he dies

shows loyalty and love for juliet

Younger than she are happy mothers made

paris to lord cpaulet discussing marriege of juliet

keen to marry her

But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart

capulet ot paris when he asks to marry juliet

wants her to maryr for love

O child, O child! my soul, and not my child

lord capulet when he discovers juliet is dead

showed he loved her

'You ought to like this port, Gerald'

Authority, power, sucking up to Gerald. MR BIRLING

'You're just the kind of son-in-law I always wanted'

Better than your own son? Sucking up to Gerald - he is of higher status. MR BIRLING

'Just a knighthood of course'

Smug, pompous, emphasises how much he cares about status and reputation. MR BIRLING
Trying to show to Gerald that he is of high social class and cover up his hurt from gerald parents not attending the engagement dinner

'A man has to make his own way'

Selfish, foreshadowing, ironic, indicates he does not believe in community - Inspector comes in just after. MR BIRLING saying that everyone must work on their own

'Still, I can't accept any responsibility'

links to theme of responsibility, contrasting to Sheila's/Eric's reaction. MR BIRLING refusing to be responsible

He argues that his involvement with eva was so small and unimportant. Lack of morality.

'Mr Gerald Croft - the son of Sir George Croft - you know, Crofts Limited.'

Showing off, high social class, Gerald is of a higher status than him but is getting married to his daughter, something said to the inspector MR BIRLING

'Most of this is bound to come out. There'll be a public scandal.'

Social class is all he cares about, doesn't want to ruin his reputation. He hasn't learnt anything about responsibility or community.

His knighthood jeopardized

MR BIRLING

"But how do you know it's the same girl?!

Still looking for excuses, trying to let himself off the hook. GERALD

(suddenly guffaws) 'I don't know - really. Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh'

Childish, drunk, 'squiffy'. Shows his immaturity at the start of the play. ERIC

"Why shouldn't they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices."

Socialist differ from capitalist views of father, sees class divide as less of an issue. Sticking up for lower class, shows generational differences ERIC

(involuntary) "My God"

Not afraid to speak out, morals, cares ERIC
When the inspector informs him about the girls death

eric enters, looking extremely pale and distressed

knows what he's done, feels awful, responsibility ERIC

"You lot may be letting yourselves out nicely, but I can't. Nor can mother."

Shows he has taken responsibility for his actions and won't be attempting to forget his actions, but learn from them. ERIC

"You're not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble.

damaged relationship with his father eric

it's better to ask for the earth than to take it.

INSPECTOR's wisdom, unreal feeling, intelligence, socialist views. This quote suggests that capitalists like Birling try to take the earth.

"If men do not learn that lesson, then they'll be taught it in blood and fire and anguish."

INSPECTOR's message - predicting world war? connotations with Hell.

"Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable." (in reference to the Titanic)

Shows how much of a naive and closed-minded capitalist Mr Birling is

Historical event ironic

The symbolism of Mr Birling talking about the Titanic ship. One of the most prominent issues regarding the Titanic ship was that it showed a clear division of the classes .

The higher classes were on a different part of the ship, and lowers classes were in bunks. When the ship sank, the small amount of passengers who survived were all upper classes because they were given priority.

Showing Mr Birling’s classist views. Mr Birling says the titanic is “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable” which is ironic since it did sink and both the upper and lower classes suffered, foreshadowing how the divisions that the Birlings and Gerald had put up between them and the lower classes were about to collapse.

"I became at once the most important person in her life."

shows that he is selfish and egoistical, did not care about how it would effect her when he broke it off. GERALD

"Whoever that chap was, the fact remains the I did what I did.And Mother did what she did. And the rest of you did what you did."

shows that he has learnt something about responsibility, regardless of who the Inspector really was. ERIC

think everyone is pushing the blame off

"We are members of one body we are responsible for each other."

Shows he is a socialist who believes in community responsibility. INSPECTOR

(massively) "Public men have responsibilities as well as privileges."

Indicates he knows that Mr Birling is arrogant and does not think he has social responsibility, because he is middle class. INSPECTOR

"You'd think everybody has to look after everybody else like bees in a hive and all that nonsense."

Theme of responsibility, Indicates he does not believe in social responsibility or community. The simile of _____ in a _____ MR BIRLING

Simile is an attempt to trivialise the concept of socialism. He is dismissive, arrogant. He believes individuals should only look out for themselves and their families, contrasting sharply with the Inspector’s socialist views.

"One Eva smith has gone but there are millions and millions of Eva smiths and John Smiths still left with us

Shows the importance of the Birlings and Gerald learning from their wrongdoings, so no more Eva or John Smiths have to suffer. INSPECTOR

hard-headed, practical man of buisiness

how mr b describes himself

lord mayor

what was mr birling position of power two years ago

We often do on the young ones. They’re more impressionable.

Generational Conflict

Younger generation (Sheila’s and Priestly’s) are more receptive to his socialist message

The younger members of the Birling family are capable of taking responsibility for their actions; they learn to care about the vulnerable members of society who have been exploited by greedy capitalists

Her [Eva’s] position is that she now lies burnt-out inside on a slab

Visual Image and emotive language

Allusion to Caesar’s wife who committed suicide by swallowing hot coal

While questioning Mrs Birling

He creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness

Stage directions describing the Inspector

Shows his imposing presence

Very unusual at the time for a normal police inspector to be a dominant character in a room full of wealthy people

But each of you

helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it. (He looks from

one to the other of them carefully). But then I don’t think you ever

will.

individual Responsibility

He feels no sympathy for the Birlings

He says this right before he leaves

One person and one line of inquiry at a time.

Inspector

Sensible and methodical

Also faster as he is running out of time

 heavy-looking, rather portentous man … fairly easy manners but rather provincial in his speech

A phrase to describe him, thinks highly of himself.

He predicts stuff, dramatic irony because his predictions are false, and as an audience, we know that.

Provincial shows lower-class origins of MR. B. he has to compensate for his lower-class accent with material possessions.

Portentous - gives an immediate indication of his self-indulged temperament

Perhaps I ought to warn you that he’s [the Chief Constable is] an old friend of mine.

He thinks he’s above the law, tries to intimidate the inspector

When inspector first starts questioning him

In that state when a chap easily turns nasty

Demonstrates E’s subconscious attempts to distance himself from his actions by going from 1st to 3rd person. Trivialisation of such violence of possible rape - “easily”.

[easy well-bred young man-about-town]

Content and confident in his own masculinity. 

Fashionable socialite, possible foreshadowing

Gerald

Sorry - I - well, I've suddenly realised - taken it in properly - that she's dead

Hyphens, stammering, overwhelming sadness + shock. Internal conflict between his natural emotional reaction and attempt to supress any emotion to remain masculine. 

Gerald realising Eva is dead