romeo juliet 18 flashcards

“Star-crossed lovers”

Celestial imagery and foreshadowing. The stars symbolise fate and show the relationship is doomed from the start. Themes: Fate, Love

“O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!”

Hyperbole and light imagery. Romeo exaggerates Juliet’s beauty, suggesting she outshines everything around her. Themes: Love, Appearance, Idealisation

“My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand”

Religious imagery and metaphor. Romeo presents love as sacred and Juliet as worthy of devotion. Themes: Love, Religion

“Juliet is the sun”

Metaphor and celestial imagery. Juliet symbolises light, life and hope, showing Romeo’s idealised love. Themes: Love, Fate

“A rose by any other word would smell as sweet”

Symbolism and rhetorical argument. Juliet argues that names do not define identity, challenging the feud. Themes: Love, Conflict, Identity

“My only love sprung from my only hate!”

Oxymoron and juxtaposition. Juliet’s conflicting emotions reveal the clash between love and family loyalty. Themes: Love, Conflict, Fate

“Turn your households’ rancour to pure love”

Juxtaposition. The contrast highlights the possibility of ending hatred through love. Themes: Conflict, Reconciliation

“These violent delights have violent ends”

Repetition and foreshadowing. Friar Laurence warns that intense passion can lead to destruction. Themes: Fate, Love, Violence

“The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness”

Metaphor and paradox. Excessive pleasure can become harmful, foreshadowing tragedy. Themes: Love, Fate, Impulsiveness

“Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire”

Oxymorons and paradoxes. Contradictory images show Romeo’s confused feelings about love. Themes: Love, Suffering

“Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”

Metaphor and foreshadowing. The Friar warns against rushing into decisions. Themes: Fate, Impulsiveness

“O, I am fortune’s fool!”

Personification and exclamation. Romeo sees himself as controlled by fate after Mercutio’s death. Themes: Fate, Free Will, Violence

“Deny thy father and refuse thy name”

Imperatives. Juliet urges Romeo to reject his family identity for love. Themes: Love, Conflict, Identity

“Hang thee, young baggage!”

Imperative and insult. Capulet’s language shows patriarchal control over Juliet. Themes: Family, Power, Patriarchy

“A plague o’ both your houses!”

Exclamation and biblical allusion of divine judgement. Mercutio blames both families for the violence and suffering. Themes: Conflict, Violence, Responsibility

“Then I defy you, stars!”

Personification and exclamation. Romeo challenges fate, but his actions still lead to tragedy. Themes: Fate, Free Will

“O happy dagger!”

Oxymoron and personification. Juliet welcomes death as the only way to be with Romeo. Themes: Love, Fate, Suffering

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Superlative and rhyming couplet. The Prince emphasises the immense tragedy caused by the feud. Themes: Love, Suffering, Conflict