Skip to main content

Why do you think the love scene in Capulet's garden in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the most famous one in all of literature?

It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that the Capulet garden scene in Romeo and Juliet is the most famous in literature, but it is definitely well-known.  I think the reason for this is that the story itself is compelling, because of the forbidden love.  Also, the language is beautiful and perfectly captures young love.


One the most interesting things about this scene is that it really only says that Juliet is at a window.  She is usually given a balcony so that she can actually move around.  There is limited movement at a window.  Also, Romeo could see her better on a balcony.  I think there is something inherently romantic about balconies, anyway.


The story of Romeo and Juliet is compelling, of course.  This would not be one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays if it wasn’t.  In this scene, we get to see the young lovers agree that they will marry, so it is the culmination of their brief courtship.  Romeo also demonstrates how much he loves Juliet by comparing her to the moon, which he says she outshines.



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 … (Act 2, Scene 2) 



Juliet has her share of interesting and memorable lines too.  For one thing, she seems to ponder Romeo’s very existence, including whether she can really love a Montague.  Like Romeo’s lines about her, she says these things in our hearing.  While Juliet cannot hear Romeo, Romeo may hear her.



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? (Act 2, Scene2)



From a theatrical perspective, this conversation is interesting because both are speaking but not speaking to each other.  The audience also gets to hear Romeo and Juliet’s innermost thoughts, like seeing into their hearts.  For those reasons, the scene is memorable.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more