Romeo and Juliet

Act II

Glossary and Notes

Prologue

GLOSSARY
Bewitched enchanted; charmed
Hardship suffering
Hardships make encounters all the sweeter it means that the difficulties in their
relationship make their love even better.
NOTES
Romeo has a new love, and that is of the enemy. This love, the announcer points out,
may not go as easily as a love normally would. Note the prologue emphasizing words like
passion and hardships.

Scene 1

NOTES

After the party, Romeo decides to risk returning to the Capulet house to see Juliet. As his
friends Mercutio and Benvolio come upon him, he hides himself. The friends see him run
away and figure that he had gone home. Mercutio tries to summon Romeo from hiding by
conjuring (invocating) him with Rosalines name, you know, playing a sorcerer. They
do not know that Romeo has a new love, thats why they are still bringing Rosalines
name up. Mercutio jests that Romeo will think of Rosaline as a medlar fruit (nspera) ,
which was supposed to look like the female genitalia.

Scene 2
GLOSSARY

Scar a mark (as on the skin) after injured tissue has healed.
Wound an injury to the body
Grief suffering
Bold courageous
Enhance(s) make something better; improve
Aloft in the air
Dare(s) have the courage to do something
Enmity hostility; antipathy
Conceal hide
Default fail to fulfill an obligation (Juliet implies that even if Romeo says he loves her
he might lie).
Oath a solemn promise
If you think Im won too quickly If you thing it is too easy to win my heart
Frown - express disapproval
Woo (wooing) try to gain the love of someone
Fickle changing frequently
Withdraw leave
Prodigal wasteful (Juliet means she wants to spend all her love on Romeo
Trudge walk slowly and with heavy steps
Hop jump
Pluck (pluck it back) pick
Dwell upon reside; live; exist

NOTES
This is the famous balcony scene. Keep in mind as you read that Juliet does not notice
Romeo until after line 41. When Romeo first sees Juliet at her window, he speaks long
about her virtues, comparing her to the sun and her eyes to stars. When Juliet begins to
speak, Romeo compares her voice to that of an angel.
Scene 3

GLOSSARY

Mottled spotted
Reel(s) stumble (stagger or fall) Darkness stumbles out of the suns path like a drunk
man.
Dew drops of moisture
Outcome result
Holy sacred
Riddle an enigmatic speech
Penance - a penitential discipline imposed by church authority
Not to mince my words- speaking frankly and directly
Forsake (forsake) give up
Groan - a deep sound expressive of pain
Tell off (told me off) scold
Dote (doting) to express excessive love
She knew your love was like reciting before youd learned to spell The friar
means that Rosaline knew Romeos love was not true.
Waverer indecisive

NOTES
The Friar becomes a very important character, and we meet him as he speaks eloquently
about many of the plays themes, including the nature of virtue and vice. He talks a lot
about life and death; uses and misuses as well as goodness and evil. We also learn there
are medicinal and poisonous properties in the plants which the friar cultivates.

Scene 4
GLOSSARY

Wench a young woman

Ill be bound Im sure
Suave gracious; sophisticated
Fencing the art or sport of fighting with swords
Prissy arrogant
Phoney false
Rascal a dishonest person
Without his roe [Rosaline], like a dried herring! Oh, flesh, oh flesh! How fishified
you are!
Mercutio mockingly implies that Rosaline has destroyed or subjugated Romeo; Then
comes a mocking list of heroines of poetry and legend to whom Rosaline is superior. For
example, Laura who is brought up in several poems of the Italian poet Petrarcha as the
woman he loves but does not correspond his passion. Mercutio means that, similarly to
Laura, Rosaline does not correspond a mans great love for her.

Thisbe not in the running It is a reference to a character from Ovids

Metamorphoses who lived in Babylon, and was the lover of Pyramus, both living in
connected houses, but being forbidden to marry by their parents, who were rivals.
Gave us the slip [counterfeit money] escaped from us.
Curtsy a gesture of reverence.
The pink of perfection the most perfect
Pinking Shears blades that made a zigzag cut for decoration.
Wits intelligence.
Flagging declining.
Saucy improper
Well now isnt this better than groaning for love? Now you are being sociable!
Now you are the real Romeo! Now Thou art what thou art by art as well as by
nature. See? This is more fun than sitting around complaining about your girlfriend!
Now you're acting like the Romeo we know!
Drooling love a love so strong that saliva runs from ones mouth. Exaggerated.
Rigging clothing (the boys are mocking the nurses clothes).
Be off with you Go away and stop bothering me.
Mar - spoil
Shrewd abusive
Conferentially They make fun of the nurse because she is trying to use fancy words
and employed the wrong adverb. Actually she meant confidentially. To mock her,
Benvolio says he wants to give Romeo an intimation for dinner instead of an invitation
for dinner.
Aleck smarty-pants
Smutty indecent
Lusty merry
Cutthroat murderer
Every Tom, Dick and Harry any men
Vexed irritated
Quiver shake
Lead her up the garden path - deceive
Double-cross betray
Abbey church
Pinnacle of my joy the moment of my greatest happiness (Romeo refers to the
moment of his honeymoon with Juliet.
Beckon to move your hand in a way that tells someone to come nearer.
Trustworthy reliable
Youre pulling my leg You are joking.

NOTES

Some of you will find the chatter of Mercutio confusing at parts, but do not despair!
Shakespeare loves word play and wit, and he fills Mercutios lines with both of these
things. If you get tangled and confused at the details of Mercutios lines, move on.
This scene begins with Romeos friends discussing two things: how much they dislike
Rosaline for tormenting him, and how Tybalt has challenged Romeo (which means
challenged to a duel). Mercutio fears that Romeos lovesickness makes him unfit to fight.
Romeo enters and he and Mercutio taunt each other with a massive outpouring of word
play, where each character tries to respond to the others comments with words that
mean more than one thing. It is, in a sense, a friendly duel, using words instead of
swords.
Juliets nurse enters with her fellow servant and she quickly becomes the object of
Mercutios ridicule, which gets a bit crude and the nurse acts offended. In her
conversation with Romeo, a lot of excess conversation emerges, but eventually the main
message gets acrossthat if Juliet comes to Friar Laurences cell this afternoon, they will
marry.

Scene 5

GLOSSARY

Thump (thumping) its painful

NOTES

In Juliets room, the lady waits anxiously for the nurse, who has made a quick errand into
a long affair. A few themes emerge in Juliets speech at the beginning of the scene (and
then get reinforced throughout the scene)a contrast between youth and the aged, and
Juliets inability to wait. The nurse does give the information, eventually. Then, the nurse
determines to get a ladder, which will allow Romeo to climb into Juliets room that night
because they will be married then and will have their honeymoon.

Scene 6

GLOSSARY

Cloy(cloys) become too much after seeming pleasant at first.

Hasty quick.
Gossamer strands - The very thin thread that spiders produce to make webs.

NOTES
The wedding takes place in secret, with only the Friar present. Romeo states boldly that
whatever sorrow will come into his life, it will fade after he gets one minute with Juliet. In
response to Romeos declaration, the Friar makes more wise statements about moving
too quickly and violently. Juliet arrives, and after some loving words, the three go off
stage to marry the lovers.

REFERENCES

http://sheehy-english.wikispaces.com/Romeo+and+Juliet+Notes February 22nd , 2012 at

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