Romeo and Juliet Quote Bank Who Is Speaking?

Romeo and Juliet quote bank – who is speaking?

Point / Act Scene / Who is speaking / Evidence/Quote / What the quote means / Explanation
Prince Escalus breaks up a fight between the two families. / Act 1
Scene 1 / If ever you disturb our streets again
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. / If any of you fight in the street again you will be executed. / The play opens in a square in Verona. The servants of the Montague and Capulet families start to fight and more people from the families join in. Prince Escalus comes to stop the fighting.
Juliet is very important and precious to Lord Capulet. / Act 1
Scene 2 / Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she;
She is the hopeful lady of my earth, / My other children have all died. She is my only child and the most precious thing in my life. / Lord Capulet is talking to Paris, who says he wants to marry Juliet. Lord Capulet is saying that he doesn’t want her to get married too young.
He is protective of his daughter.
The Capulets and the Montagues hate each other. / Act 1
Scene 5 / Now by the stock and honour of my kin
To strike him dead I hold it not a sin. / I am going to kill him, for the sake of my family’s honour. / Tybalt is at the Capulets’ party and realises that Romeo, a Montague, is at the party. He thinks this is a good reason to kill Romeo, because he is dishonouring the Capulet family.
Romeo loves Juliet very much and thinks she is very beautiful. / Act 1 Scene 5
At the Capulets’ party / O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! / She is so beautiful that she shines more than the torches lighting the room. / Romeo meets Juliet, falls instantly in love with her, forgetting Rosaline.
He is romantic and often rushes into things.
The Nurse meets Romeo at the party and tells him about Juliet. / Act 1
Scene 5 / I tell you, he that can lay hold of her
Shall have the chinks. / I can tell you that the man who marries her will be very rich (she is the daughter of a very rich man). / Romeo and Juliet are talking at the party when she goes to speak with her mother. Romeo talks to the Nurse and it is then that Romeo realises that she is a Capulet.
The Montagues and the Capulets are enemies so it is a big problem that Romeo and Juliet are in love. / Act 2
Scene 1
The balcony scene / ’Tis but thy name that is mine enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. / The only problem is your name. You would still be the same person if you were not a Montague. / Juliet is on the balcony talking to herself, not knowing that Romeo can hear her. She is saying that she loves him even though he is a Montague.
Juliet is in love with Romeo but needs to be sure of his love for her. / Act 2
Scene 2 / O, swear not by the moon, th’inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circle orb / Don’t swear how much you love me by the moon. The moon changes all the time and your love might change as well. / Romeo and Juliet declare their love for each other and Romeo swears by the moon that he loves her. Juliet says that the moon is always changing and she wants Romeo to assure her that he will not change and not stop loving her.
Romeo tells Friar Lawrence that Juliet returns his love. / Act 2
Scene 3 / Her I love now
Doth grace for grace and love for love allow. / The woman I love now is in love with me as well. / Romeo is trying to convince Friar Lawrence that he should help them get married.
Friar Lawrence is upset about the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets and wishes there could be peace between the families. / Act 2
Scene 3 / For this alliance may so happy prove,
To turn your households’ rancour to pure love. / This marriage may be a way of ending the feud between your families and building a good relationship. / Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence to ask if the friar will marry him and Juliet in secret. Friar Lawrence is surprised that Romeo has forgotten Rosaline so quickly but agrees to marry them.
Friar Lawrence is a wise man who often gives good advice. / Act 2
Scene 3 / Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast. / Don’t rush! People who run too fast often fall over. / Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet and Romeo is rushing off. He is advising Romeo that doing things too quickly can lead to accidents or mistakes.
The Nurse always wants to help Juliet / Act 2
Scene 5 / Then hie you hence to Friar Lawrence’s cell.
There stays a husband to make you a wife. / Hurry up and go to Friar Lawrence’s cell. Your future husband is waiting there to marry you. / The Nurse has looked after Juliet since she was a baby and loves her very much. She wants her to be happy so she helps with the plan to marry Romeo, even though she knows Lord and Lady Capulet will not approve.
Benvolio doesn’t want Mercutio to get into a fight. / Act 3
Scene 1
In the street / I pray thee good Mercutio let’s retire
The day is hot, the Capulets abroad,
And if we meet, we shall not ’scape a brawl / Please, Mercutio, let’s go home! It’s a very hot day, the Capulets are out and about and if we meet them there will be a fight. / Benvolio is trying to persuade Mercutio to keep out of trouble. He is a gentle and peace-loving young man who often tries to mend quarrels and stop people fighting.
Benvolio tries to calm Mercutio down. / Act 3
Scene 1 / Either withdraw unto some private place,
Or reason coldly of your grievances,
Or else depart. / You should go somewhere private and discuss things calmly, or go home. / Mercutio is getting angry with Tybalt and wants to fight. Benvolio is a gentle and peace-loving young man who doesn’t want them to fight.
Tybalt hates Romeo and all Montagues. He is a quarrelsome, hot-tempered young man. / Act 3
Scene 1 / Well, peace be with you Sir, here comes my man. / I’m not going to fight you, sir. Here comes the man I want to fight. / Mercutio and Benvolio and Tybalt arrives. When Romeo arrives it is him that Tybalt wants to fight.
Mercutio makes fun of Tybalt and wants to fight him. / Act 3
Scene 1 / Tybalt, you ratcatcher, will you walk? / Tybalt – are you walking away from a fight? (making fun of Tybalt’s name by saying it’s a bit like ‘Tibbles’ which is a cat’s name) / Romeo doesn’t want to fight Tybalt because he is now married to Juliet, Tybalt’s cousin. Mercutio can’t understand why Romeo doesn’t want to fight and challenges Tybalt to stay and fight him. Tybalt loves violence and fighting.
Mercutio is dying and blames the Capulets and the Montagues / Act 3
Scene 1 / A plague on both your houses!
They have made worms’ meat of me. / I curse both your families. Your quarrel has been the cause of my death (worms will eat my body). / Tybalt kills Mercutio in the fight and as he is dying Mercutio says that his death is because of the feud between the families.
Romeo thinks he is unlucky. / Act 3
Scene 1
Romeo has killed Tybalt. / O, I am fortune’s fool! / I am so unlucky!
(Fortune is laughing at me.) / Romeo kills Tybalt after Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo has to run away because Prince Escalus will give him the death penalty if he catches him.
Juliet is shocked that Romeo killed Tybalt / Act 3
Scene 2 / O, serpent heart, hid with a flow’ring face!
Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave? / Oh what an evil heart hidden inside such a beautiful body – like a dragon hiding inside a beautiful cave! / The Nurse comes to tell Juliet that Romeo killed Tybalt and that he is banished. Juliet says that Romeo is handsome but really he is a bad person.
Romeo is very upset about being banished from Verona. / Act 3
Scene 3 / There is no world without Verona’s walls,
But purgatory, torture, hell itself. / Being anywhere in the world except Verona is like being tortured or being in hell. / Friar Lawrence tells Romeo that he is banished from Verona and must leave. Romeo thinks this is as bad as death.
Friar Lawrence helps Romeo when he is in trouble / Act 3
Scene 3 / Go get thee to thy love, as was decreed,
Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her. / Go and find your wife, as you’d arranged. Climb up to her bedroom and comfort her. / Friar Lawrence tells Romeo to go to Juliet to spend their wedding night together. He must go in secret and leave for Mantua before anyone sees him in the morning.
The Nurse tells Juliet to marry Paris. / Act 3
Scene 5 / I think it best you married with the County.
O he’s a lovely gentleman. / I advise you to marry Count Paris – he’s a very nice man / The Nurse helped Romeo and Juliet to get married but now she is saying that Juliet should agree to marry Paris on Thursday. The Nurse wants Juliet to be happy, but she’s not very clever.
Lord Capulet is very angry and says that Juliet must marry Paris, or he will send her away. / Act 3
Scene 5 / And you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend
And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets. / If you do what I say, I’ll arrange your marriage with my friend. If you don’t, you must go away and I don’t care if you have to beg or if you starve or die in the streets. / Lord Capulet doesn’t expect his daughter to argue with him, and this makes him furious. He thinks that Paris is the perfect husband for her, and will not listen to Juliet’s arguments.
Juliet trusts Friar Lawrence to help and advise her when she is very unhappy. / Act 3
Scene 5
At home / I’ll to the Friar to know his remedy.
If all else fail, myself have power to die. / I’ll go and ask Friar Lawrence’s advice. If he can’t help me I will kill myself. / Romeo has left and Juliet is very upset because she has to marry Paris. She trusts that Friar Lawrence will be able to think of a solution.
Romeo and Juliet are dead and the feud ends. / Act 5
Scene 3 / See what a scourge is laid upon your hate
That heaven finds means to kill your joy with love. / God has punished you for your feud, by sending this love to kill your children. / Romeo and Juliet are both dead. The Capulets and Montagues are at the tomb. The prince says that they are dead because of the hatred between the families. Then Lord Montague and Lord Capulet decide to end the feud forever.