3.2.3

Key Quotes

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Key Quotes - Juliet (Acts 1-2)

Here are key quotes from Juliet in Acts 1-2:

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Act 1, Scene 3

  • 'I’ll look to like, if looking liking move.'
    • Juliet does not just give in to her mother’s wishes that she should marry Paris.
    • Instead, she tells her mother that she will try to like him and then decide if she will marry him.
    • She does suggest that she will try to like him if they want her to marry him.
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Act 2, Scene 2

  • 'too rash, too unadvis’d, too sudden'.
    • Juliet shows that she is more mature than Romeo here.
    • She uses a triadic structure (rule of three) to tell him that their love is happening too quickly and that there could be some bad consequences if they let it get too serious too fast.
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Act 2, Scene 2

  • 'if that thy bent of love be honourable, thy purpose marriage'.
    • Although she had bad feelings at first, Juliet is the one who suggests marriage to Romeo (a few hours after they meet).
    • She is still a bit unsure about Romeo’s motives, so asks him if his intentions are serious.
    • She says that he should be thinking about marriage if he loves her.
    • This could suggest that she is emotionally immature. They barely know each other and she is rushing towards marriage.

Key Quotes - Juliet (Acts 3-5)

Here are key quotes from Juliet in Acts 3-5:

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Act 3, Scene 2

  • 'I have bought the mansion of a love, but not possess’d it'.
    • This quote shows Juliet’s sexual maturity. She talks of her desire to consummate her marriage to Romeo by having sex with him on their wedding night.
    • She understands that (in her Catholic society), she must wait until she is married to have sex, but also that sex is an important part of marriage.
    • She wants to consummate her marriage because she wants to feel ‘properly’ married.
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Act 4, Scene 3

  • 'What if it be a poison, which the friar subtly had minister’d to have me dead, lest in this marriage he should be dishonour’d'.
    • Shakespeare brings out the tragedy of Juliet’s character here. Juliet is more and more isolated from her family and from anyone who could help or advise her.
    • She now has no choice but to rely completely on Friar Laurence for help. This leaves her vulnerable, as she doesn’t know his motives.
    • She wonders if Friar Laurence actually intends to poison her, so he can hide that he married Romeo and Juliet. This causes audiences to feel great amounts of sympathy for Juliet.
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Act 5, Scene 3

  • 'Where is my Romeo?'
    • As Juliet wakes from her prolonged sleep, her first thought is to ask where Romeo is. This emphasises the tragedy in the story - the audience has just watched Romeo kill himself because he thought Juliet was dead.
    • Juliet is now completely alone – her family and friends think she is dead, her husband is dead, and Friar Laurence is about to run away.
    • This question shows that all she wants is to be with Romeo (calling him 'my' Romeo to show how possessive she feels about him). But the tragic truth is that her future with him is now over.

Jump to other topics

1Context

2Plot Summary

3Key Characters

4Key Themes & Concepts

5Writing Techniques

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