Act 1, Scene 2

Question 1

My child is yet a stranger in the world. She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.

Answer 1

Lord Capulet strikes the audience as a caring and protective father but the possessive ‘my’ has a dual meaning. Juliet is quite literally his kin but also she belongs to him as property until she marries. Capulet uses the word ‘stranger’ to describe his daughter as inexperienced. Marriage was seen as a tool to gain a higher social position. However, Capulet seems to not care about that instead the wellbeing and happiness of Juliet.

Question 2

But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart. My will to her consent is but a part.

Answer 2

Capulet is essentially saying that Paris needs to try and court her as what he wants doesn’t matter if Juliet doesn’t agree to marry. To ‘woo’ someone would by our equivalent of flirting. Capulet wants their marriage to be one of love not arrangement.

Question 3

Take thous some infection to thy eye, And the rank poison of the old will die.

Answer 3

Benvolio is saying that when Romeo meets someone new, his old love for Rosaline will die as he calls her hold over him an ‘infection’. An extended metaphor for how lovesick Romeo is. Shakespeare also uses foreshadowing as Romeo dies in the end by taking poison

Question 4

I’ll go along, no such sight to be shown, not to see whom you show but to rejoice in splendour of mine own

Answer 4

Romeo agrees to go to the feast but only to see Rosaline. He equates his unrequited love to being able to ‘rejoice in splendour’, suggesting she has a sort of spell over him. His happiness at potentially seeing her juxtaposes his previous dejected, depressed state

Question 5

In penalty alike, and ‘tis not hard I think, For men so old as we to keep the peace

Answer 5

Lord Montague and Capulet are shown as not so different as ‘in penalty alike’ shows that they were given the same punishment by the Prince, highlighting they are of the same status within the society. It also suggests the Prince is unbiased as he treats both households the same. Capulet believes that it shouldn’t be difficult for the 2 families to remain civil and the phrase ‘for men so old’ emphasises the generational gap and perhaps sows that the continuation of the feud is due too the young generation (Tybalt, Benvolio and Romeo)

Question 6

What says you to my suit?

Answer 6

Women are shown to have been the property of the male relatives as Paris approaches Lord Capulet to ask about marriage to Juliet not Juliet herself

Question 7

And too soon marr’d are those so early made. Earth hath swallow’d all my hopes but she;

Answer 7

The County Paris points out that girls younger than Juliet are mothers and happily so but Capulet deems these girls damaged goods as they are too young yet he is slightly hypocritical as his own wife was only 13 when she had Juliet. Capulet may seem like a good dad as he doesn’t want to lose her just yet but he could actually be quite selfish as ‘all my hopes but she’ suggests that she is his last heir so if she dies, perhaps during childbirth, he has o one else to carry on the family name, which shows how egotistical he is and how obsessed his is with being remembered

Question 8

Find them out whose names are written here!

Answer 8

The servant is shown to speak in prose not verse highlighting the fact that he is not of a high status and is therefore less well-spoken and illiterate

Question 9

I will make thee think thy swan a crow

Answer 9

Swans are associated with the colour white and therefore purity, elegance and rarity here as crows are associated with the colour black and therefore commonness and peasantry