Moment 4: The secret marriage

Question 1

“These violent delights have violent ends.” (Friar Lawrence, 2.6)

Answer 1

The Friar’s warning foreshadows the tragic consequences of Romeo and Juliet’s impulsive love, using repetition and juxtaposition to highlight the dangers of passion unchecked by reason. The phrase “violent delights” is paradoxical, suggesting that love, when too intense, leads to destruction. Drawing on contemporary Christian beliefs about excess leading to downfall.

The idea that love can lead to destruction aligns with the play’s portrayal of destiny as inescapable.

Question 2

“Therefore love moderately; long love doth so.” (Friar Lawrence, 2.6)

Answer 2

His use of imperative verbs (“love moderately”) suggests a guiding hand, reinforcing his role as a mentor. The irony is that Romeo and Juliet’s love is anything but moderate, highlighting the play’s tension between passion and wisdom.

Elizabethans valued temperance and self-restraint, seeing excessive emotion as dangerous.

Question 3

“Come, come with me, and we will make short work.”

Answer 3

The Friar’s urgency in conducting the marriage reflects both his awareness of the risks and his hope that their union will end the feud. The Friar’s role as both spiritual guide and secret conspirator highlights the tension between religious morality and personal desires.

Question 4

“Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy / Be heap’d like mine” (Romeo, 2.6)

Answer 4

Romeo’s comparison of love to something “heap’d” suggests an overwhelming, uncontrollable force. This metaphor links love to excess, reinforcing the Friar’s earlier warning that intense passion can be dangerous.