Romeo Meets Juliet
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Author: William Shakespeare
Act I, Scene 5 passage: In this passage from “Romeo and Juliet,” Romeo first meets Juliet at a party held by her parents. Neither of them know who the other is and are engaged in a flirtatious conversation. Students will read the passage and answer questions about the imagery and the sonnet rhyme scheme.
Topic(s): Dramatic Tragedies. Skill(s): Summary, Figurative Language, Rhythm & Rhyme. Genre(s): Drama
In this passage from Romeo and Juliet, Romeo first meets Juliet at a party held by her parents. Neither of them know who the other is; they are both the only children of feuding families. They are engaged in a flirtatious conversation.
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Romeo.
[To Juliet.] If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this,-
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
Juliet.
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.
Romeo.
Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?
Juliet.
Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
Romeo.
O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.
Juliet.
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake.
Romeo.
Then move not while my prayer’s effect I take.
Thus from my lips, by thine my sin is purg’d.
[Kissing her.]
Juliet.
Then have my lips the sin that they have took.
Romeo.
Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urg’d!
Give me my sin again.
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