Sonnet

What are the formal characteristics of a sonnet?

A sonnet is a poem made up of 14 lines of iambic pentameter.

Enter Chorus. 1. How does this poem present Romeo’s

love for Rosaline? And for Juliet?
Verse Form

Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie,
And young affection gapes to be his heir.
That fair for which love groaned for and would die,
With tender Juliet matched, is now not fair.
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again,
Alike bewitched by the charm of looks,
But to his foe supposed he must complain,
And she steal love’s sweet bait from fearful hooks.
Being held a foe, he may not have access
And she as much in love, her means much less
To meet her new beloved anywhere.
Shakespeare presents the Prologue as a sonnet in order to point
to the play's themes of love & fued.
5
2. What does this poem suggest about the
obstacles that Romeo and Juliet may
10 face?
The passion Romeo and Juliet have for each other will conquer

But passion lends them power, time means, to meet, all the obstacles.

Temp’ring extremities with extreme sweet.

“But passion lends them power, time means, to meet.”

How does this sonnet end? Is there a turn in the concluding couplet? How does the couplet affect the
overall tone of the poem?
the speaker opposes his first to the ravages of time. He says that his verse will stand in times to come, and will continue to praise the "worth" of the

beloved despite the "cruel hand" of time.

© Rigorous Resources | www.rigorousresources.com 17

ME R C U
TIO Act 2, Scene 1

“
Is the Mercutio constructed as a comic character? Does he say anything humorous?
Evidence Hunt
Yes No
Support your answer by finding textual evidence. Write down the quotation in the blank space below.…
"A plague o' both your houses. They have made worms' meat of me"

”
BENVOLIO The scenes in which Romeo and Juliet express
He ran this way and leapt this orchard wall. their love are interspersed with scenes in which
Call, good Mercutio. Mercutio make jokes at the expense of love.
Do Mercutio’s jokes diminish our interest in the
MERCUTIO Nay, I’ll conjure too. romantic couple? Why or why not?
Romeo! Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover!
Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh. 10 ______________________________________
Yes. It's almost like he does not want Romeo and Juliet to be together.

Speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied. Mercutio kids Romeo about love. Mercutio believes that love is grounded in
______________________________________
Cry but “Ay me,” pronounce but “love” and sexual desire. When Romeo makes a romantic gesture of breaking into the
“dove.” ______________________________________
capulet's garden to see Juliet. The thought is what matters. In my own
Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word, ______________________________________
opinion, i don't think Mercutio knows what love really is/or being in love.
One nickname for her purblind son and heir. 15
______________________________________
______________________________________

Henry Thompson, Juliet After the Masquerade (1828)

Discussion Questions
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1) If Romeo went with his friends
to the Capulets’ dance, why
doesn’t he leave with them? How
might they feel about his sudden
disappearance?
2) Why might Mercutio make fun 3) How might the early scenes of
of how Romeo acts when he’s in this play explore the tensions that
love? How does Romeo’s interest can emerge between romance and
in romantic relationships affect friendship?
his friendship with Mercutio?
© Rigorous Resources | www.rigorousresources.com 18