1

Romeo and Juliet

Read the following extract from Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet and then answer the
question that follows.

At this point in the play, Romeo and Juliet meet each other for the first time at the Capulet
house.

ROMEO
If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
JULIET
5 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
10 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.
15 Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged.
JULIET
Then have my lips the sin that they have took.
ROMEO
Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.
JULIET
You kiss by th’book.

1 Explore how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Romeo and Juliet.

Write about:
• how Shakespeare presents their relationship in this conversation
• how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Romeo and Juliet in the play.
 2

Romeo and Juliet

Read the following extract from Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and then answer the
question that follows.

At this point in the play, the Prince has arrived to stop the fight that has broken out in the
centre of Verona.

PRINCE Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,

Profaners of this neighbour-stainèd steel –
Will they not hear? – What ho, you men, you beasts!
That quench the fire of your pernicious rage
5 With purple fountains issuing from your veins:
On pain of torture, from those bloody hands
Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground,
And hear the sentence of your movèd prince.
Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,
10 By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,
Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets,
And made Verona’s ancient citizens
Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments
To wield old partisans, in hands as old,
15 Cankered with peace, to part your cankered hate;
If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
For this time all the rest depart away:
You, Capulet, shall go along with me,
20 And, Montague, come you this afternoon,
To know our farther pleasure in this case,
To old Free-town, our common judgement-place.
Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.

2 Explore how Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict between the Capulet
and Montague families.

Write about:

• how Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict in this extract

• how Shakespeare presents the effects of the conflict between the Capulet and
Montague families in the play.