First Meeting Act 1, Scene 5 To explore Act 1, Scene 5 of the play To analyse Shakespeare’s use of language to develop characters

Act 1, Scene 5 Capulets Serving Men 1 – 4 Capulet Cousin Capulet Tybalt Juliet Nurse Montagues Romeo Benvolio

ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? 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 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.            [Kisses her.] Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged. JULIET Then have my lips the sin that they have took. ROMEO Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.           [Kisses her.] JULIET You kiss by th' book. Profane = to be disrespectful Shrine = worshiping place Pilgrims = religious visitors Mannerly = polite Devotion = religious loyalty Palmers Grant thou = allow them Lest = in fear of Thus = and so Purged = destroyed Trespass = invasion Urged = drove What do the rhyming words in the conversation reveal about the characters’ feelings? Who makes the first move? What does the rhyming pattern reveal about their personalities?

ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? Annotate: Religious lexis Physical lexis Rhyming scheme Repetition 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 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.            [Kisses her.] Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged. JULIET Then have my lips the sin that they have took. ROMEO Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.           [Kisses her.] JULIET You kiss by th' book.

ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? (E) ROMEO If I profane with my unworthiest hand (A) This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: (B) My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand (A) To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. (B) JULIET Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, (C) Which mannerly devotion shows in this; (D) For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, (C) And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss. (D) ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? (E) JULIET Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer. (F) ROMEO O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; (E) They pray — grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. (F) JULIET Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake. (G) ROMEO Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. (G)            [Kisses her.] Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged. JULIET Then have my lips the sin that they have took. ROMEO Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.           [Kisses her.] JULIET You kiss by th' book. Religious lexis Holy Shrine Sin Pilgrims Devotion Saints Prayer Faith Purged Book Physical lexis Hand Lips Touch Kiss Palm Move Rhyming scheme Repetition

Act 1, Scene 5 ‘my grave is like to be my wedding bed,’ Why does Shakespeare choose the party as the play where Romeo & Juliet meet? What kind of language does Romeo use when he talks to Juliet? (lines 92-109) What does the following line mean? ‘my grave is like to be my wedding bed,’ What does this tell us about the events in the play?

Character Progression How has Romeo changed over the course of Act 1? How close is he to his Tragic Downfall?