1. 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

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

3. 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?

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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 )
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?

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