How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the 2008 Norton edition of the play.
Quote #7
ROMEO
Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death,
Gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth,
Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open,
And in despite I'll cram thee with more food.
(5.3.45-48)
Romeo describes the Capulet family tomb as a "womb" that has swallowed Juliet's dead body. That … brings whole new meaning to the phrase "womb to tomb."
Quote #8
JULIET
'Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone,
And yet no further than a wanton's bird,
Who lets it hop a little from her hand,
Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,
And with a silk thread plucks it back again,
So loving-jealous of his liberty.
ROMEO
I would I were thy bird.
JULIET
Sweet, so would I.
Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.
(2.2.190-198)
Juliet seems to sense that the intensity of her love for Romeo is so great it has the potential to be destructive.
Quote #9
JULIET
Come, gentle night; come, loving, black-browed
night,
Give me my Romeo, and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
(3.2.21-27)
Juliet's vision of loving Romeo is so intense that she thinks it will break the boundaries of mortality and convince all the world to be in love with Romeo. (In some versions of the play, it is "and when he shall die," while in others, it is, "when shall die.")