Romeo & Juliet Vocabulary

1. Romeo & Juliet Vocabulary • Addle • Arbitrate • Doff • Jocund • Peruse • Propagate • Bandy • Effeminate • Abate • Dote • Descry • Stint • Meddle • Chide • Pernicious • Tarry • Languish • Wanton • Sojourn • Prostrate

2. Addle • “Thy head is as full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat; and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as an egg for quarrelling.” • Definition: to make or become confused.

3. Arbitrate • “Therefore, out of thy long-experienc'd time, Give me some present counsel; or, behold, 'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife Shall play the empire, arbitrating that Which the commission of thy years and art Could to no issue of true honour” • Definition: to decide or determine.

4. Doff • “Romeo, doff thy name; And for that name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself.” • Definition: to remove or get rid of.

5. Jocund • “Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.” • Definition: cheerful, merry.

6. Peruse • “Let me peruse this face.” • Definition: to survey or examine in detail.

7. Propagate • “Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest With more of thine.” • Definition: to cause to increase in number or amount.

8. Bandy • “Had she affections and warm youthful blood, She would be as swift in motion as a ball; My words would bandy her to my sweet love, And his to me, But old folks, many feign as they were dead- Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead.” • Definition: to pass from one to another or back and forth; to trade.

9. Effeminate • “O sweet Juliet, Thy beauty hath made me effeminate And in my temper soft'nedvalour's steel” • Definition: having traits considered feminine.

10. Abate • “And this shall free thee from this present shame, If no inconstant toy nor womanish fear Abate thy valour in the acting it.” • Definition: to reduce in amount or degree.

11. Dote • “For doting, not for loving, pupil mine.” • Definition: to express excessive love or fondness habitually.

12. Descry • “We see the ground whereon these woes do lie, But the true ground of all these piteous woes We cannot without circumstance descry.” • Definition: to see by looking carefully.

13. Stint • “'Wilt thou not, Jule?' quoth he, And, pretty fool, it stinted, and said 'Ay.' Wife.” • Definition: to bring to an end.

14. Meddle • “It is written that the shoemaker should meddle with his yard and the tailor with his last, the fisher with his pencil and the painter with his nets; but I am sent to find those persons whose names are here writ, and can never find what names the writing person hath here writ.” • Definition: to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation.

15. Chide • “I pray thee chide not.” • Definition: to express disapproval of; to scold.

16. Pernicious • “What, ho! you men, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage With purple fountains issuing from your veins!” • Definition: causing harm or ruin; hurtful.

17. Tarry • “Come, we'll in here, tarry for the mourners, and stay dinner.” • Definition: to remain or stay, as in a place.

18. Languish • “Tut, man, one fire burns out another's burning; One pain is lessoned by another's anguish; Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning; One desperate grief cures with another's languish.” • Definition: to be or become weak or feeble.

19. Wanton • “Let wantons light of heart Tickle the senseless rushes with their heels; For I am proverb'd with a grandsire phrase, I'll be a candle-holder and look on; The game was ne'er so fair, and I am done.” • Definition: People with no regard for what is right, lawful, or humane; careless people; sexually unrestrained people

20. Sojourn • “Sojourn in Mantua.” • Definition: to stay for a time in a place; to live temporarily

21. Prostrate • “Where I have learnt me to repent the sin Of disobedient opposition To you and your behests, and am enjoin'd By holy Laurence to fall prostrate here To beg your pardon.” • Definition: to cast oneself face down on the ground in humility, adoration, or submission

22. Shakespearean Language • Consider the following sentence. • How many ways can you re-write this sentence and still keep the original meaning? • I ate the sandwich.

23. Shakespearean Language • I ate the sandwich. • I the sandwich ate. • Ate the sandwich I. • Ate I the sandwich. • The sandwich I ate. • The sandwich ate I.

24. Shakespearean Language • “an” means “if” • “ay” means “yes” • “coz” means “cousin” • “doth” means “does” • “thee” means “you” • “thine” means “your” • “thou art” means “you are” • “thou wert” means “you were” • “’tis” means “it is”

25. Shakespearean Language • Why all the apostrophes? • An apostrophe in an unusual place in Shakespeare usually means he wants you to contract a longer word, reducing the number of syllables you use to pronounce it. • Example: • “A bump as big as a young cock’rel’s stone” • “cock’rel” is literally “cockerel,” a young chicken

26. Puns • Puns are jokes that are formed using a play on words. Shakespeare uses them as a primary source of humor in his plays. • Example: • Mercutio: Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance. • Romeo: Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes with nimble soles; I have a soul of lead so stakes me to the ground I cannot move.

27. Characters in Romeo & Juliet

28. The Capulets • Juliet – daughter of Capulet • Lord Capulet – Juliet’s father • Lady Capulet – Juliet’s mother • Tybalt – Lady Capulet’s nephew, Juliet’s cousin • Nurse – Juliet’s caretaker • Peter – Nurse’s servant, the clown • Sampson – a Capulet servant • Gregory – a Capulet servant • Old Man/Old Capulet – an older relative of Lord Capulet

29. The Montagues(Mon-tah-gyooz) • Romeo – son of Montague • Lord Montague – Romeo’s father • Lady Montague – Romeo’s mother • Benvolio – Romeo’s cousin • Balthasar – Romeo’s servant • Abram (Abraham) – a Montague servant

30. The Prince’s Family • Prince Escalus – the ruler of Verona • Mercutio – Prince Escalus’s cousin and friend of Romeo • Paris – Kinsman to Prince Escalus and suitor to Juliet

31. Other Characters • Friar Laurence – a Franciscan priest • Friar John – another Franciscan priest • Apothecary – a pharmacist/poison vendor • Page to Paris • Chief Watchman • Musicians • An Officer • Citizens of Verona

32. The Setting of the Play • The play is set primarily in Verona, a city in Italy. • Portions of the play take place in Mantua, a city in northern Italy. • The play is set in the 14th century (1300s). • Mantua is now known as Mantova.