A plague o' both your houses!
Mercutio curses both families, blaming their feud for his death.
9 Matching Annotations
- Jan 2026
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For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.
Heat creates anger and violence since it makes people very agitated.This shows as a symbol of rising tension.
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When but love's shadows are so rich in joy!
Romeo is filled with hope and longing. He’s clinging to the "shadow" of love because he’s physically separated from Juliet.
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cunning
This means a form of intelligence that is focused on achieving goals through indirect or manipulative means.
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utterance
This means their most important, truthful, or final words. It’s the speech that carries the weight of their character or the plot.
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heareth
This means to perceive or become aware of a sound through the ear.
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hath stol'n
This means something was taken, often secretly, quickly, or by the power of emotion or time.
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But passion lends them power, time means, to meet Tempering extremities with extreme sweet.
Their love makes them brave enough to find secret times to meet, and the joy of being together makes the terrifying risk seem worth it.
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'Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool! here comes 45two of the house of the Montagues.
Sampson is using crude humor to insult his fellow servant Gregory, calling him a coward and questioning his masculinity, just as they are about to start a street fight. The line is meant to be a mocking, macho provocation between two lower class characters, setting the tone for the violent, petty feud that defines the world of the play.
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