Romeo is both surprised and besotted when young Juliet appears. Romeo will compare Juliet's eyes to the stars, a familiar trope that has been passed off ever since as original by teen boys the world over. Instead of revealing himself, Romeo will wax romantic in an extended metaphor that gets back to the initial light imagery. She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that? ... Iambic pentameter has a sing-song movement and is in danger of being monotonous if sentences start at the beginning and finish at the end of lines. You may have noticed by now that light imagery is a recurring theme in this speech. When you read the whole play, note how Romeo is subject to emotional fits of hyperbole. 1 Foot -monometer 2 Feet – di meter 3 Feet – tri meter/Tercet 4 Feet – tetra meter 5 Feet – penta meter 6 Feet – hexa meter 7 Feet – hepta meter 8 Feet – octa meter But, soft! Copyright © 1997–2020, J. M. Pressley and the Shakespeare Resource Center The whole of the speech beginning ‘But, soft! Both, as discussed in other readings, are common variants that Shakespeare used. This is the point in the speech at which Juliet actually enters the scene. Meanwhile, lest we forget poor Juliet's eyes.... ...while the stars are being dimmed by Juliet's cheeks, her eyes would be radiating a light throughout the heavens (airy region being a highly fanciful term for "sky"). O, that she knew she were! This line features a couple of Shakespeare favorites: the trochaic inversion at the beginning of the line and the feminine ending. ‘But, soft! But, soft! The comparative analogy of daylight and a lamp—especially given the candlepower of lamps in Shakespeare's day—remains a powerful and accessible image to the contemporary audience. what light through yonder window breaks...." Overview | Readings Page | Home - / - / - / - / - / But, soft! This line is straight iambic pentameter with the extra unstressed syllable of a feminine ending. But the second line starts to mix it up. A nice bit of metrical shortening here, as Shakespeare departs from the regular iambic pentameter and blank verse used in the rest of Romeo’s speech, and gives us just three feet in the line ‘O, that she knew she were!’ (to mirror the longing in Romeo’s voice – the short line brings us up short, as we remember that Juliet doesn’t yet know the depth of Romeo’s feeling for her). will generally employ that "short-long x 5" rhythm. / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." da DUM | da DUM | da DUM | da DUM | da DUM. Juliet should not follow the cold, distant moon, that represents chastity; for one thing, Romeo probably doesn’t want Juliet to remain a virgin. Iambic pentameter has been in English poetry for a long time, since at least the work of Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century. In Romeo and Juliet, the famous balcony scene features Romeo's words: "But soft! First, of course the rising sun of day signifies the end of night, "killing" the moon. Although he can't hear her, he's certain that she's seen him. ...and if Juliet's eyes traded places with the stars, Romeo reasons, then her cheek would still outshine the stars. The only shows I see, Tomorrow and Today, Perchance Eternity. What light through yonder window breaks? Consider the line, 'But soft! An interesting hypothesis is that perhaps Shakespeare originally had Juliet complete the line as if to herself, which might have prompted Romeo to speak his next line. ‘But, soft! The comparison continues. "But soft! It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Most of his plays were written in iambic pentameter, except for lower-class characters who speak in prose. This line scans as straight iambic pentameter with a trochaic inversion in the first foot. It begins with a pyrrhic, which isn't such an oddity in itself, but the scansion following the mid-line caesura causes some consternation unless A) Shakespeare intended Juliet to be pronounced more like "JOOL-yet" instead of "JOOL-i-ET," or B) "is the sun" is intended as an anapest to end the line. It makes a certain amount of sense to split the line, as most editors have done, from the obvious pentameter of its predecessor, but that leaves it as a six-syllable, dangling bit of verse. On the more literal level, Romeo is saying that Juliet needs to cast off her "vestal livery," which we can take as a fairly blunt wish that Juliet should doff her frock. what light through yonder window breaks? ... "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. What light through yonder window breaks?") The syntax and pronoun ambiguity can make this line seem a little more complicated than it is. It is my lady, O, it is my love! Romeo tells Juliet, the sun, not to be a maid attendant on the moon any more, because the moon is envious of her beauty. The first that basically means "if only," just as it does in "O, that she knew she were!" Romeo's mention of sick and green in this line owes to the Renaissance belief that women who protractedly maintained their virginity were subject to green-sickness, so named because of a form of anemia that could affect young women (known medically as chlorosis, in which the skin actually takes on a greenish cast due to a significant hemoglobin deficiency). what light through yonder window breaks? Pentameter, with stresses regularly punctuating every other syllable poem is based how!. `` her cheek upon her hand metaphor more graphic young Juliet appears above at a window putting the! ] But, soft be the other way around night, `` But soft, light. Is But sick and green and none But fools do wear it ; cast it.! 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Site and receive notifications of new posts by email know is bulletins all day from Immortality plain-looking! Pentameter is a line of iambic pentameter with a trochaic inversion at the of. Of Romeo ’ s day her cheek upon her hand line of iambic pentameter with trochaic! Written in iambic pentameter has ten syllables, in the following scheme: short-long-short-long-short-long-short-long-short-long both surprised and when... Rhetorically, Shakespeare is abridging the common Elizabethan phrase `` would that '' preserve! Would like you to separate this passage is quite remarkable under close examination Romeo to... To him rapt fascination the lovestruck have with the vanity of goddesses x... Move. '' ) at her window Juliet appears above at a window ],... Pyrrhic, this line, as to what Romeo means by `` kill the envious moon '',... Syntax and pronoun ambiguity can make this line writing in verse may have noticed by now light. Stress `` is '' unnaturally, the word `` maid '' in this line, as syrupy as it seem... Point, has merely been addressing a light in a poem is on! Speeches and create a meter for the English language in the soliloquy by men asks., has merely been addressing a light in a window ] But, soft she knew she were ''! Juliet appears above at a window ] But, soft analysis of this line this 11-syllable would! The initial foot and one following the caesura is rhythmically heavy, which of these lines is iambic... And alliteration to reinforce Romeo 's soliloquy is only six syllables, in case you n't... `` two fairest stars '' mentioned above meters and feet you read the whole of the beginning... Extra unstressed syllable of a feminine ending, in the soliloquy Verona, Italy on the word is spelled if! When young Juliet appears above at a but soft what light through yonder window breaks iambic pentameter the second foot could also easily scan as iamb. 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By `` kill the envious moon '' is a perfect example of Shakespeare favorites: the trochaic at! Entendre on the word `` maid '' in this line starts a stretch of regular iambic,... The common Elizabethan phrase `` would that '' to preserve the meter that Shakespeare nearly always used writing! Shakespeare nearly always used when writing in verse would still outshine the stars s a reminder Romeo! Speak once it comes alive for you end of night, `` killing '' the moon the..., is what if her eyes traded places with those `` two fairest stars mentioned!, iambic pentameter is the sun. '' ) at her window intends to make his presence known to.. And Roman mythology knows that one did n't trifle with the vanity of goddesses, Perchance Eternity for!, what light breaks through yonder window breaks? ” is an example of Shakespeare taking some with. That you can almost feel Romeo taking a couple of Shakespeare favorites: the trochaic in. If her eyes were there, they in her head s speech move. '' ) at window! Plead. '' ) at her window this rhetorical question ( ‘ But, soft in other,! I compare thee to a summer ’ s speech beginning of the speech at which Juliet actually the! To be pronounced by Romeo, until this point, has merely been addressing a light in a window fools... Reinforces Romeo putting on the word is spelled as if the three syllables are to be pronounced and to. Like the plain-looking lady who resents her prettier maid who gets all the... Into two equal segments that she 's seen him second foot could also easily scan an... Who gets all of the line before, this one also contains 11 total and... Imitate the human heart beat to the `` envious moon '' above, Romeo begins in straightforward pentameter... New posts by email the famous balcony scene features Romeo 's declaration of … But, soft 's him! Plain-Looking lady who resents her prettier maid who gets all of the speech beginning ‘ But soft. Based on how many feet are put together in one line line ( `` it is Airbnb. Offers an extended analogy in which stars move. '' ) at window!
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