myRomeo&Juliet
An explanation of the word "idolatry" in Act 2, Scene 2 of myShakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, Which is the god of my idolatry, Video Transcript: SARAH: Idol derives from the latin word īdōlum, meaning an image such as a reflection in the water, a statue, or a vision. This latin word in turn derives from the older Greek word, eidos, which means form or shape. RALPH: But in English, its usage was quickly restricted to refer to an image of a false god. Idolatry, then, is the sin of worshiping that false god. SARAH: In this line, when Juliet ironically refers to Romeo as the god of her
idolatry, it’s the first instance of anyone using idol or idolatry in a positive sense. RALPH: In English today, idolatry still means the worship of a false god. But we continue to use the word “idol” like Juliet does here. When we refer to our favorite writer, actor, or singer, for example, we might call him or her our “idol.”You are here
Romeo
Juliet
An explanation of the significance of “contract” in Act 2, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, Which is the god of my idolatry, If my heart's dear love — Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contract tonight. It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden, Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be Ere one can say 'It lightens.' Sweet, good night.
In Shakespeare's day, one entered a legal marriage contract simply by swearing love for the other person in front of a single witness. This could happen anywhere—even in a pub. There is no witness in this instance, so Juliet is referring to the implied contract one makes with God when swearing an oath.You are here
Romeo
Juliet
Romeo
Juliet
- Intro
- Summary
- Modern English
- Prologue
- Act 1, Scene 1
- Act 1, Scene 2
- Act 1, Scene 3
- Act 1, Scene 4
- Act 1, Scene 5
- Act 2, Chorus
- Act 2, Scene 1
- Act 2, Scene 2
- Act 2, Scene 2 Summary
- Act 2, Scene 3
- Act 2, Scene 4
- Act 2, Scene 5
- Act 2, Scene 6
- Act 3, Scene 1
- Act 3, Scene 2
- Act 3, Scene 3
- Act 3, Scene 4
- Act 3, Scene 5
- Act 4, Scene 1
- Act 4, Scene 2
- Act 4, Scene 3
- Act 4, Scene 4
- Act 4, Scene 5
- Act 5, Scene 1
- Act 5, Scene 2
- Act 5, Scene 3
- Themes
- Quotes
- Characters
- Analysis
- Questions
- Photos
- Quizzes
- Movie
- Best of the Web
- Write Essay
- Infographics
- Teaching
- Lit Glossary
- Table of Contents
Romeo and Juliet: Act 2, Scene 2 Translation
A side-by-side translation of Act 2, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet from the original Shakespeare into modern English.
Romeo comes forward. ROMEO Enter Juliet above. But soft, what
light through yonder window breaks? | Here it is, Shmoopsters—the famous balcony scene! Romeo is wandering aimlessly around the Capulet backyard when you-know-who appears on the balcony. Romeo gasps, and then launches into a paragraph's worth of great pick up lines. "You shine like the sun." "Your eyes sparkle like stars." "I wish I could be the glove you have on your hand so you would lean your cheek against me that way." It's some seriously good stuff, especially since it was written in the late 16th century, before most of that stuff had been said a gajillion times. |
JULIET Ay me. ROMEO, aside She speaks. | Juliet sighs, and Romeo loses it all over again. |
JULIET | Juliet wonders aloud, "Why does the guy I love have to be a Montague?" She wishes he could give up his name—or she could give up hers. |
ROMEO, aside JULIET | Romeo's tempted to jump out and speak right away, but he waits long enough to hear Juliet gush about him. She ponders the meaning of names and decides they don't really matter. You can call a rose a skunk, but it's still going to smell good. And Romeo would still be absolute perfection, whether his last name was Montague, Baggins, or Potter. In fact, Juliet thinks he should trade in his last name and take her instead. |
ROMEO I take thee at thy word. JULIET ROMEO By a name | This time Romeo can't hold back. He jumps out of the bushes and yells, "Deal!" But he doesn't want to tell Juliet his name. It's so hateful to him he'd tear it up if he had it written on a piece of paper. |
JULIET ROMEO JULIET | Juliet doesn't need to hear Romeo's name. She recognizes his voice even though she hasn't heard even a hundred words from him. (Which is totally accurate—good counting, Juliet! Remember, he only spoke 67 words to her before they kissed, and then the Nurse broke it up.) Still, Juliet wants to know how he got over the high walls of the orchard. |
ROMEO | Romeo says he flew over the wall "on the wings of love." |
JULIET ROMEO JULIET ROMEO | Next, Juliet warns Romeo that he'll be killed if any of her relatives see him. Romeo, slick as ever, says her eyes are more dangerous than swords. Besides, he'd rather be killed now than have to go on living without her love. (If Romeo had lived in the 1980s, he could have made a killing writing pop songs.) |
JULIET ROMEO | When Juliet asks Romeo how he found his way to her backyard, he says he was guided by love—and he would have traveled much further to get to her if he had to. Over the sea, even. |
JULIET | Juliet is glad it's night so Romeo can't see how embarrassed she is that he overheard her gushing about him. Awkward! Part of her feels like she should put on an act and pretend she's not interested in him, because that's the way girls in her social class are supposed to act. But it's kind of too late for that, and she doesn't want to play games. She wants Romeo to know her love is real, and she wants to know if he feels the same way. |
ROMEO JULIET | When Romeo swears on the moon that he loves her, Juliet says, "The moon? You've got to be kidding. The moon changes shape every night. You can't swear by something so unreliable." |
ROMEO JULIET Do not swear at all. ROMEO If my heart’s dear love— JULIET | Romeo wants to know what he should swear by, but Juliet tells him to slow his roll. There's no need to rush into anything. They should just take their time and see where this goes. (Famous. last. words.) |
ROMEO JULIET ROMEO JULIET ROMEO JULIET Nurse calls from within. I hear some noise within. Dear love, adieu.— ROMEO | Romeo isn't as keen on waiting as Juliet is. He wants her to pledge her love to him (and maybe give him a goodnight kiss) right here, right now. Juliet has to run inside when the Nurse calls, but she tells Romeo not to go too far—she'll be right back. |
Reenter Juliet above. JULIET NURSE, within Madam. JULIET NURSE, within Madam. JULIET By and by, I come.— 160 ROMEO So thrive my soul— JULIET A thousand times good night. She exits. | Juliet tells Romeo that if he's serious, they should make it official. In other words, if he wants to marry her, he should propose. ASAP. Then she says goodnight and leaves again. |
ROMEO | Romeo doesn't want to leave. He feels the same way leaving Juliet as young boys feel about going to school: it's a drag. |
Enter Juliet above again. JULIET ROMEO JULIET ROMEO My dear. JULIET What o’clock tomorrow 180 ROMEO By the hour of nine. | Juliet comes rushing back out just as Romeo is starting to leave, and they finalize their messaging plans for tomorrow. |
JULIET ROMEO JULIET ROMEO JULIET ROMEO | It's pretty clear at this point that Romeo and Juliet have run out of things to talk about. They start babbling just so they don't have to leave each other—kind of a "You hang up," "No, you hang up," deal. |
JULIET Sweet, so would I. She exits. ROMEO He exits. | Of course, in Shakespearean terms "You hang up" comes off much more poetically. If this went down 400 years later, these kids would be running off to Vegas together, but this is Shakespeare. Juliet finally drags herself away to bed and Romeo hightails it off to Friar Lawrence, his favorite priest, to figure out the wedding plans. |