Juliet appears at a window above where Romeo is standing. Romeo compares her to the morning sun. He nearly speaks to her, but thinks better of it. Juliet, unaware that Romeo is in her garden, asks why Romeo must be a Montague, and an enemy to her family. She says that if he would refuse his Montague name, she would give herself to him, or give up her own name for him.

Romeo responds to Juliet, surprising her. She wonders how he found her and he tells her that love led him to her. Juliet worries that Romeo will be murdered if he is found in the garden, but Romeo refuses to leave, claiming that Juliet’s love would make him immune to his enemies.

The Nurse calls Juliet inside for a moment, when she reappears, she tells Romeo that she will send someone to him the next day to see if his love is honorable and if he intends to wed her. The Nurse calls again, and again Juliet withdraws. She appears at the window once more to set a time for her message to be sent. They profess their love and part ways, Juliet going back to chamber, and Romeo departing in search of someone to aid him in his cause.

Analysis:

Act 2 is the happiest and least tragic act in the play. In it, Shakespeare devotes himself to exploring the positive, joyful, and romantic aspects of young love. This scene in articular is known as the "Balcony Scene" and is one of the most famous in drama.

The theme of light and darkness continues in this scene. Romeo describes Juliet in light images. When he first sees Juliet, he says, "she doth teach the torches to burn bright". Romeo often spends time in the dark. In Act 1, Scene 1, he locked himself away in his room and shut the windows to create an "artificial night" while pining for Rosaline. Juliet transports him from the dark into the light. Ironically, however, Romeo and Juliet's clandestine love can only flourish under the shelter of night.

The power of language is important in this scene. Although their surnames are only words, Romeo and Juliet must hold to the social institutions that they represent. Juliet loves Romeo because he is Romeo, but the power of her love cannot remove from him his last name of Montague or all that it stands for. In the privacy of the garden the language of love is triumphant.

The religious imagery in this scene contrasts the language used by Mercutio in the previous scene. His overly sexual and physical view of love is distinctly different to the innocent view that Romeo and Juliet have.

Although Romeo has matured in the brief time since the beginning of the play, he remains somewhat immature when compared with Juliet; a pattern that recurs throughout their relationship. Even though Juliet is only 13, she considers the world with striking maturity. Juliet is weary that Romeo could be caught at her window and is the one who plans the messenger for the following day.

The interruptions from the Nurse add to the atmosphere of intense urgency as the lovers say goodbye. The heightened anticipation of their forthcoming marriage continues to build further tension and increase the pace of the play.

Quotes:

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she." - Romeo

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet." - Juliet

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep. The more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite." - Juliet

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Follow the plot and the storyline of Romeo and Juliet Act 2 with this in-depth study note. You'll find the main story advances for each scene plus interpretation of the events and the key quotes.

Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scenes 1 to 6 Summary