34
And palm to palm is holy palmer’s kiss
Act 1 Scene 5, lines 93–105 and Act 2 Scene 2, lines 25–55
A
ROMEO: If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
JULIET: Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this,
For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch
And palm to palm is holy palmer’s kiss.
ROMEO: Have saints not lips, and holy palmers too?
JULIET: Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
ROMEO: O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do:
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.
JULIET: Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake.
ROMEO: Then move not while my prayer’s effect I take.
B
ROMEO [Aside]:
She speaks.
O speak again, bright angel, for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o’er my head,
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wond’ring eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him,
When he bestrides the lazy puffing clouds,
And sails upon the bosom of the air.
JULIET: 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.
ROMEO [Aside]: Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
JULIET: ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot,
Nor arm nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O be some other name!
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called . . .
. . .
http://education.sedgwick.continuumbooks.com
Fred Sedgwick, (2011) Resources for Teaching Shakespeare: 11–16. London: Continuum
ROMEO:
I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptised . . .
http://education.sedgwick.continuumbooks.com
Fred Sedgwick, (2011) Resources for Teaching Shakespeare: 11–16. London: Continuum