Question

Read the excerpt from Act II, scene vi of Romeo and Juliet.

Friar Laurence: These violent delights have violent ends,
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss consume: the sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
And in the taste confounds the appetite:
Therefore love moderately; long love doth so;
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

What mood is created by the oxymoron and paradox in this excerpt?

excitement
chaos
hopefulness
seriousness

Answer 1

seriousness

The oxymorons/paradoxes (e.g., "violent delights," "sweetest honey... loathsome") create a cautionary, somber tone warning that excessive passion leads to destructive ends.