Question

Excerpt (Act 1, Scene 5 – When Romeo and Juliet first meet at the Capulet party):

ROMEO: If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine 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 palmers' kiss.

identify and explain how the playwright develops a certain mood for this scene. Use evidence from the excerpt to support your answer.

Answer 1

Shakespeare creates a mood of reverent, playful romance in this exchange through religious imagery, intimate metaphor, and the characters’ cooperative verbal rhythm.

- Religious diction and imagery: Romeo calls Juliet a “holy shrine” and himself a “pilgrim,” and Juliet returns the language with “saints” and “palmers’ kiss.” Describing their attraction in sacred terms elevates their encounter, making it feel pure, solemn, and fated rather than merely physical. The contrast of “profane” and “holy” (Romeo: “If I profane… this holy shrine”) heightens the intensity—what might be a simple flirtation is cast as something both dangerous and sanctified.

- Tender, tactile metaphor: Romeo’s “lips, two blushing pilgrims” and “tender kiss” use modest, gentle imagery that emphasizes innocence and yearning. The adjective “blushing” suggests modesty and emotion, while “tender” softens the physical contact, reinforcing the mood of chaste passion.

- Playful, equal exchange and musical form: The lines form part of a shared sonnet—Romeo and Juliet complete the verse together—which creates a sense of harmony and immediate connection. Juliet’s witty correction (“Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much… For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch”) both teases and gives consent; the banter makes the scene flirtatious and intimate rather than merely reverential.

- Sound and contrast: Phrases like “smooth that rough touch” use consonance/contrast to soften conflict and underline tenderness. The semantic oppositions (profane/holy, rough/tender) add emotional charge to the mood, making the meeting feel charged with both risk and devotion.

Together, these elements produce a mood that is at once sacred and seductive, innocent and intense—perfectly capturing the instant, idealized attraction between Romeo and Juliet.