In Act III, Scene v, of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Lady Capulet believes Juliet is grieving Tybalt’s death. She tells Juliet, “Therefore have done. Some grief shows much of love; / But much of grief shows still some want of wit.” What is the best paraphrase of this passage?

A. Therefore, keep crying. Eventually you will work out your grief.
B. So stop grieving. Some mourning expresses love, but too much is foolish.
C. We all feel grief at a person’s death, whether we loved the person or not.
D. So end your mourning. Some grieving shows a great deal of love, but too much suggests you are trying to be clever.

1 answer

The best paraphrase of Lady Capulet's passage is:

B. So stop grieving. Some mourning expresses love, but too much is foolish.

This option captures the essence of Lady Capulet's message about the balance between expressing grief and appearing foolish.