Juliet

• "O, swear not by the moon, th' inconstant moon" (Act 2, Scene 2)


  -Juliet replies to Romeo's sudden declarations of love in the Capulet garden, asking Romeo to be constant/ committed to his love

  -Shakespeare uses celestial imagery here --> she requests Romeo swears his love by something more constant than the changing nature of the stars and planets

  -Juliet: presented as rational/ sensible, not leaving her fate to the stars and planets.

  Contextually, this imagery challenges Elizabethan audiences who regularly made decisions based on stars and planets --> astrology held high relevance
• "My only love sprung from my only hate" 


  Juliet's paradoxical line expresses her tragic realisation that she loves Romeo, despite the familial feud
• "What's in a name?" (Act 2, Scene 2)- Juliet


  -Juliet is asserting her right to choose her own path/ love

  
  

  -Also displays Juliet's belief on the transcendence of love: as she suggests it's more powerful than any name or label society may place upon it--> it can extent barriers and societal norms

  
  

  -Juxtaposes idea of marriages arranged marriages were generally to secure/ maintain status. Juliet believes love and compatibility are more important: a person's true identity is not defined by their name/ background. she believes love should transcend these societal labels.
• "It is too rash... too sudden, too like the lightning" (Act 2)


  quick pace: displayal of Juliet's maturity