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what does my lips two blushing pilgrims ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss mean

by Hadley Stehr Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago

This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. Romeo says that if his touch offends the holy shrine of Juliet's hand, he is willing to commit "the gentle sin" of kissing her hand to soothe any disrespect.

The line “my lips two blushing pilgrims, ready stand” means his lips are ready to kiss her but won't unless she wants him to. The line “to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss” means his hands are rough and he wants to be forgiven and the best way for her to let him know he is forgiven is through a kiss.

Full Answer

What does lips two pilgrims mean in Romeo and Juliet?

When Juliet says "For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss," she is telling Romeo that she is not a saint and that she has hands which touch those of pilgrims like him. Who said lips two blushing pilgrims? “Romeo: If I profane with my unworthiest hand.

What is the meaning of palm to Palm Kiss?

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.

How do you use the word pilgrim in a sentence?

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,

Is it a sin for a pilgrim to touch his hand?

She tells him, as a “pilgrim” traveling to the holy shrine that is her hand, that he doesn’t give himself enough credit. His hand is not sinning, it is showing “mannerly devotion” to her own hand by touching it.

What does to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss mean?

"To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." Romeo suggests that he is 'rough' and not worthy of Juliet's touch. The fact Romeo describes the kiss as 'tender' illustrates Romeo's gentle and true emotions and feelings for Juliet. This shows that their first meeting was charged with love and desire for one another.

What does Juliet mean when she says Ay pilgrim lips that they must use in prayer?

Shakespeare uses the metaphor to compare Juliet's hand to a holy shrine and Romeo's to an unholy visitor or pilgrim. It is continued into the next lines as Romeo suggests that if she's offended by the “sin” of his hand touching hers that his lips are ready to make it better “with a tender kiss”.

Is my lips two blushing pilgrims ready stand?

[To JULIET] 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.

Why does Romeo compare his lips to two blushing pilgrims?

He describes Juliet's hand as a "holy shrine" (line 105) and Romeo's lips as "blushing pilgrims" (line 106). These images suggest that Romeo sees his relationship to Juliet as that of a pilgrim, or someone religiously devoted, to a saint.

What does blushing pilgrims mean in Romeo and Juliet?

The line “my lips two blushing pilgrims, ready stand” means his lips are ready to kiss her but won't unless she wants him to. The line “to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss” means his hands are rough and he wants to be forgiven and the best way for her to let him know he is forgiven is through a kiss.

What literary device is the phrase two blushing pilgrims?

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” This heartfelt and sentimental metaphorical expression is delivered by Romeo and compares Romeo's trembling lips to two devoted pilgrims eager to kiss their holy object of worship.

What is a holy Palmers kiss?

When Juliet says "For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss," she is telling Romeo that she is not a saint and that she has hands which touch those of pilgrims like him.

Why does Juliet allow Romeo to kiss her?

Juliet agrees to remain still as Romeo kisses her. Thus, in the terms of their conversation, she takes his sin from him. Juliet then makes the logical leap that if she has taken Romeo's sin from him, his sin must now reside in her lips, and so they must kiss again.

In what way is kissing like praying?

In what way is kissing like praying? In prayer, two hands press together, while in kissing, two lips press together. Romeo's smooth talk is trying to get a good, proper girl like Juliet permission to make-out a little bit.

What is two blushing pilgrims an example of?

Romeo is comparing Juliet's beauty to the sun. 2. To be dramatic Romeo refers to Juliet's hand as a holy shrine, and he compares his lips as "two blushing pilgrims."

What is the metaphor Romeo uses to describe his lips?

By using metaphors to refer to Romeo's lips as "two blushing pilgrims" (line 94) that worship the "holy shrine" (line 93) of Juliet's hand by kissing it, Shakespeare shows Romeo's deep feelings for Juliet, and how much Romeo worships her.

What metaphor do Romeo and Juliet use before they kiss?

sin Shakespeare uses the metaphor of “sin” (lines 106–108) to describe their kissing. This metaphor develops their relationship as playful, as Romeo claims his sins are “purged” (line 106), or cleansed, by Juliet's lips.

Who said "to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss"?

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. The first four lines of this sonnet are spoken by Romeo. He has taken Juliet’s hand, as the stage notes dictate, and declares that it is holy. His own hand is “unworth [y]” of touching her’s, he states.

Which line in Act I Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet asks Romeo if saints and pilgrims?

The next six lines of the ‘Act I Scene 5 Sonnet’ go back and forth between Romeo and Juliet. Romeo takes line nine, asking Juliet if saints and pilgrims have lips too. She replies that yes, “pilgrim,” they do have lips, ones they are supposed to pray with.

What is a metaphor in Romeo and Juliet?

A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things that does not use “like” or “as” is also present in the text. When using this technique a poet is saying that one thing is another thing, they aren’t just similar. There is an extended metaphor that lasts throughout the entirety of this sonnet. It compares Romeo to a sinful pilgrim and Juliet to a holy site that he is visiting.

What is the meaning of Act I Scene 5?

In the famous sonnet that appears in Act I Scene 5, Romeo and Juliet meet, express their interest and desire for one another, and seal their fates. Within these lines Shakespeare uses an extended metaphor, comparing Romeo to a pilgrim and Juliet to a religious/holy site, to describe their relationship.

What is the second quatrain in Act I Scene 5?

The second quatrain of the ‘Act I Scene 5 Sonnet’ is Juliet’s response to Romeo’s proffered kiss. She tells him, as a “pilgrim” traveling to the holy shrine that is her hand, that he doesn’t give himself enough credit. His hand is not sinning, it is showing “mannerly devotion” to her own hand by touching it.

What line does Shakespeare use to turn the end of the poem?

The majority of Shakespeare’s poetic works also contain a turn at the end, between line twelve and line thirteen. In this case, the last two lines are used to emphasize the path that the two are embarking on and allude to the fact that it’s going to lead to their eventual deaths.

What literary devices does Shakespeare use in Act I Scene 5?

Shakespeare makes use of several literary devices in the ‘Act I Scene 5 Sonnet’. These include but are not limited to allusion, metaphor, and alliteration. The first of these, allusion, is quite important. It is an expression that’s meant to call something specific to mind without directly stating it. In this case, the relationship that blossoms ...

What to say to a girl who has corns on her feet?

Welcome, gentlemen. All the ladies who aren’t suffering from corns on their feet will dance with you. Ha ha! My ladies, now which of you will refuse to dance now? If any of you acts shyly, I’ll swear she has corns. Have I hit the mark? Welcome, gentlemen. Once there was a time when I could wear a mask and charm a girl by whispering a story in her ear. No more, no more, no more. You are welcome gentlemen. Come, musicians, play. [Music plays and they dance] Make room in the hall! Make room! Dance, girls.

When all the good manners are owned by just one or two men, and even those two are dirty, it’?

When all the good manners are owned by just one or two men, and even those two are dirty, it’s a bad thing.

What is Juliet's reply to the question of his hand being wrong to touch hers?

Juliet's reply is to gently chide his exaggerated feeling by saying that his hand is not so wrong to touch hers, since saints and palmers do as much, intimating, in effect, that a touch of the hand will suffice for the present, a kiss being premature (although she is soon enough persuaded otherwise).

Did Shakespeare mean "gentle sin"?

Here is an eloquent explanation of that point of view by James Bogle: This [ i.e., Romeo's speech] I take to mean: "If I profane the holy shrine of your hand with my most unworthy hand, the noble 'sin' (if sin it be) is the ready availability of my lips, ...

What does it mean when Romeo touches Juliet's hand?

The palm touches between Romeo and Juliet have an added significance in that they express a depth of feeling also associated with the extremity of devotional worship and they occur spontaneously, triggering, at an instant, the feeling of love. Romeo immediately fantasies about touching Juliet’s hand.

Why are hands objectified?

Hands are objectified in religious worship as they perform their own fantasies of touch in the name of God. After the Reformation in England, the focus upon saints’ hands in medieval worship and iconography transferred to that of the mistress’s hand in poetry and treatises on beauty. The metaphor takes on greater significance when we think about ...

What does Romeo say to Juliet when he first sees her?

Romeo anticipates the effect Juliet will have on him when he first sees her, but like any lover well-versed in the rituals of courtship he immediately fantasizes about touching her hand: ‘The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand / And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand’ (1.5.49–50).

What did Matthew Milner observe about pre-Reformation England?

Matthew Milner observes of pre-Reformation England that: [t]ouch was the fulcrum of traditional sacramentality. and by the crosses they signed themselves with. The efficacy of touch was at the core of pre-Reformation religious worship. Shakespeare’s use of religious imagery in this play is not accidental.

What does Romeo refer to his hand as?

Referring to his hand as ‘rude’, Romeo aligns himself with a kind of rustic pilgrim, one who might be unpolished in manners and whose hands would be ‘rough’. When the lovers meet, the audience witnesses what critics for centuries have deemed one of the most moving dramatizations of love at first sight.

What line is the Pilgrim in Act 1 Scene 5?

Act 1, Scene 5. Lines 92-106. An explanation of the word "pilgrim" in Act 1, Scene 5 of myShakespeare's Romeo and Juliet .

What does the word "pilgrim" mean in Shakespeare's time?

It later came to mean any kind of traveler. RALPH: By Shakespeare’s time, the meaning had narrowed to refer to a religiously devout person who was either making a physical journey ...

Why were the Puritans called the Puritans?

Members of one of these groups were called Puritans because they felt that the official Church of England was not “pure” enough and needed reform. When Americans use the word “pilgrims” today, we’re often referring to this group who landed at Plymouth Rock on board the Mayflower.

What is Laurence's insistence on moderation?

Laurence's insistence on moderation is arguably more applicable to Romeo and Juliet's families, who cannot manage their feud. In this small exchange, Shakespeare again reveals his ability to craft unique psychology, even in a minor character. MERCUTIO.

What is Romeo's presence during Juliet's soliloquy?

Romeo's presence during Juliet's soliloquy is, on one hand, an invasion, but on the other hand, it is a reminder of the cost of intimacy. That Juliet both allows and cherishes Romeo's interruption reminds the audience that true love asks requires lovers to reveal their most private thoughts to one another.

What is the religious image used in Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet use religious images in a sexualized manner, which would most certainly have been considered sacrilegious. This conveys to the audience that the love between Romeo and Juliet exists despite the complications in the world around them.

What is the purpose of soliloquy in Shakespeare's play?

A soliloquy is commonly used to reveal a character's private thoughts to the audience, but kept secret from all of the other characters in the play. By having Romeo overhear Juliet's private words, Shakespeare creates a cocoon around their love, insinuating that pure love is meant to exist in a private world.

What does Friar Laurence mean by moderation?

Friar Laurence also promotes moderation in the final line. Many scholars believe that Shakespeare meant his audience to understand that the tragedy in Romeo and Juliet is the result of a lack of moderation – Romeo and Juliet subsumed themselves too quickly to passion, and it consumed them.

What is the significance of Juliet's soliloquy?

Juliet's famous soliloquy is notable for more than its gorgeous language. It also allows Shakespeare to establish the private nature of love by breaking the convention of a soliloquy, and it introduces the theme of identity as well.

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