Skip to main content

In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, what does Lord Capulet mean when he says to Tybalt, "More light, more light" (1.5.84)?

During this conversation, Lord Capulet is actually chastising Tybalt for Tybalt's failure to obey him.  Tybalt has identified Romeo Montague, the son of Capulet's great enemy, in the crowd at their party, and he is enraged.  He wants to go after the young man and make him pay for what Tybalt sees as an insult to the Capulets' honor.  Lord Capulet yells at him, telling him that to make such a scene would ruin the...

During this conversation, Lord Capulet is actually chastising Tybalt for Tybalt's failure to obey him.  Tybalt has identified Romeo Montague, the son of Capulet's great enemy, in the crowd at their party, and he is enraged.  He wants to go after the young man and make him pay for what Tybalt sees as an insult to the Capulets' honor.  Lord Capulet yells at him, telling him that to make such a scene would ruin the party, endanger his guests, and compel them to leave.  Tybalt, however, feels that Romeo's presence is a sign of terrible disrespect to them.  Lord Capulet says to him, "You are a princox, go. / Be quiet, or—More light, more light!—For shame! / I’ll make you quiet" (1.5.85-87).  Thus, he calls Tybalt a punk, basically, and orders him to be quiet.  When he calls for more light, he is actually speaking to one of his servants; it helps to see that those four words are set off by dashes, and this is because they are sort of an interjection to someone else.  Then, he returns to Tybalt to tell him that he should be ashamed of himself.  Therefore, this one part of his line isn't actually addressed to Tybalt.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

What gift did Della buy for Jim and why in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which... Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.  Della is still willing to sell her hair so she can b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more