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What does the following quote from Romeo and Juliet mean: "Bid her devise / Some means to come to shrift this afternoon. / And there she shall...

First, let's get some context for this quote, which is spoken by Romeo in Act Two, Scene Four of Romeo and Juliet. Prior to this scene, Romeo and Juliet have locked eyes at the Capulet's ball, fallen in love at first sight, and have secretly met to chatter about this aforementioned love on the balcony outside of Juliet's bedroom. In the latter scene, Juliet has instructed Romeo to wait for the arrival of Juliet's...

First, let's get some context for this quote, which is spoken by Romeo in Act Two, Scene Four of Romeo and Juliet. Prior to this scene, Romeo and Juliet have locked eyes at the Capulet's ball, fallen in love at first sight, and have secretly met to chatter about this aforementioned love on the balcony outside of Juliet's bedroom. In the latter scene, Juliet has instructed Romeo to wait for the arrival of Juliet's nurse, who is intended to act as the messenger between the two and to carry the secret information of where Juliet should meet Romeo for their wedding ceremony. Is this marriage going to be a bit rushed? Yes! But then again, why stop love? 


The Nurse makes good on this agreement and seeks Romeo out the next day... which leads us back to this quote. Romeo is giving instructions to the Nurse, which the Nurse must then pass on to Juliet. Romeo tells her to tell Juliet to come up with some excuse to get out of the house ("bid her devise some means"), perhaps to proclaim that she wants to go to "be shrived" (or to "confess," a religious act in which one outlines all the sins he or she has committed in front of a member of the clergy in order to receive forgiveness for those sins) at the abbey. Once there, Friar Laurence will marry the two as planned. 

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