Question

Juliet likes to play with words. In the lines below, the boxes represent the locations where she uses the word "I." What does she really mean (Hint: "Aye" means "yes.")?

Hath Romeo slain himself? say thou but ''----


And that bare vowel,----- '' shall poison more


Than the death-darting---- of cockatrice:-----


am not----- , if there be such an ------'';


-----Or those eyes shut that make thee answer '--------'.


If he be slain, say -------'' or if not 'no:'


Brief sounds determine of my weal or woe.


(choices for each one is "aye, I, or eye")

Answer 1

Juliet's dialogue from Shakespeare's play cleverly uses 'I,' 'aye,' and 'eye' to convey different meanings. These homophones, despite sounding similar, are chosen based on the context of the sentences, revealing Juliet's emotions and the play's dramatic tension.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage provided presents a wordplay where Juliet from Shakespeare's play uses the homophones 'I,' 'aye' (which means 'yes'), and 'eye' in various sentences. Considering the context of each sentence, we can deduce the appropriate word to fill in the blanks.

• Hath Romeo slain himself? say thou but 'aye'
  
• And that bare vowel 'I' shall poison more
  
• Than the death-darting 'eye' of cockatrice:
  
• I am not 'I,' if there be such an 'aye';
  
• Or those eyes shut that make thee answer 'aye.'
  
• If he be slain, say 'I'; or if not, 'no:'

In this context, Juliet is cleverly using three different words that sound alike to express different meanings. For instance, she requests a simple 'aye' or 'I' to confirm Romeo's fate, indicating the gravity of the confirmation is as deadly as the gaze of a cockatrice.