Saturday, September 3, 2011

What are two puns found in Act II?

You see an entire play on the word goose in this exchange
between Romeo and Mercutio. Think about the ways that we today use the word goose. We
could use is to say someone is leading us to go all over the place(Mercutio and Benvolio
likely felt this way as they couldn't find Romeo after the party) as if in a wild goose
chase. We call someone a silly goose when they are being goofy. We may even eat goose.
An exchange they even call wit goes on between the two for several
lines:


readability="30">

MERCUTIO 
Nay, if thy wits run the
wild-goose chase, I have
done, for thou hast more
of the wild-goose in one of
thy wits than, I am
sure, I have in my whole five:
was I with you there for the
goose
?

ROMEO 
Thou wast never with me for any
thing when thou wast not there for the
goose.

MERCUTIO 
I will bite
thee by the ear for that jest.

ROMEO 
Nay,
good goose, bite
not.

MERCUTIO 
Thy wit is a very bitter sweeting; it is a
most
sharp sauce.

ROMEO 
And is it not well served
in to a sweet
goose
?

MERCUTIO 
O here's a wit of cheveril,
that stretches from an
inch narrow to an ell
broad!

ROMEO 
I stretch it out for that word 'broad;' which
added
to the goose, proves thee far and wide a broad
goose.



This took place in
scene iv.


Just before the above moment, the two discuss the
lack of courtesy Romeo demonstrated by taking off.


readability="21">

ROMEO 
Pardon, good
Mercutio, my business was great; and in
such a case as mine a man may strain
courtesy.

MERCUTIO 
That's as much as to say,
such a case as yours
constrains a man to bow in the
hams.

ROMEO 
Meaning, to
court'sy.

MERCUTIO 
Thou hast most kindly hit
it.

ROMEO 
A most courteous
exposition.

MERCUTIO 
Nay, I am
the very pink of
courtesy.



Here connection
between courtesy and court'sy (a female bow) is made. The ideas here are sexual. Romeo
says he had something important to do and had every right to leave the bros. Mercutio
ends up challenging that maybe Romeo was with a girl and her
body.

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