Meme for Monday

[gothwalk]

When you see this, quote from Shakespeare in your journal.

Juliet: You kiss by the book.

- Romeo & Juliet, Act I, Scene V.

For all my usual command of Shakespearean dialogue - and I've never had any trouble with the rhythm, the words, or the patterning - I can never quite decide what Juliet means here. It's plain elsewhere that she's impressed with Romeo, but to my ear, this has always sounded a bit insulting. It follows a whole chain of banter about pilgrims' lips and hands, so could be a biblical reference, I suppose.

Any enlightenment, before you take off your heads to recite Shakespearean quotations?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_illumina_/]

Just had to re-read the passage! Others have suggested that 'by the book' means 'according to the rules', but I don't think that's an insult, I think it's more of the word-play and banter. Like she's teasing him about kissing her by using the excuse of taking the sin back again, rather than saying straight out that he wants to kiss her. Or something like that.