How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the 2008 Norton edition of the play.
Quote #13
PRINCE
Where be these enemies?—Capulet, Montague,
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love.
And I for winking at your discords too,
Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished.
(5.3.301-305)
There's a lot going on here. Translated, the Prince is just pointing out that the feuding has caused some truly unnecessary deaths. But we're kind of stuck on that word "brace." "Brace" in this context means "pair," but it has associations with game and hunting—like, you'd shoot a "brace" of pigeons, or ducks, or rabbits, or whatever creature you were after. So, it's oddly dehumanizing, at least to modern ears. And then there's the fact that both Romeo and Juliet seem to be related to the Prince—he calls them a "brace" of kinsmen. How could the families hate each other so much, if they have relatives (high-ranking relatives) in common?
Quote #14
TYBALT
Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
That thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw.ROMEO
I do protest, I never injured thee
But love thee better than thou canst devise
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love.
And so, good Capulet, which name I tender
As dearly as my own, be satisfied.MERCUTIO
O calm, dishonorable, vile submission!
(3.1.67-74)
Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt because he's just married to Juliet, Tybalt's cousin. According to Tybalt, Romeo has "dishonour[ed]" himself by refusing to fight. Basically, both Tybalt and Mercutio are calling Romeo a sissy—which makes the tragedy much more about dumb ideas of masculinity than about a dumb feud. You can read more about how the play associates violence with masculinity by checking out our "Character Analysis" of Romeo, or by reading "Quotes" for "Gender."