Read the excerpt from Act II, scene vi of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Laurence : These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which, as they kiss consume: the sweetest honey Is loathsome in his own deliciousness And in the taste confounds the appetite: Therefore love moderately; long love doth so; Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow. What do the oxymoron and paradox in this excerpt illustrate about love?
Answer
A
True love causes one to lose the ability to reason.
B
Loving with restraint is the key to long-lasting love.
C
Only love has the ability to overcome obstacles.
D
Nothing good ever comes from truly loving another.
Explanation
Friar Laurence contrasts the sweetness of love with the harm that can come from enjoying it too intensely: “the sweetest honey” becomes “loathsome,” and love that moves too swiftly can end as badly as love that moves too slowly. These oxymorons and paradoxes show that extremes can undermine love. His advice, “love moderately,” supports the idea that restraint helps love last.
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