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. The purpose of the oxymoron and paradox used in this excerpt is to
Answer
A
entertain using visions of love.
B
emphasize a point about love.
C
provide the definition of love.
D
describe what it feels like to love.
Explanation
The oxymorons and paradoxes pair opposing ideas, such as “violent delights” and sweetness that becomes loathsome. These contrasts reinforce Friar Laurence’s warning that intense, hurried love can lead to painful consequences. His advice, “love moderately,” makes clear that the language emphasizes a point about love rather than defining or merely describing it.
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