Palms in Shakespeare / by Stephanie Beattie

Thanks Charles!

Romeo and Juliet, Act I Scene 5

So when Romeo meets Juliet, it escalates from touching palms to kissing. There is a pun on the word "palmer", which means a pilgrim (also, Juliet's reference to kissing "by the book" is a double meaning - "The Book" often means The Bible.)

The first fourteen lines of the dialogue takes on the same rhyme scheme as a sonnet (ABAB CBCB DEDE FF), and similar to a sonnet, the theme is love/seduction, and it takes a number of poetic/argumentative terms.

I found a clip online that is pretty faithful to the text. Also note that the courtly Renaissance dance that they're doing in this scene has a lot of palm-touching. 

http://youtu.be/079_iKX9VVI?t=37m19s

 

ROMEO

If I profane with my unworthiest hand

This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

 

JULIET

Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,

Which mannerly devotion shows in this;

For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,

And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

 

ROMEO

Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

 

JULIET

Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

 

ROMEO

O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;

They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

 

JULIET

Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.

 

ROMEO

Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.

Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.

 

JULIET

Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

 

ROMEO

Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!

Give me my sin again.

 

JULIET

You kiss by the book.