“Is Romeo Stupid?”

In this 30min talk, Prof. Julian Lamb will consider Romeo’s famous speech, “But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?” from Act 2 Scene 2. (See: https://www.bartleby.com/70/3822.html) Here, Romeo sees Juliet on her balcony. Perhaps the best way to describe Romeo is this:

Romeo’s passionate love is reflected in the very poetic language he uses to describe Juliet: she is the sun, her eyes are like stars, and her beauty makes the moon envious. These are grand pronouncements indeed, and we are apt to wonder whether Romeo is speaking too passionately about someone he has only just met. Has he lost his mind? Has love made him stupid? And what would it mean for the play if we saw him this way? Come join us as Prof. Lamb tries to answer these questions.