Romeo and Juliet Group

Question:

shooterstar1217
shooterstar1217
Student
High School - 9th Grade

"A plague O' both your houses! I am sped. Is he gone, and hath nothing?"

Can you translate that quote into something understandable.

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Posted by shooterstar1217 on Monday January 26, 2009 at 11:33 AM and tagged with a plague o both your houses, quote, romeo and juliet, translation.

Answers:


  1. playsthething Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    In his death throes, Mercutio says this after being stabbed by Tybalt. He is cursing both the Capulets and the Montagues - that is the "plague o' both your houses" he refers to. Had it not been for their feuding, he would not be dying.

    "I am sped" reflects his awareness that he is dying.

    The last question refers to Tybalt. He wants to know if he has run away, and if he was hurt at all. I suppose it makes it more bitter for him to have been killed without striking a blow in defense. Of course, the fatal blow was made possible by Romeo's stepping between Tybalt and Mercutio, which sets up Romeo's next move of killing Tybalt out of guilt and revenge.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/romeo/act-iii-scenes-1-2-summary-an...

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    Posted by playsthething on Monday January 26, 2009 at 1:53 PM


  2. brandih

    eNotes Editor

    This quote is also discussed in our free Shakespeare quotes section.  Please see the link below for more information.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/plague-o-both-yo...

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    Posted by brandih on Monday January 26, 2009 at 2:08 PM