Pathos is emotion that tugs at our heartstrings. The pathos in act 2 arises from the fact that although Romeo and Juliet are deeply in love, their love is forbidden by their feuding families. As Juliet expresses with some frustration on the balcony, why does Romeo have to bear the hated name of Montague? She says, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Shakespeare states in A Midsummer Night's Dream that the course of true love never did run smooth, and little could be more true of Romeo and Juliet. We feel for them because their families hate one another, which means they must keep their love a secret. Juliet worries that her relatives will kill Romeo if they find him in her garden. In fact, Tybalt, who recognized Romeo flirting with his cousin, is already challenging him to a duel, so from the start, a sense of doom hangs over these lovers.