'Oh, That I Were A Glove Upon That Hand'
Act 2, Scene 2, lines 6-25
Similar to the previous passage, this speech also contains stylistic changes. In the 1599 edition, there are colons after the words “off,” “it,” and “fpeakes,” whereas in the 2017 edition the punctuation is a period behind each of these words. This transition from a colon to a period provides the actor playing Romeo with more of an advantage as he performs this scene. While the colon is used as a means to precede an explanation, the period forces the actor to stop before moving on to the next line, thus bringing more powerful lines. Brief pauses during a performance can often make the message more memorable and effective. Moreover, the 2017 edition has a question mark behind the word “head” and exclamation points behind the words “hand” and “cheek” that are not present in the 1599 edition. This change in punctuation is also effective because it ultimately changes the manner in which the scene is performed. The added question mark and exclamation points make this speech more lively and enchanting as Romeo describes his new lover with excitement added to his voice that can be derived from the punctuation of the 2017 edition. Further, there are included stage directions in the 2017 edition that are not in the 1599 edition. “Juliet appears aloft as at her window” directs the actress playing Juliet on where she needs to be as Romeo is making his speech about her. These added stage directions help the cast tremendously because they serve as a guide for enhancing the performance of the actors.