Question

close read: analyze the text
identify the choice that best answers the question.

in this speech by romeo in act ii of the tragedy of romeo and juliet, to whom or what does the last word, she, refer?

but soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
it is the east, and juliet is the sun!
arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
who is already sick and pale with grief
that thou her maid art far more fair than she.

a. juliets maid
b. the moon
c. the sun
d. juliet

Explanation:

To determine what "she" refers to, we analyze the context. The lines are: "Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou her maid art far more fair than she." Here, "thou" (Juliet, the sun) has a maid (the moon's maid? Wait, no—rephrasing: The moon is envious of Juliet (the sun). The moon is "sick and pale with grief" because Juliet (the sun) as the moon's "maid" (in the metaphor, the moon is a maid to the sun? No, better: The moon is envious because Juliet (the sun) is more fair than the moon. So "she" refers to the moon? Wait, no—wait, the line is "That thou her maid art far more fair than she." Let's parse: "thou" is Juliet (the sun), "her" is the moon (since the moon is envious, so Juliet is the moon's maid? No, maybe the metaphor is that the moon is a maid, and Juliet (the sun) is more fair than the moon (she). Wait, let's check the options. The options are Juliet's maid (A), the moon (B), the sun (C), Juliet (D). Let's re-examine the text: "Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou her maid art far more fair than she." So "thou" (Juliet, the sun) is the maid of "her" (the moon), and Juliet is more fair than "she" (the moon). So "she" refers to the moon. Wait, but let's check again. Wait, maybe I got it wrong. Wait, the moon is envious of Juliet (the sun). The moon is "sick and pale with grief" because Juliet (the sun) is more beautiful. So the line "That thou her maid art far more fair than she"—"her" is the moon, "thou" is Juliet (the sun) who is the maid of the moon? No, that doesn't make sense. Wait, maybe the metaphor is that the moon is a maid, and Juliet (the sun) is more fair than the moon (she). So "she" is the moon. So the correct answer is B? Wait, but let's check the options again. Wait, maybe I made a mistake. Wait, let's look at the lines again: "Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou her maid art far more fair than she." So "thou" (Juliet, sun) is the maid of "her" (the moon), and Juliet is more fair than "she" (the moon). So "she" is the moon. So the answer is B.

Answer:

B. the moon