Question

read the excerpt from act i, scene 1 of romeo and juliet.
romeo: well, in that hit you miss: shell not be hit with cupids arrow; she hath dians wit;
and, in strong proof of chastity well armd,
from loves weak childish bow she lives unharmd.
she will not stay the siege of loving terms.
which is the best meaning of the phrase \shell not be hit with cupids arrow\?
○ she loves romeo but does not want to marry him.
○ she believes romeo does not really love her.
○ she does not want to fall in love with anyone.
○ she is too young to understand the meaning of love.

Explanation:

To determine the meaning, we analyze the context. "Cupid’s arrow" symbolizes falling in love. The lines "she hath Dian’s wit" (Dian is the goddess of chastity) and "in strong proof of chastity well arm’d, From love’s weak childish bow she lives unharm’d" show she avoids love. Let's evaluate each option:

• Option 1: The excerpt doesn't mention her loving Romeo or marriage refusal, so eliminate.
• Option 2: There's no mention of her opinion on Romeo's love, so eliminate.
• Option 3: The references to chastity and avoiding love’s "bow" (Cupid's arrow) imply she doesn't want to fall in love, which matches.
• Option 4: The excerpt focuses on chastity and avoiding love, not her age or understanding of love, so eliminate.

Answer:

C. She does not want to fall in love with anyone.