“lily-white” and “red rose”
Humor
Act 3,
Scene 1
Lines 87-91
Flute (as Thisbe)
Quince has the Thisbe character describing Pyramus as being at the same time both “lily-white” and like a “red rose,” and referring to him as a "bristly juvenile" which suggests a teenage actor sprouting a scruffy beard. (The adjective he meant was "briskly,” which means lively.) And calling him a “lovely jew” to rhyme with hue sounds as if he’s referring to his religion, or perhaps abbreviating “juvenile.”