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All Site ContentRomeo and JulietAct 1Scene 3
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"obscured"
Language
Act 1,
Scene 3
Lines 81-90

An explanation of the double meaning of “obscured” in Act 1, Scene 3 of myShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Lady Capulet

What say you? Can you love the gentleman?
This night you shall behold him at our feast.
Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
And find delight writ there with beauty's pen.
Examine every married lineament,
And see how one another lends content.
And, what obscured in this fair volume lies,
Find written in the margent of his eyes.
This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
To beautify him, only lacks a cover.
  • "Obscured" can mean "hidden," as in Paris' true nature is hidden in his face.
  • But the word can also mean difficult to understand. Obscure passages in a book are often explained by notes in the margin — or, in the case of Paris' face, "written in the margent of his eyes."