At this point, Romeo and Mercutio’s wordplay gets very complex, so we’re going to walk you through this long complicated joke, or “jest” as Mercutio refers to it.

Mercutio begins by telling Romeo to follow along: 

Follow me this jest now

And then he continues as if Romeo were to physically follow him until he has worn out the soles of his light weight dancing shoes, his pumps:

Follow me this jest now till thou hast worn out thy pump, 

that when the single sole of it is worn, 

Romeo is now left holding the jest, which Mercutio describes as being “solely singular.”

Follow me this jest now till thou hast worn out thy pump, 

that when the single sole of it is worn, 

the jest may remain after the wearing, solely singular

The descriptive phrase “solely singular” has a double meaning. In one sense the jest has been left alone, “singular,” by the sole which has been worn away – it has been left sole-ly ... singular

the jest may remain after the wearing, solely singular sole-less, alone

In a second sense, Mercutio is saying that his jest is totally unusual.

the jest may remain after the wearing, solely singular totally unusual

Romeo then picks up on this second meaning and makes a stinging jest of his own. 

O single-soled jest, solely singular for the singleness. 

He agrees that Mercutio’s “single-soled jest” is totally unusual

O single-soled jest, solely singular totally unusual for the singleness

but it’s unusual for its simpleness – ouch!

O single-soled jest, solely singular totally unusual for the singleness simpleness.  

Although Romeo may call Mercutio’s jest simple, trying to decipher these witticisms is making our heads spin, and Mercutio must feel the same way because he now calls on Benvolio to step in and stop this war of wits between him and Romeo.

Come between us, good Benvolio; my wits faint!

I can’t believe anyone in an audience hearing these lines for the first time could possibly follow all this complicated wordplay. Perhaps all this jesting was also “solely singular” in the sense that only one person could follow it, and that person was Shakespeare himself.

O single-soled jest, solely singular – for Shakespeare alone!