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All Site ContentRomeo and JulietAct 3Scene 1
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"fee-simple"
Metaphor
Act 3,
Scene 1
Lines 30-33

An explanation of the phrase “fee-simple” in Act 3, Scene 1 of myShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Benvolio

An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man           
should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour and a
quarter.

Mercutio

The fee-simple! O simple!

Fee-simple is the value of a lease that runs forever. Mercutio is saying that Benvolio's use of a fee-simple metaphor to refer to the value of his life is a "simple" (that is, slow-witted) metaphor.