What does These violent ends and in their triumph die like fire and powder which as they kiss consume mean?

Answer 1

Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene VI

the full line is "These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which, as they kiss, consume."

In Romeo and Juliet its saying..these violent delights--romeo & Juliet falling in love when their famlies hate each other..

have violent ends and in their triumph die--obv. they both die at the end

like fire and powder, which as they kiss, consume...when you throw powder into a fire it just makes a bigger flame..so like romeo is fire and Juliet is powder-when they come together they burn or in their case ..ends in death.

this is just in the simplest way i could put it-so someone could understand it-i hoped it gave you a better insight..im not exsactly an English scholar but i have studied shakesphere and this is actually my favorite pentameter in Romeo and Juliet

One addition - the phrase "and in their triumph die" - flame is spectacular, but the spectacle is entirely due to its destructive force. So there is a tragic element - the powder can only triumph through its own destruction in flame. By analagoy, Romeo and Juliet's passion only burns so brightly because it, too, is self-destructive and will quickly consume them.