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"Where be these enemies? Capulet, Montague See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love. And I, for winking at your discords too Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished."
"Kinsmen" meant exactly the same to Shakespeare as it does to you, unless you are thinking of the service club. Kinsmen are people who are "kin", who are from the same family. Your kinsmen are your relatives.
The Prince says: "Capulet, Montague, see what a scourge is laid upon your hate that heaven finds means to kill your joys with love. And I, for winking at your discords too, have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished." The Prince blames Capulet, Montague and himself. Clearly he is someone that blames the leader whenever anything goes wrong.
Because he is essentially a man of peace. He has nothing against the Montagues. He says "'Tis not hard, I think, for men so old as we to keep the peace." It is his servants like Sampson and Gregory who start the fighting and Capulet feels that he has to support his people. The same can be said of Tybalt, who is not a Capulet either, but a relative of Mrs. Capulet who likes brawling. Like the Prince, by winking at his servants' discords he loses a brace of kinsmen.
The prince states that hes got MONTAGUE IN HIS BLOOD, so he's a Montague. Actually the prince does not say that he has "Montague in his blood" at all. He does say: "Capulet, Montague, see what a scourge is laid upon your hate, that heaven finds means to kill your joys with love. And I, for winking at your discords too, have lost a brace of kinsmen." Capulet and Montague have lost their "joys", their children. But the Prince has lost kinsmen over and above those, and just two of them (Mercutio and Paris). The Prince, Mercutio and Paris belong to a family that is neither Montague nor Capulet. That is why Mercutio says, "A plague on both your houses." He is cursing Montagues and Capulets, but not his own house, which is different.
"Where be these enemies? Capulet, Montague See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love. And I, for winking at your discords too Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished."
Kinsmen are relations. When the Prince talks about losing a brace of kinsmen, he is talking about Mercutio and Paris, both of whom were his second cousins or something.
"Kinsmen" meant exactly the same to Shakespeare as it does to you, unless you are thinking of the service club. Kinsmen are people who are "kin", who are from the same family. Your kinsmen are your relatives.
The Prince is related to both Paris and Mercutio. That's why he says he has lost a brace of kinsmen. A brace means two.
The Prince says: "Capulet, Montague, see what a scourge is laid upon your hate that heaven finds means to kill your joys with love. And I, for winking at your discords too, have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished." The Prince blames Capulet, Montague and himself. Clearly he is someone that blames the leader whenever anything goes wrong.
Because he is essentially a man of peace. He has nothing against the Montagues. He says "'Tis not hard, I think, for men so old as we to keep the peace." It is his servants like Sampson and Gregory who start the fighting and Capulet feels that he has to support his people. The same can be said of Tybalt, who is not a Capulet either, but a relative of Mrs. Capulet who likes brawling. Like the Prince, by winking at his servants' discords he loses a brace of kinsmen.
The main lesson of Romeo and Juliet is that when people fight, people get hurt. The Prince explains it in detail near the end of Act 5 Scene 3: Where be these enemies? - Capulet, Montague, See what a scourge is laid upon your hate That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love; And I, for winking at your discords too, Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished. Montague and Capulet fought. Both families have lost their only child. Even the Prince, who only turned a blind eye to the fighting, has lost his nephews Mercutio and Paris. Fighting isn't good for people - it doesn't make you happy; no matter how entertaining it may seem at the time.
The noun 'brace' is used as a collective noun for:a brace of deer (2)a brace of bucks (2)a brace of dogs (2)a brace of hounds (2)a brace of ducksa brace of partridgesa brace of pheasantsa brace of geldingsa brace of dentistsa brace of orthodontistsa brace of orthopedistsa brace of sheiksa brace of stagehandsa brace of pistols
A= brace. 1,2,3,4,5,6 brace. B=brace. Joy,Bernadette,Nina brace. c=brace. banana,apple,grapes brace.
A brace of horses is a pair (2) of horses.
Brace (as in, "brace yourself").
The prince states that hes got MONTAGUE IN HIS BLOOD, so he's a Montague. Actually the prince does not say that he has "Montague in his blood" at all. He does say: "Capulet, Montague, see what a scourge is laid upon your hate, that heaven finds means to kill your joys with love. And I, for winking at your discords too, have lost a brace of kinsmen." Capulet and Montague have lost their "joys", their children. But the Prince has lost kinsmen over and above those, and just two of them (Mercutio and Paris). The Prince, Mercutio and Paris belong to a family that is neither Montague nor Capulet. That is why Mercutio says, "A plague on both your houses." He is cursing Montagues and Capulets, but not his own house, which is different.