A pun, which is also called a paronomasia, is a word play that exploits the multiple meanings of words. There are a few characters in Romeo and Juliet that use many puns (possibly unintentionally), most notably the Nurse. Lesser known characters also use puns, however, and a great example is the serving men. The serving men are fairly unknown characters in Romeo and Juliet, but they have a brief scene that is one of the...
A pun, which is also called a paronomasia, is a word play that exploits the multiple meanings of words. There are a few characters in Romeo and Juliet that use many puns (possibly unintentionally), most notably the Nurse. Lesser known characters also use puns, however, and a great example is the serving men. The serving men are fairly unknown characters in Romeo and Juliet, but they have a brief scene that is one of the humorous exchanges in the play. The scene starts off with:
SERVING MAN 1: Where's Potpan, that he helps not to take away? He shift a trencher! He scape a trencher!
SERVING MAN 2: When good manners shall lie all in one or two men's hands, and they unwashed too, 'tis a foul thing. (I.v.1-4)
In this instance, Potpan's name becomes a pun. Potpan is the name of a missing serving man, but it is also an object that has not been taken away. This pun is a fairly silly joke (like most puns) that is often quickly glided over (or outright removed for the sake of shortening the play) in productions of Romeo and Juliet.
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