Romeo believes that Juliet "teaches the torches to burn bright" when he first sees her across the room at Capulet's party in Act I, Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He further comments that "she hangs upon the cheek of night/As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear—" Her "Beauty is too rich for use" and she is a "snowy dove trooping with crows" as she participates in a dance. Obviously then, Romeo is very much smitten with Juliet's appearance. He uses images which compare her to bright, shiny things because he looks at her as a new light in his life that had so recently been turned to darkness by his unrequited love for Rosaline. Once he glimpses her he vows that once the dancing is over he will go stand next to her and attempt to touch her hand. This scene has been staged in various ways. In the excellent 1968 film by Franco Zeffirelli, Romeo grabs Juliet's hand through a curtain, but once she sees him, she too is quite infatuated. He then speaks to her, comparing himself to a pilgrim worshipping at the shrine which is her hand. The first dialogue between the two is written in a 14 line sonnet and ends with a kiss.
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