A pun in act one of romeo and juliet

myRomeo&Juliet

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"dun's the mouse" Lines 38-39

A pun on the words "done" and "dun" explained in myShakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 4.

Mercutio

Tut, dun's the mouse, the constable's own word. If thou art dun, we'll draw thee from the mire,

After Romeo complains that he is “done,” Mercutio makes a pun on the words “done” and “dun,” the color brown — “You’re not done, a mouse is dun.” Back when most houses still had brown earthen floors, a brown mouse was barely noticeable. A policeman (or a school teacher for that matter) would use the expression “Dun’s the mouse” to tell someone to stop causing a commotion and drawing attention to themselves.