 On their first meeting , Romeo and Juliet use a form of communication recommended by many etiquette authors in Shakespeare 's day : metaphor . By using metaphors of saints and sins , Romeo was able to test Juliet 's feelings for him in a non @-@ threatening way . This method was recommended by Baldassare Castiglione ( whose works had been translated into English by this time ) . He pointed out that if a man used a metaphor as an invitation , the woman could pretend she did not understand him , and he could retreat without losing honour . Juliet , however , participates in the metaphor and expands on it . The religious metaphors of " shrine " , " pilgrim " and " saint " were fashionable in the poetry of the time and more likely to be understood as romantic rather than blasphemous , as the concept of sainthood was associated with the Catholicism of an earlier age . Later in the play , Shakespeare removes the more daring allusions to Christ 's resurrection in the tomb he found in his source work : Brooke 's Romeus and Juliet . 
