“___, that love, so gentle in his view, / Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!”: “Romeo and Juliet”

ALAS

This exclamation often follows a sigh of sorrow and appears when Romeo laments love’s cruel contradictions in Act 1.

This clue quotes a famous line from Romeo and Juliet where Juliet laments love’s cruel contradictions. The blank fills in with "ALAS," an old-fashioned exclamation of sorrow or regret—like "oh no!"—that starts the line. The rest of the quote ("that love, so gentle in his view, / Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof") is just there to confirm the source and tone. If you know the play or the phrase, "ALAS" fits perfectly as the emotional opener.