Romeo and Juliet Act 3-5

At the beginning of Act 3, who says the following lines? What do these lines foreshadow?”I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire. The day is hot, the Capulets abroad, And, if we meet, we shall not ‘scape a brawl, For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.” Benvolio; These lines foreshadow Mercutio’s fight with Tybalt and his death
What does Mercutio tell us about Benvolio in lines 15-27? Is this true? Explain what’s happening here. Mercutio says that Benvolio fights for no reason but really that he is a hypocrite since if the Capulets challenged him that he’d be as quick to fight as Mercutio
Examine Mercutio’s “grave man” line. What figure of speech is used? What is the meaning? This is said when Mercutio is dying after he was struck by the sword of Tybalt a metaphor is used. Even though in using the term “grave man” he is referring to himself as being serious it is actually ironic because he is actually referring to himself as a man who is dead; a man in a grave.
Explain the following lines (114-120): “This gentlemen, the Prince’s near ally, (This man (Mercutio), the prince’s ally) My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt (As well as my friend, was wounded badly, which may kill him) In my behalf – my reputation stained (This was all my fault, my reputation is ruined) With Tybalt’s slander – Tybalt, that an hour Hath been my cousin. (The tybalt who killed him is the same tybalt who has been my cousin for all but an hour) O sweet Juliet, Thy beauty hath made me effeminate And in my temper soft’ned valor’s steel!”(Oh Juliet, your love and beauty has made me weak, and has made me turn soft and act like a woman and not be honorable and respond to the duel like a man would do)
Explain the Prince’s judgment and why he makes this ruling. The prince is mad that his ally/relative was killed, but he was also satisfied that romeo killed the killer (Tybalt). The prince would have had to put Tybalt to death for killing Mercutio. However, he was also mad that Romeo’s petty fight with Tybalt caused the death of his relative. Therefore, instead of killing Romeo, he banished him. Romeo needed at least some form of punishment.
In her speech at the beginning of Scene 2, what is Juliet looking forward to that night? She is looking forward to finally seeing Romeo again after being married.
Give two examples from lines 26-31 that Juliet uses to explain the agony of expectation that she’s feeling. “I have bought the mansion of a love But not possessed it,” “So tedious is this day as is the night before some festival”
Write down three of the oxymorons Juliet uses to describe Romeo and explain why she uses this literary technique to describe her young husband. Honorable villain, damned saint, and wolvish-ravening lamb. She uses this technique because he brutally killed her cousin but she still thinks he is a good man and is torn.
The Nurse says, “Shame come to Romeo!” How does Juliet react to the Nurse? She gets defensive. She doesn’t want the Nurse scolding her husband but she is upset that he killed her cousin.
Where is Romeo hiding after killing Tybalt? Friar Lawrence’s
What is Friar Lawrence’s opinion of Romeo’s punishment in Scene 3, lines 25-28? In Friar Lawrence’s opinion, Romeo’s punishment is actually a blessing because the crime he committed was worthy of death, however the Prince only banished he him Verona. Friar thinks Romeo should be grateful for his punishment.
In Scene 3, lines 33-39, why does Romeo say that is is less honored than carrion-flies? Carrion-flies are able to be in Verona and thus near Juliet, while Romeo is banished and cannot see her. He would rather be a gross fly
What three reasons does Friar Laurence give Romeo to show that he should be happy? Juliet is alive, Tybalt would have killed Romeo but Tybalt did not, Romeo committed a crime that was punishable by death, but instead the Prince gave him exile and gave him mercy by not killing him.
In Scene 3, the Nurse gives Romeo a gift from Juliet. What is the gift? The gift was a ring.
Capulet explains to Paris that Juliet is upstairs crying about Tybalt. He says, “Look you, she loved her kinsman Tybalt dearly, And so did I. Well, we were born to die.” From this passage, explain how Capulet felt about his nephew. Why, do you suppose, he felt this way? The grieving period has passed and if he was crying now like Juliet is Capulet would be seen as womanly. He cares for his nephew but he also thinks that everyone dies eventually. Capulet might have thought that Tybalt was always looking for a fight and fighting with someone, so he may have thought that Tybalt “had it coming”. The relationship in the beginning could be considered tenuous
What decision does Capulet make, thinking that it will cheer up Juliet? Capulet plans a wedding on Thursday for Juliet to marry Paris. He thinks this will cheer Juliet up from the loss of Tybalt. 🙂
What is Paris’ reply when Capulet makes his announcement? Paris responds by saying, “I wish it was Thursday already.” He is very anxious for the wedding.
Why does Juliet want to believe the songbird she can hear is a nightingale, not a lark? She does not want it to be a lark because the lark’s song signals daytime and she does not want Romeo to have to leave.
What does Juliet mean by an “ill-divining soul” in Scene 5, line 54? Juliet is foretelling Romeo’s death because she feels she sees him in the bottom of the tomb looking pale.
Why do Juliet’s parents believe she is upset? What is their plan to help cheer her? Juliet’s parents believe that she is upset due to the death of Tybalt. They play to help cheer her up by arranging her marriage to Paris.
Earlier in the play, Capulet said Juliet will get to have a voice in whom she marries. Now, he’s raging at his daughter for speaking up against his choice. Explain why Capulet has changed his mind about listening to his daughter’s opinion about her future spouse. Capulet has changed his mind because he is mad that Juliet does not love who he found and who he considers as “the perfect man.” Capulet was mad that Juliet did not accept and agree with his choice. The reason he was so mad was because it was HIS choice, and she did not agree with him and felt that she was being disrespectful to him because she didn’t choose his “perfect man”. Really embarrassing if Capulet had to go back to Paris and say that she doesn’t want to marry you. Would be emasculating for him because the man is supposed to be the man in the house.
How does the Nurse describe Paris in Sc. 5, lines 218-223? The Nurse describes Paris as a lovely gentleman making Romeo seem like a dishrag. He is lively and nice to look at. He is a good second marriage and is better than her first.
Why does Friar Lawrence say he is hesitant to marry Paris and Juliet? Why is he really hesitant? Friar Lawrence said to Paris that he was hesitant since they don’t know each other well enough but the real reason is that Juliet is already married to Romeo
What reason does Paris give for not having spent much time courting Juliet? He says that she has been crying all the time and he cannot woo her if she is mourning
How does Paris justify the quick marriage plans? Paris says that Juliet needs someone to comfort her
What is ironic about the conversation between Juliet and Paris? Juliet is being short and sassy. She is not thrilled and being quite rude and snippy. Juliet is talking about Romeo and her marriage while Paris thinks she is talking about their marriage – IRONY
Name three of the horrible things Juliet says she would find preferable to marrying Paris. Stabbing herself with a knife, Chained with roaring bears and surrounded by serpents, Being hidden in a charnel house (tomb for family) and sleeping among the dead
What is the “plan” Friar Lawrence comes up with? She will tell her parents she is going to marry him. Then the night before while they prepare everything for the wedding she will drink a poison that will make her fall asleep and slow her pulse so she seems dead. When they find her “dead” they will take her to get ready for her burial, here she will wake up and escape to friar lawrence’s where romeo will be waiting.
How do you know if you’re hiring a good cook? The cook will lick his fingers while cooking, meaning that the food tastes good.
What does Juliet say to make her father happy? Juliet apologizes to her father and begs for his forgiveness. She tells him that she met Paris at Friar Lawrence’s and treated him with respect but also with modesty.
Juliet was supposed to marry Paris on Thursday, but what has her father decided? What implications does this have? Capulet decides that the wedding will be moved to Wednesday. This forces Juliet to take the potion earlier than the friar told her to, but Romeo and the Friar are not aware of this.
Who will stay up all night to make sure the wedding party preparations are complete? Lord Capulet will stay up to prepare the wedding.
Does Juliet exhibit any maturity or independence in this scene? How? Yes because Juliet is making her own decision, and following her heart. She is not allowing anyone to tell her what to do. She also shows maturity because before this scene we have seen that Juliet leans on others, like the Nurse and Friar Laurence, and now she does not call out for the Nurse’s help, and just takes the vile by herself. This is the first time she is thinking about her actions.
In case the potion doesn’t work, what item does Juliet keep with her in the bed? Juliet brings a dagger/knife with her to bed incase the potion does not work. It is NOT the same knife that Romeo had
Describe three things Juliet thinks might go wrong if she takes the potion. She might die from the poison/ she thinks Friar Lawrence might have mixed it to kill her. She is afraid that it won’t work and that she will wake up the next day and need to marry Paris. She is afraid that she will wake up in the tomb before Romeo comes to save her and that she will suffocate/ be surrounded by the screams of dead souls. She also says that she is afraid that she will wake up in the tomb and go mad because of the sounds that she hears and smash her head in with one of her ancestors bones.
Write down six words from Juliet’s speech (Scene 3, lines 25-58) that show her feelings about death Loathsome, Horrible, Foul, Fearful, Hideous, Distraught
What time in the morning is it? It is after 3 o’clock in the morning
In the midst of all the cooking and prepping, Paris arrives for his wedding date. Given the answer to the previous question, what does this arrival show us about Paris? PARIS CANNOT WAIT TO MARRY AND SEE JULIET, AS HE HAD SAID BEFORE WHEN THE DATE OF THE MARRIAGE WAS GIVEN BY CAPULET. HE is so very excited that he arrives early at 3 o’ clock; PARIS SEEMS LIKE A DECENT GUY AND EARNEST AND REALLY WANTS TO MARRY HER
What does Capulet mean when he says the Nurse should “go and trim her up” in Scene 4, line 27? To get her ready for her wedding day. Dress her bathe her etc.
Who is the first to find Juliet’s body and think that she’s dead in Scene 5? THe nurse is the first to find Juliet’s body. SHe then calls in lady capulet
In what three ways does Capulet say he can tell Juliet is dead? Her joints are stiff, Her blood has settled, Lips have been long been parted
What does the Friar advise Juliet’s parents to do with her body? Friar advises Juliet’s parents to put rosemary on her corpse, dress her in best clothing, and bring her to church to be buried.
In a sly way, the Friar actually blames Juliet’s parents for her lifelessness. Write the lines in which he says they are being punished by God. “The heavens do lour upon you for some ill. Move them no more by crossing their high will.” pg. 205
Why does Shakespeare end this heavy, emotionally wrenching scene with the odd exchange between Peter and the musicians? To lighten the mood, and to give some comedic relief after the heavy and emotional scene. Also , it leaves you on cliff hanger because you want to know what happened with Juliet and if Romeo will find her but instead shakespeare just keeps putting it off and basically getting way off topic. Shakespeare would have appeared to all types of audiences. The characters that the groundlings would have been familiar with would have been the serving men and the nurse, and it shows how the musicians don’t care about her death but now they are afraid they won’t give a meal. Shows their lives are so disconnected.
Describe the dream that Romeo has just had at the beginning of Scene 1?. Romeo had a dream that Juliet found him dead, that Juliet kissed his lips, and that he came back to life as an emperor
Who brings news from Verona? What is the news? Balthasar brings the news of Juliet’s death from Verona to Romeo
Write down three odd things Romeo noticed in the apothecary shop. A tortoise shell, A stuffed alligator, Skins of strange fish, Musty seeds, Green urban pots, mashed petals on display, A few strands of string, Pizza, Turtle droppings and Pretzels
Why is it difficult to get poison in Mantua? It was illegal and It is penalized by immediate execution
In Scene 2, what is Friar John’s excuse for not having delivered the letter to Romeo? He was quarantined because they thought he had the plague. He was caring for sick people
What is Friar Laurence’s plan of action once he realizes Romeo hasn’t received his letter? He’s going to go rush to get to Juliet so that she isn’t alone when she wakes up. He is just going to hope for the best and wait to see what happens
Who is the first person to arrive at Juliet’s tomb in Scene 3? Why is he there? Paris, He is there to grieve and place flowers on her casket
Explain Paris’ logic in thinking that Romeo is responsible for Juliet killing herself. Paris believed that Juliet killed herself because she was overtaken with grief from Tybalt’s death and Romeo killed tybalt. “This is that banish’d haughty Montague That murder’d my love’s cousin, with which grief It is supposèd the fair creature died”
Did Paris love Juliet? Give evidence to support your answer. He does love Juliet. When he visits her grave he says that he will perform a ritual every night in her memory, and when Romeo approaches he asks who is interrupting his act of true love and refers to Juliet as his love when he confronts Romeo. Said he was going to bring flowers to her grave every day.
Romeo comments that Juliet looks just as beautiful in death as she did in life, with roses in her cheeks and lips. He doesn’t realize that the “death” is just a potion that’s wearing off. Instead, why does he figure Juliet is still so beautiful? Romeo says that death has no power against her beauty and now death has even claimed her as his bride.
Does Juliet wake up just before Romeo dies or just after? Just after
Who is present when Juliet awakens? Why doesn’t this person stay? Friar Lawrence. He doesn’t stay because Juliet tells him to leave before she kills herself.
Why does Juliet kiss Romeo’s lips even after he already died? She kiss his lips to see if there is any poison leftover for her to kill herself with.
Juliet says, “Thy lips are warm!” This is, quite arguably, one of the saddest lines in the entire play. Why are these four little words so meaningful? BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT IF SHE HAD WOKEN UP A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER, THEN BOTH ROMEO AND JULIET’S LIVES WOULD HAVE BEENS SAVED.
How does Juliet kill herself? She stabs herself in the chest with Romeo’s knife.
Which two characters are detained by the watchmen after Juliet’s death? Friar Lawrence and Balthasar
Who else died tonight? How do we find out? Lady Montague, Montague told us when he was called by the Prince to the graveyard
How many people died in this play? List their names in order of their deaths. Mercutio, Tybalt, “Juliet”, Paris, Romeo, Juliet, Lady Montague
Rewrite the final six lines of the play in your own words. This morning brings peace because the feuds between Capulets and Montagues has ended. The sun will not rise because of sorrow. Go forward and talk more of these sad things. Some will be spared, and some will be punished. Never was a story more sad than this of Romeo and Juliet.