6. Romeo and Juliet - Act 4

Lesson 79

Romeo and Juliet�Act 4

Scene 1

The last scene of Act 3 occurred on Tuesday morning. The day is still Tuesday when Scene 1 of Act 5 begins. Paris asks Friar Laurence to perform his and Juliet's marriage ceremony. Juliet enters, and, for the first time, the audience sees Paris and Juliet converse. Paris waits for words of love from Juliet, but, using ambiguous phrases, she is skilfully evasive in her responses. Paris mistakes her forlorn appearance as grief for Tybalt and leaves the cell, ignorant of her love for, and marriage to, Romeo. Responding to Juliet's desperation, Friar Laurence concocts a plan that he believes will prevent the marriage of Juliet and Paris and allow for the reunion of Romeo and Juliet.

Read Scene 1. Then respond to the following questions.

1. There are many instances of dramatic irony in lines 1 to 43. All instances relate to Paris's lack of knowledge about Juliet's marriage to Romeo. The following chart indicates the discrepancies between Paris's beliefs and the truth. Illustrate your understanding of dramatic irony by completing the following chart, indicating what the audience knows and what Paris does not.
 

The Apparent Situation
(what appears to be true)		 What the Audience Knows
(the reality)
Friar Laurence to Paris: "On Thursday, sir? The time is very short." (line 1)  
Paris believes that Juliet "weeps for Tybalt's death." (line 6)  
Paris calls Juliet "my lady and my wife." (line 18)  
Juliet to Paris: [My face] "is not mine own." (line 36)  
Paris to Juliet and the friar: "God shield I should disturb devotion." (line 41)  

2.

  1. List at least three things that Juliet says she would rather do than marry Paris.
  2. Lines 89 to 120 ease Juliet's fears and are very important to the plot. Rewrite this passage in your own words, emphasizing important details.
  3. Scene 1 further characterizes Paris, Friar Laurence, and Juliet. List one new character trait for each person, providing relevant evidence from the scene.
  4. Explain the appropriateness of Paris's allusion in line 8.
  5. Does Scene 1 conclude on an optimistic or pessimistic note? Explain.

Discuss the following questions with a partner or in a small group:

  • If you were reading Juliet's speech in lines 50 to 67, what words would you emphasize? Where would you make effective pauses?
  • What, if any, body movements would you make?
  • How would you position yourself in relation to the friar?

Scene 2


�2002 www.clipart.com

We return to the Capulet house where wedding preparations for Juliet and Paris appear to be in full swing. Lying, Juliet tells her father that "henceforward I am ever ruled by you." Her reply satisfies him. Full of joy, Lord Capulet moves the wedding date forward to Wednesday and goes off to consult with Paris.

Read Scene 2. Then respond to the following questions.

3.

  1. What is the purpose of the comic relief at the scene's beginning?
  2. Up to this point in the play, Juliet hasn't actually lied to her father. However, she deliberately deceives him now. What line or lines illustrate her deception?
  3. There is more dramatic irony in this scene. Give one example and explain the irony.
  4. What is the dramatic purpose of Scene 2? Why is the scene necessary to the plot, theme, and characterizations?

Scene 3

Juliet retires to her chamber, and convinces her mother and nurse to leave her alone. Once she is by herself, she speaks in a soliloquy and expresses her fears about the uncertain future. Seeing no alternative to taking the potion, she overcomes her "hideous fears" and drinks the entire vial.

Read Scene 3. Then read the following dialogue.

Journal Entry

Choose one of the following two topics:

  • Juliet's soliloquy in Scene 3 reveals her fears. What is she afraid of? Do you share her fears? If you were Juliet, what would you be most fearful of?
  • Many readers wonder why Juliet doesn't go to Mantua with Romeo once he is banished or join him there after she discovers she has to marry Paris. What reasons can you give to explain the fact that she doesn't leave? Would the reasons be the same today, somewhat similar, or quite different? Explain.

Scene 4

This brief scene dealing with wedding preparations and domestic business in the Capulet house is a dramatic contrast to the previous scene. Everyone seems to be in a jolly mood, although Lord Capulet worries that preparations for Paris's arrival are not yet in place.

The scene ends as Lord Capulet orders the nurse to "waken Juliet."

Read Scene 4. There are no questions for this scene.

Scene 5

In this scene, Juliet is found "dead" in her chamber by her nurse. The Capulets and Paris grieve her passing. Friar Laurence offers words of consolation, all the while knowing Juliet is alive.

Read Scene 5. Then respond to the following questions.

4.

  1. The first 13 lines are filled with dark, dramatic irony. Why are these lines necessary to the play?
  2. Capulet speaks in figurative language in lines 28 and 29 when referring to the death of Juliet: "Death lies on her like an untimely frost / Upon the sweetest flower of all the field." Why are his images and figurative language especially effective?
  3. The death motif continues in this scene. Give three instances of the motif from lines 31 to 64.
  4. Friar Laurence's words in lines 64 to 83 are filled with dramatic irony in the sense that he and the audience, unlike the wedding party, knows that Juliet is not truly dead. Yet his speech would be appropriate if there was a premature death. From his speech, give two examples of phrases that might console relatives or friends at a time of death.
  5. In Capulet's closing words, you see him turn "festival" to "funeral." Give two examples of the changes he makes to accommodate Juliet's death.
  6. What props would be needed for lines 96 to the end of Scene 5?
  7. What does Shakespeare do to maintain suspense in this scene?

The last part of Scene 5 with Peter and the musicians seems rather tasteless. Discuss the following with a partner or small group: If you were the director, how would you deal with this scene? Would you omit it? Modify it? Retain it? Explain your reasoning.

Going Further

Select a figure of speech, for example, metaphor, simile, personification, or oxymoron, that you found particularly effective in Act 4. List as many associations as you can that apply to that figure of speech.
 

Journal Entry

Romeo does not appear in Act 4. Why does the audience not forget about him? Why do you think Shakespeare chose not to include him in the act? Do you think Shakespeare made an effective choice? Discuss this in writing.

You have completed reading Act 4, which is short but defined by a great deal of action. Lord Capulet promises Paris that Juliet shall be his wife. To avoid the marriage, Friar Laurence gives Juliet a potion so that she appears dead. The act ends with preparations for Juliet's funeral.

 

Suggested Answers

1. Your response should be similar to the following.
 

The Apparent Situation
(what appears to be true)		 What the Audience Knows
(the reality)
a. Friar Laurence to Paris: "On Thursday, sir? The time is very short." (line 1) The time is more than short; it's too late because Romeo and Juliet got married on Monday.
b. Paris believes that Juliet "weeps for Tybalt's death." (line 6) Juliet weeps for Romeo. Or she weeps because she is told she must marry Paris.
c. Paris calls Juliet "my lady and my wife." (line 18) Juliet is Romeo's wife and cannot be Paris's wife.
d. Juliet to Paris: [My face] "is not mine own." (line 36) Because a husband and wife are considered one, Juliet's face belongs to Romeo.
e. Paris to Juliet and the friar: "God shield I should disturb devotion." (line 41) Juliet and the friar don't meet for devotional purposes but to devise a risky and deadly plot.

2. a. Juliet says she would rather do any of the following than marry Paris:
 

  • kill herself with a knife
  • leap off a tower
  • walk in thievish ways
  • lurk with serpents
  • be chained with roaring bears
  • be shut up nightly in a charnel-house
  • hide with a dead man in his shroud

b. Friar Laurence tells Juliet to agree to the marriage. However, this will be a lie. She will actually take a potion that will make her appear dead for 42 hours. Once her family finds her "dead," they will take her to the Capulet tomb where she will lie safe and undisturbed. Meanwhile, by way of a letter, the friar will notify Romeo of the plan so that he will know to come and awaken Juliet. Once awake, Juliet and Romeo will flee to Mantua.

c. Paris is confident that Juliet loves him. He is not a suspicious man, and believes in people's natural goodness. He may be viewed as self-deceptive by some since he doesn't seem to notice that Juliet doesn't return his love.

Friar Laurence thinks quickly and is intelligent enough to devise a very complicated plan. However, his thinking is rash and ill-conceived. He seems to be leading the young couple toward more serious difficulties than the ones they've already created.

Juliet is desperate and deeply in love with Romeo. She's clever with words and finds it easy to deceive Paris. She has courage and the ability to overcome fear—few people would swallow a potion that would bring them that close to death. Not many would willingly spend two nights with rotting corpses in a tomb or graveyard.

d. Because Juliet cries for Romeo and is separated from him, Venus, the goddess of love, can't work her magic between the two. Of course, Paris doesn't know this. He thinks that his and Juliet's love will not prosper while she mourns for Tybalt.

e. Responses may vary. The last lines are more optimistic than pessimistic in the sense that a plan has been put into place that will prevent the marriage of Juliet and Paris and reunite Romeo and Juliet. However, the plan doesn't seem feasible.

3. a. This light-hearted scene relieves the dramatic tension from the previous scene. Although some may think the opening comments in bad taste—considering that Tybalt is newly dead—the clever wordplay and silly antics do provide a laugh or two.

b. There is more than one possible choice. One possibility is line 22, when Juliet says, "Henceforward I am ever ruled by you."

c. There are a few possibilities. One is in lines 31 and 32. Here, Lord Capulet wants to thank Friar Laurence for making Juliet reconsider her rash and impudent behaviour. Because Friar Laurence has made Juliet see sense, Capulet believes the whole city is indebted to him. The audience knows otherwise, of course—Friar Laurence is actually the one who ensures that the marriage of Juliet and Paris will not take place.

d. Responses may vary. The scene does advance the plot in the sense that the audience knows that plans for the wedding have been firmed up. The date has been moved ahead to Wednesday.

This scene reinforces the theme of choosing a marriage partner. Although Lord Capulet wants Juliet's agreement, there's no doubt that he is the one who chooses the husband. Scene 2 also characterizes Capulet as a hard-working, genial man—genial if things go his way, that is.

The scene also provides comic relief in the opening few lines.

Domestic details of the Capulet household are also revealed. The audience discovers that Lord, rather than Lady, Capulet is willing to "play the housewife."

4. a. There must be no doubt that Juliet appears truly dead. Some people suggest that this scene foreshadows Juliet's true death. The nurse's comments illustrate how great a tragedy Juliet's death will be to her family, to Paris, and to the city of Verona.

b. Juliet is not yet 14 years old. Therefore, the phrase "untimely frost," meaning early death, emphasizes Juliet's youthfulness. "Sweetest flower" implies that Juliet is the fairest among other girls of her age. Equating death with frost suggests that even in death, Juliet's beauty is still observable beneath the shroud of death.

c. The following are three examples:

  • ". . . the night before thy wedding-day / Hath Death lain with thy wife." (lines 35 and 36)
  • "Flower as she was, deflowered by [death]." (line 37)
  • "Death is my son-in-law, death is my heir; / My daughter he hath wedded." (lines 38 and 39)

d. Responses may vary. See if you chose the following:

  • "Heaven and yourself / Had part in this fair maid; now heaven hath all, / And all the better is it for the maid." (lines 66 to 68)
  • "Your part in her you could not keep from death, / But heaven keeps his part in eternal life." (lines 69 and 70)
  • "[Don't] weep ye now, seeing that she is advanced / Above the clouds, as high as heaven itself." (lines 73 and 74)

e. The musical instruments become melancholy bells, the wedding cheer turns to a sad burial feast, solemn hymns become sullen dirges, and bridal flowers serve for a buried corpse. (lines 86 to 89)

f. Various musical instruments would be required for props.

g. There isn't a great deal of suspense; however, Shakespeare keeps the audience's attention upon Juliet's corpse. Friar Laurence's rhyming couplet in lines 94 and 95 sounds an ominous prediction, filling the audience with suspense.