Act IV scene I
1. Lines 6-15 – Paraphrase Paris’s lines:According to Paris, why is Capulet pushing his daughter to marry so quickly?
2. Line 29 – What does this statement reveal about Paris’s character?
3. Paraphrase lines 50-54:
4. Paraphrase lines 68-76:
5. Line 54 – What is Juliet holding in her hand?
6. What is she threatening to do?
7. Lines 77-88 – What would Juliet’s mood be as she delivers this speech?
8. What is she willing to do rather than marry Paris?
9. Lines 89 – 120 – Do you think Friar Laurence’s plan is likely to work, or is it locking the characters deeper into disaster?
10. Line 89 – Juliet must pay strict attention to the friar’s plan, as must the audience. On what day does the friar tell Juliet to take the potion?
11. Line 106 – This may be the most implausible part of the play, but we have been prepared for it. Where have we seen the friar taking care of his herbs and heard him talk of magical potions before?
12. What will happen to Juliet when she takes the drug?
13. Line 117 – How is Romeo to be told of this plan? When is he to watch Juliet wake and take her to Mantua?
14. Line 122 – What does the friar give Juliet as she exits?
15. What exactly is the plan?
16. Line 126 – In some productions the friar holds Juliet back for just a moment and silently blesses her. Why would this make us more anxious about the outcome of his plan?
Act IV scene II and III
1. Line 1 – Capulet is sending his servant off to invite guests to Juliet’s wedding. The happy domestic scene, full of exciting preparations for a celebration, promises new life. How does this comic and busy domestic scene contrast with the previous one?
2. Line 14 – Harlotry means a “good for nothing”, a prostitute. Whom is Capulet referring to as “it”?
3. Line 15 – Do you think Juliet really has a “merry look”, or is the nurse trying to cover up?
4. Line 24 – Why do you think Capulet pushes the marriage up to Wednesday?
5. Line 28 – According to this speech, what has Juliet been doing since she first addressed her father?
6. Lines 33-35 – For what occasion does the nurse think that Juliet is picking out clothes for?
7. For what occasion is Juliet really picking out clothes for?
8. Line 37 – The wedding has been changed to take place on Wednesday. Lady Capulet tries to change her husband’s mind, perhaps in consideration of Juliet, but she is not successful. How will this affect the timing of the friar’s plans?
9. Scene III - line 14 – Here is a fine example of the Shakespearian soliloquy, where a character who is poised on the edge of action thinks over its pros and cons. What are the fears and doubts that Juliet must consider before taking the potion?
10. Line 29 – Audiences always wonder why the Friar has not simply told the families of Romeo and Juliet’s secret marriage rather than involve them in such a dangerous plan. How does Juliet explain the Friar’s actions?
11. Lines 55-57 – Elizabethans tended to be deeply superstitious and believed that ghosts often returned to earth on a specific mission: to warn the living about the future or to avenge their own deaths. Ghosts are dramatically effective and play a prominent role in many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Richard III. Often the ghosts are visible only to the specific person they are haunting. Why might Juliet fear a visit form Tybalt’s ghost?
12. Draw the mental picture you have of the tomb from Juliet’s description of it: Effort!
Act IV scenes IV and V
1. Line 5-7 – Angelica is the nurse’s name. How does Lord Capulet treat her now, as opposed to how he treated her in Act III, Scene V?
2.What humor does the nurse add to this scene? What emotions are generally associated with the day of a family member’s wedding?
3. Lines 11 and 12 paraphrase:
4. Also what is Lady Capulet’s tone here?
5. Line 23 – The music is bridal music, for the wedding. What irony would the audience sense on hearing this music and knowing what has happened to Juliet?
6. Lines 25-28 – Even though we know what the nurse will find when she goes to waken Juliet, we still feel a sense of suspense at this point. Why?
7. Scene V – As the nurse speaks to Juliet and to herself, she is busy arranging clothes, opening windows, and doing things around the room. In what line here does she touch Juliet and discover she is cold?
8. Line 24 – Why does Lady Capulet repeat herself?
9. Line 33 – What do we know about Friar Laurence that the other characters do not?
10. Lines 34-40 – How does Capulet personify death?
11. Line 43-54 – Find as many synonyms as you can for the adjective “sad”:
12. Line 48 – Lord and Lady Capulet and the nurse express anguish when we, the audience, know that Juliet is not dead. What words of the Capulet’s here suggest a loving concern for Juliet that seemed to be missing from earlier scenes?
13. Which character enters and plays dumb about the whole situation?
14. In your opinion, what might the nurse, Paris, and the Capulets think caused Juliet’s death?
15. Lines 59 -64– How do these lines contrast with Lord Capulet’s earlier threats to dismiss Juliet from his household?
16. In your opinion, is all anger and violence a result of not weighing out the consequences?
17. Should have Capulet been so angry with Juliet?
18. Lines 94 and 95 – The Friar is saying that the loss of their daughter is punishment. What did they do to deserve punishment?
19. Lines 137-139 – Are the musicians becoming angry with Peter, or are their insults meant in good humor?
Romeo and Juliet – Act IV Quiz
“Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death, and therefore I little talked of love.”
Paris said this
Romeo said this
Lord Capulet said this
Capulet is pushing Juliet to marry
to bring happier times to the family
because Paris is of high social stature
All of the above
“Thy face is mine, and thou hast slandered it”
Paris says this
Friar says this
Romeo says this
“If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help, do thou but call my resolution wise and with this knife I will help it presently.”
Juliet threatens to commit suicide if the Friar cannot help
Romeo threatens to commit suicide if the Friar cannot help
Paris threatens to commit suicide if Juliet will not marry him
“If, rather than to marry County Paris, thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, then is it likely thou wilt undertake a thing like death to chide away this shame.”
Friar is telling Juliet that she can pretend that she is dead
Friar is telling Juliet to go ahead and marry Paris
Romeo is talking to Juliet
“O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, from off the battlements of any tower”
Juliet says this to Friar
Friar says this to Juliet
Romeo says this
Juliet will awake after
24 hours
48 hours
42 hours
The plan is for Juliet to drink the vile
To bypass marrying Romeo
To bypass marrying Paris
To commit suicide
On which day is Juliet originally supposed to drink the vile?
Thursday
Friday
Wednesday
Friar talks of herbs and magical potions
for the first time in Act IV
never
the very first time that Shakespeare introduces his character
Friar
is going to let Romeo know of the plan by letters
is planning on not telling Romeo of the plan
is going to wait with Romeo to watch Juliet awake on Saturday
In some productions, the Friar will bless Juliet before she leaves with the vile
To show the audience that there is no danger ahead for Juliet
To show the audience that there may be danger ahead for Juliet
To signal to the audience that it is time to go get popcorn
Shakespeare often sandwiched comic scenes between
Dramatic scenes
Short scenes
Long scenes
Capulet calls Juliet
“good” names
evil
A peevish self-willed harlotry
Capulet pushes the marriage up to Wednesday to
make sure that Juliet does not have time to change her mind
He is so happy that she has agreed
All of the above
When Juliet tells Capulet that she will marry Paris
she is disrespectful
she is telling the truth
she is kneeling
The nurse helps Juliet pick out clothes for Juliet’s wedding. Juliet is really picking out clothes for her:
fashion show
funeral
meeting Romeo later that night
The wedding will be Wednesday and not Thursday
Romeo will have plenty of time to receive Friar’s letters
Romeo will have less time to receive Friar’s letters
Romeo received the letters on Tuesday
Juliet is afraid to take the potion because
she does not want to see Tybalt’s ghost
the Friar’s potions never work
she doesn’t want to disappoint her father
Audiences always wonder why the Friar has not simply told the families of Romeo and Juliet’s secret marriage rather than involve them in such a dangerous plan. How does Juliet explain the Friar’s actions?
She says that the Friar would not want to ruin his reputation as a holy man
She says that the Friar has always been a coward
She says that the Friar does not like to gossip
Why might Juliet fear a visit from Tybalt’s ghost?
Because she will be in the same tomb as he and all of the other Capulets
Because she is married to Romeo who killed Tybalt
All of the above
The nurse’s name is
Beatrice
Christie
Angelica
“Ay, you have been a mouse hunt in your time; but I will watch you from such watching now.”
Lady Capulet says this
The nurse says this
Lady Montague says this
Who discovers Juliet’s body?
Lady Capulet
Lord Capulet
The nurse
The nurse
Discovers that Juliet is “dead” right away
thinks Juliet is sleeping first, then realizes that she is “dead”
does not find Juliet’s body
“Death is my son-in-law, Death is my heir”
Capulet said this
Romeo said this
Friar said this
“Come, is the bride ready to go to church?”
The Friar knows that Juliet will not be ready to go
The Friar is not sure if Juliet will be ready – so he is asking
The Friar knows that Juliet is ready to go get married to Paris
“Hath death lain with thy wife.”
This is a metaphor
This is a simile
This is personification
Lord Capulet
regrets that he was angry with Juliet when he sees that she is dead
Does not regret his anger
Is still angry with Juliet
Which character has to “play dumb”?
Romeo
Lord Capulet
Friar
The nurse, Paris and Capulets might believe that Juliet died from
Extreme Grief
Foul play
Stab wounds
“The heavens do lower upon you for some ill; move them no more by crossing their high will”
The Friar is saying that Juliet got what she deserved
Romeo says this
The Friar is saying that the loss of Juliet is punishment for the sin of feuding or for forcing Juliet to marry Paris.
A disadvantage for film and television productions of Shakespearian comedy might be:
Actors are not as good now
Actor’s cannot respond to the feedback of a live audience
Screenwriters do not understand Shakespeare
Explain what the Friar’s plan is:
