R&J
Why does Friar Lawrence agree to marry Romeo and Juliet?
He thinks it will stop the feuding between the houses.
What literary devices does Romeo use in the following lines? When does he say this?
“It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear”
1) simile and personification
2) When he first sees Juliet
Is the following sentence complete (C), a fragment/incomplete (F), or a run-on sentence (RO). Fix it if needed.
Juliet speaking to Romeo from the balcony.
Fragment
Juliet is speaking to Romeo from the balcony.
Who overhears Romeo at the Capulet's party? What does this foreshadow?
Tybalt; his eventual fight with Romeo
What literary device is Juliet using in these lines? What is she realizing here?
“My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!” (1.5.152-153)
1) Paradox
2) Romeo has fallen in love with her enemy.
What are three characteristics of a sonnet?
1) 14 lines
2) 3 quatrains (sets of 4 lines)
3) ends with a rhyming couplet
Could also say that it has a rhyme scheme of
ABABCDCDEFEFGG
To whom does Capulet say his daughter is “wedded” (4.5.45)? What literary device does he use here? What is he expressing with these lines?
Wedded to Death; personification; Grief over his daughter's supposed death when they are supposed to be celebrating her wedding
What are the two meanings of “fatal” in the following lines? How is this connected to the themes of the play?
“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life”
1) deadly or connected with fate
2) They are fated to fall in love and also to die by their own hands. Their love and their deaths are inevitable.
By the end of Act 3, how has the play turned from a comedy into a tragedy?
1) death of Mercutio (the comic relief)
2) a wedding signifies the end of a comedy--we are past the wedding now
3) Romeo has killed his wife's cousin, causing grief for her as well as their own separation
4) Everyone is crying; joy/laughter is over
Right from the beginning of the play, Benvolio and Tybalt are set up as “foils” or “characters who contrast with another.” How are they alike and how are they different?
Alike: both cousins to MCs and about the same level in their households; both are loyal to their families
Different: Benvolio is a responsible peacemaker, but Tybalt is a fiery, hateful fighter.
What literary device does Romeo use when he challenges “death” to “do what he dare” (2.6.7)? Why is this a strange/unfortunate thing to say at this time?
“Do thou but close our hands with holy words,
Then love-devouring death do what he dare,
It is enough I may but call her mine.”
1) personification
2) He is about to get married and probably shouldn't be challenging death. Also, he is about to cause death in the next scene, leading to his separation from his love.
What does Romeo mean when he wonders why Juliet is “yet so fair” (5.3.102)? How does Shakespeare use dramatic irony here?
1) She still looks beautiful... almost as if she were NOT DEAD
2) She is not dead. We know that. Romeo does not.
List the three fears that Juliet expresses about what will happen after she drinks the potion.
1) It won't work, and she'll have to marry Paris.
2) It is actually poison for Friar to cover up R&J's marriage.
3) She will wake up too early and suffocate.
4) She will wake up too early and go crazy and bash her brains out with a nearby bone.
What device does the Friar use when he says that violent delights are “like fire and powder” (2.5.7)? What double meaning does “violent” have here? What is the friar trying to say?
“These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss, consume.”
1) simile
2) harmful and quick/passionate
3) He is warning Romeo and Juliet on their wedding day, saying that what begins with violence (either swift passion or physical violence) will most likely end that way. This is setting them up for an "explosive" ending.
How many people die by the end of the play and how do they die?
1) Mercutio - killed by Tybalt in a duel
2) Tybalt - killed by Romeo in a revenge duel
3) Paris - killed by Romeo at the tomb
4) Romeo - drinks poison
5) Juliet - stabs herself
6) Lady Montague - died of grief over R's banishment