Act I review
Why does Benvolio encourage Romeo to attend the Capulet's feast in Scene 2?
He wants Romeo to compare Rosaline to the other ladies of Verona.
In Act II, Scene 2, line 2, Romeo sees Juliet at her window and begins his soliloquy with
these words:
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
What is the importance of this soliloquy in developing the plot of the play?
This soliloquy establishes that Romeo is in love with Juliet. He compares her to “the sun” and says that her eyes are “Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven.” It is clear that it has been love at first sight for Romeo, and this is an obvious issue given that their families are feuding. Since we already know they are star-crossed lovers, this further advances Romeo and Juliet toward their inevitable doom.
In Act III, Scene 2, when Juliet finds out that Romeo has killed her cousin Tybalt, she calls
Romeo a fiend angelical, a damned saint, and an honorable villain. Juliet’s use of
oxymorons reveals that she —
A. likes Romeo more than she hates him
B. loves Tybalt more than she loves Romeo
C. wishes she had never met Romeo
D. is confused about her conflicted feelings
D. is confused about her conflicted feelings
Is this a main or parallel plot: Romeo and Juliet’s love story
Main Plot
Based on the excerpt, what is the author’s primary purpose for including a Prologue in the structure of the drama?
“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, . . . Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.” (lines 5–6, 8)
A to identify the diverse settings of the drama
B to introduce the main characters of the drama
C to establish the fanciful mood of the drama
D to provide a preview of the plot
D to provide a preview of the plot
Act II Scene II:
What comparison does Romeo make in this section? Identify the human qualities Shakespeare gives to the moon.
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art far more fair than she.
Be not her maid, since she is envious;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.
Romeo compares Juliet to the sun (this is a metaphor).
The human qualities he gives the moon are envy and wearing ugly clothes (vestal livery), which is an example of personification.
What two developments in Act III suggest the story will end unhappily?
A Juliet begs the nurse to tell her what happened to Romeo.
B Romeo breaks his vow to love Tybalt and not to fight with him.
C Friar Laurence gets frustrated with how Romeo is acting.
D Juliet is distraught over Romeo’s banishment.
E Romeo has not left Juliet’s chamber by sunrise.
B and D!
Is this a main or parallel plot: Friar Laurence’s role in helping Romeo and Juliet
Main plot
A foil is a character who highlights, through sharp contrast, the qualities of another character. Identify two sets of characters in Act I who are foils for each other. What do you learn about the characters by seeing them contrasted to one another?
Act II Scene 3
What does Friar Laurence mean when he calls the earth a womb and a tomb? Is he only talking about garden plants?
I must upfill this osier cage of ours
With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers.
The earth that’s nature’s mother is her tomb,
What is her burying grave, that is her womb;
The earth gives life, but it is also the final resting place when living things die. He is not only talking about garden plants; he is also talking about how people live and die.
In Act III, Scene 5, Lady Capulet thinks that Juliet is weeping for Tybalt when she is actually weeping for Romeo. The dramatic irony--
A. implies that Lady Capulet does not understand love
B. proves Lady Capulet disapproves of the continued violence
C. shows the audience the double meaning of what Juliet says
D. provides the audience with evidence that Lady Capulet knows Juliet has married
C. shows the audience the double meaning of what Juliet says
Main or parallel plot? Paris’s interest in marrying Juliet
Parallel plot
In Act I, Scene 1, Romeo uses the following phrases to describe his feelings about love: brawling love, loving hate, heavy lightness, serious vanity, feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, and sick health. What feelings/emotions does Romeo’s use of oxymorons reveal to the audience?
He is conflicted/confused/uncertain/unsure about his feelings of love due to Rosaline not loving him back.
Read lines 43–44 spoken by Juliet in Act II, Scene 2.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
What theme is being developed through Juliet’s words?
A. Individual merit is more important than family name.
B. Names of objects are important.
C. Our minds can be deceived more easily than our senses.
D. Family feuds can destroy reputations.
A. Individual merit is more important than family name.
In Act III, Scene 1, Mercutio acts as Romeo’s foil when he ignores Romeo’s pleas to stop the fight. This scene reveals that Romeo —
A. is a courageous hero to Mercutio
B. wants the feud to end
C. fears direct confrontation
D. is beginning to side with the Capulets
B. wants the feud to end
Main or Parallel Plot?
Romeo’s unrequited love for Rosaline
Parallel Plot
Read line 133 spoken by Juliet in Act I, Scene 5.
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.
What is the effect of this line on the plot?
A. It foreshadows something that happens later.
B. It is a flashback to a previous important event.
C. It introduces a subplot involving Nurse and Juliet.
D. It is part of a parallel plot involving Juliet and Paris.
A. It foreshadows something that happens later.
In Scene 3, why is Friar Laurence suspicious of Romeo’s declaration of love for Juliet? What is his motivation for agreeing to marry Romeo and Juliet, despite his reservations?
Friar Laurence is suspicious because Romeo has been in love with Rosaline. He thinks that Romeo's feelings are not deep, but he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet because it may end the feud between the Montagues and Capulets.
What is Romeo’s motivation for killing Tybalt? Is his action justified or a mistake in the long-term effects of the play?
Romeo is motivated by anger and rage over Mercutio's death. He loses control, and while his anger is understandable, it was unwise for him to kill a member of the Capulet family because it creates more problems for him and Juliet.
How does Lord Capulet's character appear in Act I and how does it change in Act III as he talks to Juliet?
In Act I, Lord Capulet was a protective and considerate father, whereas in Act III, he was controlling and abusive to Juliet.