Act IV
To ask Friar Lawrence to marry him (Paris) and Juliet.
Why must Friar Lawrence be the one to tell the Prince the entire story?
He is the only one who truly knows all that happened with the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet.
"Being tasted, slays all senses with the heart" is WHAT type of literary device?
Alliteration.
Is Paris a flat or round character? Why?
Paris is a flat character because his only attribute and desire is to marry Juliet.
What good comes from the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet?
Their families end the feud; they stop fighting.
Where do readers see dramatic irony in Act IV?
Why does the apothecary finally decide to sell Romeo his poison?
The apothecary is broke; his poverty/need for money.
“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun” is an example of WHAT literary device?
Metaphor.
What is Capulet's mood like as he prepares for the wedding between Paris and Juliet?
Impatient and excited for the wedding to take place.
When Mercutio says, "A plague o' both your houses," what does he mean?
He is cursing the feud between the Montagues and Capulets and blames his death on the feud.
What is something said in Act IV that shows how women were considered property?
Two main options:
1. Paris says that he owns Juliet's face.
2. Friar Lawrence talks to Romeo about overcoming his "womanish" fears.
What kept the letter from Friar Lawrence about Juliet's death from getting to Romeo?
Friar John was quarantined in a house because he was thought to have the plague.
List some possible themes for Romeo and Juliet.
A person cannot control their fate.
Unguided youthful and rushed love can lead to violence.
"Don't marry someone you just met!" - Frozen
Generational hate can have severe consequences.
Describe (in detail) the Nurse's character.
Answers will vary -- Nurse makes inappropriate and sexual remarks constantly. She is Juliet's confidant but then "betrays" Juliet by saying that Romeo is a horrible person for killing Tybalt. The Nurse is older and lost her daughter (who was around Juliet's age) and husband many years ago.
How can it be said that this is a play about timing?
Answers will vary - barely any time passes throughout the entire play; if Romeo and Juliet had more time together, maybe they wouldn't have acted so irrationally, etc.
Other answers can include time with Romeo moving on from Juliet, time with Capulet giving Juliet to "grieve" Tybalt instead of forcing a marriage, etc.
Explain, in detail, Friar Lawrence's plan to help Juliet.
Juliet will take a potion the night before the wedding which will make her appear dead (stiff, pale, cold, lower heartbeat, slow breathing) for 42 hours. Her family will bury her in the Capulet tomb. Friar Lawrence and Romeo and will be at the tomb when she wakes up and Romeo and Juliet will go to Mantua.
List all of the characters who die in Act V and HOW they die.
Paris - killed by Romeo in a duel
Romeo - suicide by drinking poison
Juliet - suicide by stabbing herself with Romeo's dagger
Lady Montague - died of grief over Romeo's death
The audience knowing that Juliet isn't really dead when she takes the sleeping potion is an example of WHAT literary device?
Dramatic irony.
Why does the Prince believe Friar Lawrence when he tells the story of Romeo and Juliet?
The Prince knows that the Friar is a holy man and wouldn't do anything to go against his profession.
Stars are used as a motif (a recurring symbol) throughout the entire play to represent what?
Fate.
List all of Juliet's fears of taking the potion.
1. It won't work and she will have to marry Paris. 2. It is really a poison so Friar Lawrence won't get in trouble. 3. She will wake before Romeo reaches her and she will suffocate. 4. She will be tormented by her dead relatives; haunted. 5. She will go insane and play with a dead relative's skeleton then bash her head in with a bone.
What do Capulet and Montague agree to do to in Romeo and Juliet's honor?
Capulet will give Montague the wedding rights (land,money, etc. -- dowry) and Montague will build a gold statue made in Juliet’s image.
When Capulet says, "Death is my son-in-law / Death is my heir," he is using WHAT literary element?
Personification.
Juliet chooses to end her life with her husband's dagger. What does this say about her character?
She has the conviction to take her life into her own hands and the strength other characters didn't. She is a DYNAMIC character.
Explain how Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy (minimum three reasons).
1. There is death - both main characters "fall" - die
2. Romeo and Juliet have tragic flaws that lead to their death (hamartia)
3. There are factors throughout the play that no one is in control of; fate