Plot & Turning Points
Who kills Mercutio?
Tybalt
Who wants Romeo to “move on” from Rosaline?
Benvolio
Romeo calls banishment “purgatory, torture, hell itself.” What is Romeo saying about banishment through this comparison?
He believes banishment is worse than death.
In the Prologue, what are Romeo and Juliet called that hints at their fate?
Star-crossed lovers
Who creates the plan involving the sleeping potion?
Friar Laurence
Why does Juliet agree to Friar Laurence’s plan to fake her death?
To avoid marrying Paris
Why does the Nurse support Juliet marrying Paris?
She thinks Romeo is gone and Paris is a better option
Juliet says, “Hang thee, young baggage! disobedient wretch!” What does “baggage” mean in this insult?
A worthless or disobedient girl.
In Act 3, Romeo says his banishment is worse than what?
Death
How does Romeo receive a lighter punishment after Killing Tybalt?
He is banished instead of killed.
What mistake does Romeo make immediately after hearing Juliet is dead?
He decides to kill himself
Why does Friar Laurence agree to marry Romeo and Juliet?
He hopes it will end the feud
What line in this passage uses a simile?
Alack, alack, is it not like that I, | So early waking, what with loathsome smells | And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth, | That living mortals, hearing them, run mad?
Shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth.
After leaving Juliet, Romeo has a dream that she finds him dead and revives him. What does this dream foreshadow?
Romeo’s death in the tomb
Who dies in the Capulet tomb while trying to confront Romeo?
Paris
Why does Lord Capulet insist on moving the wedding up?
He believes it will cheer Juliet up after Tybalt’s death.
Why does Lord Capulet become furious with Juliet?
She refuses to marry Paris
What two things is Juliet comparing Romeo to in the excerpt:
O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face! Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave? Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical! Dove-feathered raven! wolvish-ravening lamb!
She compares Romeo to a serpent (evil/dangerous) hidden beneath a flower (beautiful/innocent appearance).
What secret does Juliet hide from her parents that increases conflict in Act 3 and 4?
That she is already married to Romeo
According to the Prince’s final speech, what has been the ultimate result of the families’ hatred?
The death of Romeo and Juliet
Why doesn’t Romeo receive Friar Laurence’s letter about Juliet's plan?
Friar John is quarantined and cannot deliver it
Why does Juliet refuse to leave the tomb with Friar Laurence?
She chooses to stay with Romeo and kill herself rather than live without him.
Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on \ The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! \ Here’s to my love! O true apothecary! \ Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.
In the metaphor about the “desperate pilot” and the “sea-sick weary bark,” what is Romeo comparing his life to, and what do the “rocks” represent?
Romeo compares his life to a ship at sea, and the rocks represent death.
What decision by Juliet foreshadows her willingness to risk her life later?
Her agreement to secretly marry Romeo despite her family’s feud.
After the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, what does Lord Capulet promise to build in Juliet’s memory?
A statue of Romeo made of gold