Romeo and Juliet Deep Analysis

Act 1 Scene 1
The guards are talking about sex and have barbaric actions and lots of hate
Romeo’s parents are worried about him because he's just in his room and they don't know
what's wrong so they ask Benvolio for help cause he might tell him what's wrong rather than his
parents

They talk about how love is powerful and even men who are stereotyped as strong can be
played with love

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Before we meet Romeo he is talked about by Montague, Lady Montague and Benvolio. All three
present him as a quiet and shy character, seen when Benvolio explains that Romeo 'was ware
of me and stole into the covert of the wood' (saw me and ran off into the woods to be alone).
This suggests that Romeo has a reclusive personality, which is further backed up when
Montague confirms that Romeo has been seen there many times 'with tears', before running
home and locking himself away in 'his chamber' (his bedroom). In the opening of the scene,
Sampson and Gregory gave us a very sexual view of love through their constant use of
innuendo and double entendres such as "my naked weapon is out". Their conversation presents
love as a wholly sexual thing and the audience, upon meeting Romeo, may expect his
experience of love to be far more romantic. Romeo begins by explaining that "sad hours seem
long", meaning that time passes by slowly when you are unhappy in love. There is plenty of
classical imagery, such as the references to "Cupid" and "Diana", and all the dramatic
exaggeration and hyperbole audiences would expect from someone deeply in love, such as
"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs". Romantic poetry in Elizabethan England often
focused on how a man suffered when in love, and audiences would feel that Romeo was fitting
the mould perfectly so far; up until this point Romeo seems to be a far more romantic character.
However, this romantic view of Romeo soon changes as he reveals that he is so upset because
the woman he loves will not "ope her lap to saint-seducing gold". What does this mean? It
means that the woman he loves will not open her legs and have sex with him, despite his best
efforts. "Saint-seducing gold" could be a metaphor for Romeo's manhood, suggesting that his
genitalia are so perfect that he could seduce a saint. Alternatively, it could suggest that he has
gone so far as to 31 offer the woman gold to get her to sleep with him. Either way, he has been
unsuccessful. So what do we think of Romeo now? Just like Sampson, it seems that Romeo's
ideas about love and women are entirely based on sex - surely not the best first impression for
our main character to make?
Act 1 Scene 2
Capulet made Paris compare other girls to Juliet, paris is a suitable bachelor that has good
fortune in which capulet an benefit from but he loves his daughter too much that he gave paris a
chance at the party to let compare juliet to other beautiful women. He loves his daughter dearly
he wants the best for her.

Paris complaint that younger girls than juliet already marries

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After the intensity and drama of Act 1 Scene 1, this following scene is relatively short and
uneventful. In it we are introduced to Paris, a young man who is keen to marry Capulet’s
daughter Juliet. We learn that Juliet has ‘not seen the change of fourteen years’, meaning she is
only thirteen years old. In Shakespeare’s time the legal age from which a female could get
married was just twelve years of age, although most women got married in their twenties just
like today (in 2013 the average UK age of marriage is 28 for a woman, whereas in 1590 it was
27). However, a special exception was sometimes made for rich and noble families, who would
often marry off their young children for reasons of property and family alliance. If your family had
money and my family had land, our parents may want us to marry so that, through linking the
families with our marriage, they have both money and land.What is most interesting in this
scene is how Paris is in an almost identical situation to that of Romeo in the previous scene. In
Act 1 Scene 1, Benvolio tells Romeo that he should look at other beautiful women to take his
mind off Rosaline, and here in Act 2 Scene 2 we see Capulet doing the same with Paris.
Because Capulet thinks Juliet is too young to marry, he tells Paris to come to the party and look
at other beautiful women to take his mind off Juliet. The meaning here is clear: Shakespeare is
setting up the play so that Romeo and Paris are reflections of each other. Very soon we will see
that both want Juliet, and therefore both are heading for the same outcome. Without giving
anything away, we shall also see that the ending for both is very similar (despite the fact that the
DiCaprio film doesn’t show how the story ends for Paris). The scene with the servant who
cannot read is placed here for two reasons. Firstly, it is a plot device used to get Romeo to the
Capulet party. Secondly, it is a moment of light humour following what has been a very heavy
opening scene. Shakespeare is aiming to please everyone in the crowd: those who like action
and violence, those who like romance and those who like humour. Finally, why did Shakespeare
call this character ‘Paris’? In Greek mythology, Paris was the son of Priam. Invited to a great
feast by Zeus, Paris was asked to look at all the beautiful goddesses and choose the most
beautiful of them all: sound familiar? This classical myth reflects the current situation in
Act 1 Scene 3

Juliet seems like she doesnt want to marry because the idea does not give her joy

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However, this scene also offers an insight into the role of women in Shakespeare’s time. When
the baby Juliet falls over onto her face, the Nurse’s husband remarks ‘Thou wilt fall backward
when thou comest to age’. The meaning of this line is clear: when you grow into a woman you
will fall onto your back to have sex. To a modern audience this line may seem shocking - the
Nurse’s husband is talking to a baby girl about the sexual future that awaits her. However, an
Elizabethan audience would see nothing odd here. In Shakespeare’s time, women were seen as
little more than mothers and objects of male desire. Most women were denied anything beyond
a basic schooling. Even when girls did go to grammar schools, many classes had ‘male only’
signs on the doors; girls would only be taught the most basic subjects. Upper class families (like
Juliet’s) would hire tutors to teach their children, but even then the prospects for an educated
woman were very slim: women could not enter any profession or even vote, but instead were
being prepared for 52 domestic lives. Upper class girls were taught how to cook, sew, play
instruments and do anything else which might be seen to make domestic life more attractive.
The only option for a woman was to get married and to run the household. With this in mind, we
can see that the Nurse’s husband was right: Juliet (and all women of the time) was fated to end
up being attached to a man. Today women have no need to marry, but failure to find a husband
in Shakespeare’s time meant a desperate life. Females could only survive through the men who
provided for them. As children, girls would rely on their father for financial support and
protection. When married, this responsibility passed onto the husband. It was almost unheard of
not to marry - if a woman didn’t wed there were only two other options available: become a nun
or become a prostitute. This shocking contextual detail helps up to see the situation Juliet is in
here. At the time ‘Romeo and Juliet was written it was illegal to marry without parental consent,
meaning you needed Mum and Dad’s permission to get married. Juliet’s mother and father want
her to marry Paris, an eligible bachelor. It is an example of dramatic irony (where the audience
know more than the characters on the stage) that we already know Juliet is fated to be with
Romeo, not Paris. The tension is building as we approach the party scene which will finish this
first act. We know that Romeo and Juliet will be there, but so will Rosaline and Paris

Act1 Scene 4
Romeo was complaining lots about his sadness about how he should just stay alone and be sad
about rosaline while the rest just goes on and dance

- Queen Mab

Act 1 scene 5
Romeo experiences love at first sight the instant he sees Juliet from across the room. In that
instant he forgets Rosaline, questioning “Did my heart love till now?” Although we have no doubt
that Romeo has fallen in love, we are reminded of how similar his words here are to those he
spoke of Rosaline in Act 1 Scene 1: “this love feel I”. Shakespeare presents Romeo as a fickle
character, one whose mind and opinions will change in an instant. This instantaneous love for
Juliet once again backs up the hypothesis that Romeo’s hubris is his inability to escape falling in
love. However, there are some major differences in the way Romeo talks to and about Juliet. In
Act 1 Scene 1, we saw the source of Romeo’s unhappiness was that he could not get Rosaline
to have sex with him. The bawdy language our hero used left us in no doubt that he simply
wanted to sleep with her. In contrast to this, let’s look at the language Romeo uses when he first
talks to Juliet: ROMEO If I profane with my unworthiest hand, This holy shrine; the gentle fine is
this; My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
JULIET Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in
this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers'
kiss. ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? 79 JULIET Ay, pilgrim, lips that they
must use in prayer. ROMEO O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant
thou, lest faith turn to despair. JULIET Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.
ROMEO Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. As you can see, both Romeo and Juliet
use the language of religion to discuss their love. On top of this, Romeo is only asking to hold
hands and kiss - a stark contrast to his earlier requests for sex from Rosaline. Shakespeare is
changing the vocabulary of Romeo in this scene to show that his feelings for Juliet are pure and
holy. But there is more than this.

Act2 Scene 1
It was very shor nothing exciting except the lots of use of sexual reference

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In this scene we see a return of the bawdy, sexual humour that was missing from Act 1 Scene 5.
Once again, Mercutio leads the way with his remarks about Romeo sitting under a ‘medlar tree’.
Taking the form of a large shrub or small tree, the medlar has been farmed since Roman times.
The root (no pun intended) of Mercutio’s comment concerns the appearance of the fruit that
comes from the medlar tree. A quick search for the tree on Google Images will show you what
he had in mind with his comment, as the fruit from a medlar is thought to represent the look of a
woman’s genitalia. Shakespeare was not the first to use the medlar as a symbol of sexual
imagery. Chaucer, in the prologue of the Reeve’s Tale (1475), refers to the medlar as a symbol
of prostitution. This symbolism links not only to the genitalia-like look of the fruit, but also to the
fact that the medlar fruit is rotten before it is ripe. In farming terms, it is eaten when ‘bletted’
(brown with rot). For Chaucer, the idea of a fruit spoiled before ripe has the sexual connotation
of a woman who has had sex too early in life. Both meanings are effective in helping the
audience to understand that Mercutio sees Romeo’s romance as a desire for sex and nothing
else. The effect of this bawdy language is all the more powerful when juxtaposed with that of the
previous scene. Up to this point, the entire play has been filled with sexual banter and innuendo.
From Sampson and Gregory at the start, to Romeo’s anger at Rosaline’s closed ‘lap’, to the
Nurse’s swearing by her childhood virginity, the language has been highly sexual. However in
Act 1 Scene 5, as we saw previously, the language was religious and pure. By following that
scene with this – another highly sexualised scene, Shakespeare is using structure to show just
how pure and perfect the love of Romeo and Juliet is.

Act 2 Scene 2
Juliet didnt even want to marry because she thought it was too irrational but Romeo was not
satisfied so she ended up agreeing to marry him “and follow him around the world as a leader”
girl is giving up her dominancne

It is highly likely that Shakespeare gives Romeo the language of the blason in this scene to
highlight how his feelings for Juliet are idealistic and unrealistic. To suggest that Juliet 'is the
sun' is such an outrageously exaggerated statement, it indicates that Romeo is not in his right
mind. Shakespeare is showing us the unrealistic nature of Romeo's love; just like with Rosaline,
this young boy has fallen head over heels in love. In this case, with Juliet, we know that he
hadn't even spoken to her before he was professing his love for her. Once again, the
presentation of Romeo suggests that he is fickle. His use of the blason further backs up the
analysis of his hubris: he simply cannot help himself from falling in love

Act 2 Scene 3
Short Scene. Romeo was rushing friar to marry him and Juliet because they are both In love in
which confused Friar and scolded Romeo for only focusing on the appearance and not the
personality. Friar ended up agreeing to this cause he thought this will solve the hatred between
the two
This shows friar knows a bit that not even romeos family knows since he knew about rosaline
know this marriage

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He explains that these plants have a multitude of uses: some are medicinal and others, ‘being
tasted, slay all senses within the heart.’ It is no co-incidence that the Friar talks of poisonous
plants that cause death when tasted. If you don’t know the ending of the play then please skip
the rest of this paragraph. For those who do, this talk of poison foreshadows how Romeo will
take his life in Act 5 Scene 3. In fact, the play is packed full of foreshadowing, to the point that it
is often so blatant and obvious it comes across as laughable. There are two major purposes of
this foreshadowing. On the one hand, it makes later events easier to understand for those in the
audience who struggle to follow the plot. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it ties into the
theme of fate. Those who believe in fate believe that the events of their lives are predetermined
and set – there is nothing that can be done to avoid them. We know from the prologue that
‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a play which revolves around the theme of ‘star-cross’d lovers’. The
meaning of the term ‘star-cross’d’ can be translated as ‘fated’. So, if the events in the play are
fated to take place, the foreshadowing of poison as a cause of death seen is this scene is a
small hint that everything which is to come is already predetermined. Romeo’s suicide by
poisoning is foreshadowed here, and is a reminder that fate controls everything in the play. 117
When Romeo visits the Friar and tells him how he has not slept all night, the Friar wrongly
guesses: ‘Was thou with Rosaline?’ It is clear from this quotation that the Friar knows Romeo
well and also knows of his previous love for Rosaline. He even challenges Romeo, asking if
Rosaline is ‘so soon forsaken’. The audience sees that the Friar seems to have the true
measure of Romeo as a fickle youth, which makes it doubly confusing when the Friar agrees to
marry Romeo and Juliet in Act 2 Scene 6. A detailed character analysis of the Friar shall be
completed later in this guide. When Romeo explains to the Friar that he was only sad over
Rosaline because she did not return his love, the Friar responds with ‘She knew well, thy love
did read by rote and could not spell’. What he is saying here is that Rosaline knew that Romeo’s
love was not real – he was just ‘trying it on’. What does this tell us about Romeo? Was he
deliberately aiming to mislead Rosaline into believing he loved her so that he could have sex
with her? The alternative interpretation is that Rosaline knew Romeo’s feelings were not
genuine, even though Romeo himself thought they were. Either presentation doesn’t exactly
paint Romeo in strong colours.

Act2 Scene 4
Mercutio being horny

As in the previous scene, there is a strong sense of foreshadowing in Act 2 Scene 4. Mercutio
tells Benvolio: ‘Alas poor Romeo! he is already dead’. He is talking in jest about Romeo being
dead in love, but of course what he says will soon come true. Once again this heavy reliance on
foreshadowing backs up the major theme of fate – that the events in the play are
pre-determined and set. Perhaps sensing that the plot was becoming too serious, Shakespeare
introduces humour through the Nurse’s use of malapropisms. A malapropism is the misuse of a
word for humorous effect. The word which is used sounds similar to the correct word but has a
very different meaning. When the Nurse tells Romeo ‘I’ll tell her that you do protest; which, as I
take it, is a gentlemanlike offer’, she makes an error in her use of the word ‘protest’. What she
means to say is ‘I will tell her that you propose, which is gentlemanlike offer’. As you can see,
the undesired meaning is the complete opposite of what was meant: a funny moment when you
add it together with the other examples we see from the nurse in this scene. Time plays a key
role in Act 2 Scene 4. Romeo tells the Nurse that Juliet should meet him at the Church ‘this
afternoon’ to be married. Having met the previous evening, Romeo and Juliet will be married
within 24 hours of meeting. From their initial meeting to their marriage they will speak only a
thousand or so words each. The audience is surely left wondering how real this love can be. In
the previous scene Friar Laurence scolded Romeo’s professions of love for Rosaline by telling
him ‘Thy love did read by rote and could not spell.’ It seems Rosaline knew that Romeo’s love
for her was not real, but thirteen year old 138 Juliet is bewitched by him. Is this a true example
of love at first sight, or is our tragic hero Romeo once again exhibiting his hubris by falling in
love once more? Of course, there are many who believe that Romeo is truly in love. It is
possible that Romeo, now reformed from his previous wicked ways, is devoted to Juliet in all
sincerity. This has certainly been the traditional interpretation of the character over the years.
However, if you are studying this text for an assessment of some kind, it is always useful to offer
alternative interpretations. This means that you take a quotation and offer more than one
possible meaning. At the end of the day, none of us knows exactly what Shakespeare meant
through his presentation of Romeo, but an open mind to a variety of interpretations will help you
improve your grade.

Act 2 Scene 5

the Nurse essentially winding Juliet up by delaying the news of Romeo’s wedding proposal.
However, there is more to it than that. Following the romance which has blossomed between
Romeo and Juliet at shocking speed, this scene deliberately slows things down to add tension
and suspense before building up to the wedding scene. Dramatic structure is explored
elsewhere in this book, but it is true to say that Shakespeare was a master of pace and
structure; he knew that it would be an overload of emotion to have fighting, romance, love and
death in every scene. Because of this, he occasionally intersperses the action with scenes that
slow down the pace and give the audience time to calm down (and to take stock of everything
that has just happened). If you are at the theatre and need a toilet break, this might be the time
to take it! What is striking in this short scene is the immaturity of Juliet, who becomes an
impatient child in this interchange. She is rude and demanding of the Nurse: ‘Is they news good,
or bad? Answer to that’. This is a direct contrast to the Juliet who so eloquently and romantically
confessed her love to Romeo. Perhaps Shakespeare is reminding the audience that Juliet is
only thirteen years old – just a child. If she is so emotional that she has these kinds of childish
147 outbursts at the woman who has raised her, can we really trust her feelings of the love that
she has for Romeo? It is also a sign that the relationship between Juliet and her nurse
continues to grow apart. Juliet, who doted on her nurse at the start of the play, is becoming a
woman and moving beyond such childish things as needing what is essentially a full time
babysitter. She is approaching that period of her life to which the Nurse’s husband so crudely
alluded ; she is coming to a time in her life when she will ‘fall backward’ for her lover. As a result,
she is starting to distance herself from the people she associates with childhood. Juliet and the
Nurse will continue to grow apart throughout the play; it is a topic I shall revisit later

Act 2 Scene 6

Act 2 Scene 6 begins with yet more foreshadowing, as Friar Laurence hopes that the heavens
will ‘smile’ upon the marriage of Romeo and Juliet. He worries that they ‘chide us not’,
foreshadowing the tragic events that will follow in just the next scene. Romeo takes it one step
further with the challenge ‘lovedevouring death do what he dare’ (death can do what it likes).
Finally, the Friar foreshadows Juliet’s death when he comments that ‘so light a foot will ne’er
wear out the everlasting flint’. His words suggest that Juliet is too dainty to survive the difficult
road of life. Shakespeare’s use of structure means that this is the perfect place to foreshadow
the doom that will soon fall on our title characters.
Act 1: Exposition – The audience discover that the Montague and Capulet families are enemies.
They fight. Act 2: Rising Action – Romeo and Juliet fall in love and get married. Act 3: Climax –
about to happen! With this in mind, we know that the climax of the play is coming in the very
next scene. Tension is high, and Shakespeare uses the literary device of foreshadowing prior to
this major act to increase the tension even further

Act 3 scne 1
Following his secret marriage to Juliet in the previous scene, Romeo is instantly forced to face
the reality of the fact that he has married a Capulet. In Act 3 Scene 1, Tybalt is hunting for
Romeo; he wants to punish him for sneaking into the Capulet family party. Now that he has
married into the Capulet family, Romeo wants to avoid a fight. He uses language that seems
more fitting for his previous conversations with Juliet, telling Tybalt that he does ‘love thee better
than thou canst devise’. This line is very similar to his previous comments about Juliet in Act 2
Scene 2, where Romeo proclaims ‘It is my love! O, that she knew she were.’ In both examples,
Romeo loves someone who doesn’t know that they are loved. This mirroring of language is
used to show what a dramatic change Romeo has undertaken. His bawdy banter has gone, his
anger towards the Capulets has gone; now all he feels is love. Blank verse, prose and rhyming
verse are used for effect in this scene. Before I analyse them, let me give you a simple definition
of each one: Blank verse: Does not rhyme, but follows a regular pattern of rhythm. Lines of
blank verse contain ten syllables per line. Prose: We may refer to this as ‘ordinary written
language’. There is no rhyme scheme or metrical structure. Rhyming verse: Lines which rhyme
(often rhyming couplets where the final word of a pair of lines rhymes). 174 In Act 3 Scene 1,
Shakespeare uses a mixture of blank verse, prose and rhyming verse to convey meaning.
Firstly, most characters speak in blank verse, as seen when the scene opens with Benvolio’s
plea to Mercutio: I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire: The day is hot, the Capulets abroad,
And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl; For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.
These lines are ordered and tightly controlled – a reflection of the character of Benvolio who is
the same. The character of Mercutio, on the other hand, always speaks in prose: Thou art like
one of those fellows that when he enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword upon the
table and says 'God send me no need of thee!' and by the operation of the second cup draws it
on the drawer, when indeed there is no need. As you can see from this example, Mercutio’s
lines are not only different to everyone else’s, they are uncontrolled and follow no rules or
regulations. Shakespeare is cleverly using prose for Mercutio to mirror his character; just like
blank verse, he is uncontrolled and follows no rules or regulations. He is unpredictable unlike
any other character: just like prose. Finally, Montague, Prince and Lady Capulet speak in
rhyming verse in this scene: LADY CAPULET He is a kinsman to the Montague; Affection
makes him false; he speaks not true: 175 Some twenty of them fought in this black strife, And all
those twenty could but kill one life. I beg for justice, which thou, prince, must give; Romeo slew
Tybalt, Romeo must not live. PRINCE Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio; Who now the price of
his dear blood doth owe? MONTAGUE Not Romeo, prince, he was Mercutio's friend; His fault
concludes but what the law should end, This use of rhyming verse shows how these characters
are separate from the others. Also, Shakespeare often uses rhyming verse when his characters
are delivering advice or pointing out a moral; this is exactly what is happening in this scene. As
you can see, Shakespeare’s use of blank verse, prose and rhyming verse is used to symbolise
different aspects of each character’s personality. Look out for its use in other scenes. This is a
very tense scene, made more powerful by the manner in which Shakespeare structures it. At
first Romeo tries to stop the fighting between Mercutio and Tybalt, asking his kinsman to ‘put thy
rapier up’. In terms of dramatic tension, the audience would feel a sense of disappointment at
this – many would want to shout out, “Go on, Romeo, kill him!” This makes the latter part of the
scene even more satisfying. Having spent the earlier moments trying to unsuccessfully split up
the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt, Romeo then contradicts himself and asks Tybalt to fight.
As an audience we understand that 176 Romeo is distraught at Mercutio’s death; clearly
‘fire-eyed fury’ has taken over him. As Mercutio is dying, he delivers one of the most famous
lines from the play, calling for ‘a plague on both your houses’. Again, this is an example of
Shakespeare foreshadowing the end of the play where indeed a disaster will come upon both
the Capulets and Montagues.

Act 3 Scene 2
he next two scenes show the different reactions to Romeo’s banishment. In this scene, Juliet
receives the news of Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s exile. For a few lines she gives an angry
outburst, but this changes very quickly. Within moments, Juliet is rationally calculating the cause
of the situation: ‘But, wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin? That villain cousin would have
kill'd my husband’. She wonders why Romeo killed Tybalt and correctly guesses that it is
because Tybalt was trying to kill him. As we shall see in the next scene, Juliet’s mature
response is very different to that of Romeo. We start to see Juliet as a girl wise beyond her
years, and are perhaps swayed towards the idea that she is wise enough to make her own
choices in love. Certainly she has grown more mature since her argument with the Nurse. Light
and dark play a key part in this scene. Juliet is desperate for night to arrive, telling the sun to
‘gallop apace’. Darkness has offered sanctuary to the couple throughout the play – they met at
night and first had sex at night. Tragically, both will die at night too. With so much of Romeo and
Juliet’s relationship taking place at night, Shakespeare is highlighting how the lovers are set
apart from the rest of world. Living when the rest of the world sleeps, they have an almost
mystical quality. Juliet’s relationship with the Nurse continues to show signs of wear in this
scene. The two had an incredibly close relationship in Act 1 Scene 3, where Juliet seemed to
love the Nurse more than her own mother. However, here we 190 find that the Nurse unable to
understand why Juliet is siding with Romeo after Tybalt’s death. She proclaims ‘Will you speak
well of him that kill'd your cousin?’ This relationship will, by the end of the play, fall apart
completely. Perhaps this symbolises how Juliet is maturing and growing into a woman; as her
relationship with Romeo develops she no longer seems to need a Nurse. The transition Juliet is
making from child to adult is reflected in her gradual separation from the Nurse who raised her
through her childhood.

Act 3 Scene 3
In the previous scene we saw Juliet’s mature and responsible reaction to the news of Romeo’s
banishment. In this scene we see Romeo’s completely opposite response. Romeo’s reaction to
the news of his banishment is dramatic and over the top. He throws himself on the floor and
refuses to move, crying out, ‘Be merciful, say death’. It is worth taking a moment to think
rationally about the punishment which has been announced. In Act 1 Scene 1, the Prince
promised that anyone who disturbed the peace of the streets again would be put to death.
Romeo, therefore, is expecting to hear that his punishment is death. If this punishment was
announced Romeo would not hand himself in; he would flee. He would run away to another city
and hide out there. We know this from the fact that he ran away from the murder scene in the
first place – he isn’t going to accept the death penalty. Now let’s look at the actual punishment:
banishment. This is a word we don’t use much these days, but it basically means that Romeo is
not allowed to live in the city of Verona anymore. He is free to live in a different city, but cannot
step foot in Verona. Now let’s think about this – if he had been sentenced to death, Romeo
would have run away and been in hiding his whole life. Now he is sentenced to banishment he
can run away and start a new life with Juliet in a new city. It is clear from this that his reaction is
ridiculous. Secondly, we expect Juliet to be upset, as the news of Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s
part in it is not something she already knew about. However, Romeo has no right to be so upset
–he chose to kill Tybalt, knowing full well the Prince’s punishment and the issues it would cause
with Juliet. With these two points in mind, Romeo has no reason to be so dramatic here. As the
Friar says, news of banishment is ‘a gentler judgement’ than that which was expected. Romeo
refuses to accept this, claiming that ‘There is no world without Verona walls’. Our narrow minded
hero cannot think that there is possibly a world outside of his city. 208 The Nurse interrupts the
scene, explaining that Juliet wants to see him. Hearing this, temperamental Romeo suddenly
feels much better, proclaiming, ‘How well my comfort is revived by this’. At this point the
audience is surely losing patience with Romeo – following his feelings is like taking a ride on an
emotional rollercoaster. Even in this scene he starts distraught and finishes elated. Once again
Shakespeare employs the literary device of foreshadowing in this scene. When Romeo
announces, ‘I may sack the hateful mansion’, he is threatening to commit suicide. The Friar tells
him to ‘Hold thy desperate hand’, but in Act 5 Scene 3 he will arrive at a similar scene too late to
intervene.

Act 3 Scene 4
Act 3 Scene 4 is a scene where we see a different side to Lord Capulet. In Act 1 Scene 2 he told
Paris to ‘woo’ Juliet and pursue her. Capulet made it clear that Juliet’s agreement was an
essential part of the marriage arrangement. Here in Act 3 Scene 2, some twenty four hours
later, he seems to have changed his mind. He tells Paris that Juliet ‘will be ruled in all respects
by me’ and sets the wedding date. This is an example of dramatic irony, where the audience
know more than the characters on stage. Sitting in the audience, we know that Juliet is already
secretly married to Romeo. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to increase the tension in this
scene – what will happen when the powerful and demanding Lord Capulet makes a demand of
his daughter that she is unable to agree to? The stakes are raised even higher because Capulet
has now made the promise to Paris and will surely not want to back down and lose face in front
of this noble man. Capulet is keen for his daughter to marry as soon as possible, setting the
date for ‘Wednesday next’ before realising that it is already Monday. His eagerness contrasts
the Friar’s previous advice to Romeo in Act 2 Scene 3, who is told that ‘they stumble that run
fast’. It’s a shame the Friar isn’t on hand to offer the same advice to Capulet. Some people think
that one of the play’s major themes is the battle between young and old, with Romeo and Juliet
essentially rebelling against adult advice throughout. However, this moment shows that it’s not
as simple as that – even respected adults disagree in their advice. Of course, neither the Friar
nor Capulet end up getting what they want: Romeo marries right away and Juliet does not marry
Paris. Once again this ties into the theme of fate. Despite their best efforts, the Friar and
Capulet are unable to stop the course Romeo and Juliet are on. It is pre-determined that these
‘starcross’d lovers’ will meet, fall in love and very shortly end their own lives. Capulet’s sudden
change in mood gives us a hint at how the ‘ancient grudge’ between the Montagues and
Capulets may have stayed alive for so long. He is rash, hot-headed and contradictory: not an
easy person to keep the peace with. 214 Being such a hot-headed and contradictory character,
the audience would be full of tension about the chaos they know is coming. We know that Juliet
is not going to do as her father plans; we know this from the fact that Paris isn’t even mentioned
in the prologue. From the outset we know this play is about Romeo and Juliet, but with such a
hot-headed character as Capulet being Juliet’s father, it is clear that conflict is on its way. As
discussed earlier in the book, Juliet is seen as the possession of her father – he has no doubt
that she will do as she is told. This seems shocking to most audiences today, but in Elizabethan
times it would not have had such a big impact. The interesting point here is how audiences
respond differently over time. In most exam specifications you are credited for giving ‘alternative
interpretations’ and an easy way to do that here is to simply write about how a modern
audience’s reaction would differ to that of an Elizabethan audience.

Act 3 Scene 5
This scene is all about contrast. To begin, Juliet and Romeo have had their first night together in
bed. Shakespeare uses over exaggerated language to show just how in love they are. Juliet
argues that the sun is not the sun but is, in fact ‘some meteor that the sun exhales, to be to thee
this night a torch-bearer’. She argues that the sun has fired out a meteor, which will be a light to
guide Romeo on his way home to Mantua. This kind of passionate exaggeration is one of the
conventions of courtly love. Courtly love is a historical conception which centres on two
members of the nobility who secretly love each other. In literature, tales of courtly love always
include examples of passionate exaggeration and imagery related to nature. As we can see in
this quotation, Juliet includes both in her comments to Romeo. Shakespeare is here using the
well-known conventions of courtly love to highlight just how much the couple love each other.
The loving relationship with Romeo is juxtaposed with the relationship Juliet has with Lord
Capulet. Shakespeare uses structure, putting both relationships next to each other in one
scene, to heighten the difference between the two. The relationship between Juliet and her
father is one where he is possessive and controlling. In Act 3 Scene 5 Juliet refuses to do as her
father says and marry Paris. He then insults her by calling her 'baggage'. This suggests that,
just like a bag, she is a burden to him - a weight that weighs him down, and an accessory. It
suggests that she is his possession to do with as he pleases. Just like a bag, she is unimportant
to him. Juliet would have been heartbroken to be called this, but an Elizabethan audience would
have sided with her father. This is because, in the 1500s, arranged marriages were normal for
middle class 237 families. It was very acceptable for your parents to choose who you marry and
the audience would have agreed that Juliet should follow her father’s instruction. A modern
audience would be outraged, as women's rights have moved on and a modern viewer would
believe that Juliet should be able to do as she pleases. Once again, by writing about the
audience response over the years you are able to offer valid alternative interpretations.

Act 4 Scene 1
Friar Laurence is an interesting character to analyse. Throughout the play he is the trusted
adviser of both Romeo and Juliet. The Friar is seen as a wise and intelligent character, despite
the fact that the advice he gives and the actions he takes are often bizarre and unwise. Already
in the play he has secretly married Romeo to Juliet, even though he knows full well how Romeo
has been madly in love before with Rosaline. The Friar even gives advice about not taking
things too quickly, warning that ‘they stumble that run fast’. Quite why the Friar gives this advice
and then ignores it is difficult to see. In this scene, the Friar advises Juliet to ‘undertake a thing
like death’ by swallowing a potion that will make her appear dead. His plan is to take her
seemingly dead body to the family tomb, where Romeo will meet her and the two elope. This is
a very strange plan – why can’t Juliet just run away to Mantua and be with Romeo? When she
elopes she will be forfeiting all claim to her father’s riches, so why doesn’t she just refuse to
marry Paris and take the same punishment which was threatened by her father (that he would
disown her from his wealth). The most significant aspect of the Friar’s character is how both
Romeo and Juliet blindly follow him and do what he says. In this scene Juliet tells him ‘bid me
leap…and I will do it’. It is clear that the Friar has the unquestioning following of these
youngsters, and as such can decide whatever he wants for them. When Juliet thinks of killing
herself, she tells the Friar that he only needs to ‘call my resolution wise’ and give it his blessing
and she will do it. So why do these characters have blind faith in Friar Laurence? Perhaps it is
because he is a Friar – a Catholic priest. Is Shakespeare here using the rash and bizarre
actions of the Friar to criticise those in society who blindly follow the leadership of the Church?
Is he calling out for people to judge wisely the actions they are being advised to take, and not
follow blindly the leading of 249 Catholicism? In Elizabethan England there was tension
between Catholics and Protestants, and perhaps Shakespeare is here criticising Catholicism.
There is no hard evidence to explain Shakespeare’s own religious beliefs, but this is one
interpretation of the character of Friar Laurence. Put yourself in Romeo and Juliet’s shoes:
would you follow the Friar’s advice?

Act 4 Scene 2
In Act 4 Scene 2 we find Capulet busy in preparation for the wedding of Paris and Juliet. Once
again, the audience knows this wedding will not take place; this use of dramatic irony indicates
that Capulet is not as wise and powerful as he seems to think he is. Once again time plays a
key role in the drama unfolding before us. Capulet, ever the rash and impetuous man that he is,
decides to bring the wedding forward twenty four hours. He is so delighted at Juliet’s fake
apology that he wants to ‘have this knot knit up to-morrow morning’. The audience knows that
this means there is one day less to get the message to Romeo about the fake death, and early
signs of tension begin to mount as we see that things might not go to plan. The relationship
between Lord and Lady Capulet is worth exploring in this scene. When Lord Capulet announces
that the wedding day will be brought forward, his wife is not in agreement, responding “No, not
till Thursday; there is time enough”. Capulet does not even respond to her, simply ignoring her
and telling the Nurse, ‘Go with her: we’ll to church tomorrow’. This interchange gives the
audience a glimpse of the type of marriage Juliet is so keen to avoid. Women in Elizabethan
England were the property of their husbands and had no rights of their own. Lady Capulet (and
all wives) had no power over her own life and no right to make decisions. Juliet, on the other
hand, has taken control of her own life and is making decisions. The irony is that her decisions
do not end well. Is Shakespeare saying that women should not rebel against the role they are
given as submissive wives? When Juliet does so, it does not end well for her. Or is he perhaps
arguing that society needs to change: gender roles, arranged marriage 256 and the role of
parents need to change in order for people to live a truly happy life?

Act 4 Scene 3

Act 4 Scene 3 sees Juliet fake her death. This scene also signifies the end of her relationship
with her nurse and mother. It is possible to interpret this scene as a metaphor for growing up.
On maturing from a girl to a woman, Juliet’s childhood dies and she no longer needs the things
of her youth: a nurse and mother. We see this when Lady Capulet asks Juliet if she needs her
help, to which her daughter replies, ‘No, madam’. This is very cold behaviour from Juliet, who
knows that this is the last time she will see her mother. Similarly, there is no fond farewell to the
Nurse. Juliet simply tells her mother to ‘let the Nurse this night sit up with you’. Juliet has
transformed throughout this play, from a young girl who doted on and depended on her nurse, to
a young woman who no longer needs nurse or woman. Her ‘death’ in this scene puts an end to
childhood. If everything went as planned, Juliet’s new life the next day would be that of a
married woman who had no contact with or dependence upon her parents. This new found
declaration of independence is also found later in the scene. Having told her mother and nurse
to leave, she begins to worry about the situation she is in and panics about the ‘terror of the’
tomb to which she is heading. For a moment she loses her nerve and calls the Nurse back, but
soon realises that she needs to ‘act alone’. Juliet has outgrown the Nurse and her mother. She
has been betrayed by them in Act 3 Scene 5 (with the Nurse advising a second marriage to
Paris and her mother refusing to comfort her after her father’s tirade) and has realised that they
can help her no further. This ties in very neatly with the reality of growing up and becoming an
adult; 263 there comes a time when you realise that your parents are not as perfect as you
thought them to be. Juliet has reached that moment here and is determined to start her new life
independent of both parents and nurse.

Act 4 Scene 4
Knowing that Juliet has taken the potion, the audience is keen to see what happens to her.
However, Shakespeare gives us a scene here which will not answer any of our questions. In Act
4 Scene 4, Capulet and Lady Capulet are organising the wedding. It is a brief scene which
includes the final comic moments of the play before the tragic final Act. Shakespeare uses irony
in the final line of the scene when Capulet orders, ‘Make haste; the bridegroom he is come
already’. Capulet is referring to Paris, but little does he know that Juliet is already ‘dead’
upstairs. In the next scene he will explain that ‘Death is my son-in-law’. In this sense, the
bridegroom truly has already arrived

Act 4 Scene 5
This final scene in Act 4 focuses on the discovery of Juliet’s death. It is interesting to see how
the different characters react to this death. Firstly, Lady Capulet says that Juliet was her ‘one
thing to rejoice and solace in’. She follows this up by telling Juliet to wake up or ‘I will die with
thee’. This is the first time in the entire play that Lady Capulet has seemed to care for Juliet. Up
until this point Lady Capulet has been distant with her daughter. This is perhaps most notable in
the Act 1 Scene 3 where she asks the nurse to ‘give leave awhile’ so that she can speak to
Juliet in private. Right away Lady Capulet realises that this is too intimate and calls the Nurse
‘back again’. In Act 3 Scene 5, when Juliet appeals to her for help in delaying the wedding to
Paris, her mother coldly tells her, ‘Talk not to me…I have done with thee’. It is therefore quite a
shock to see Lady Capulet seem to be so caring. Unfortunately, her comments come too late at
this point. This moment is a reminder not to take our loved ones for granted. Lord Capulet’s
reaction seems gruesome and horrifying. He relates the death of Juliet to sexual imagery,
describing how she is ‘deflowered’ by death. This mirrors Juliet’s own words in Act 3 Scene 2
where she offers ‘death, not Romeo, take my maidenhead.’ To a modern audience, this linking
of sex and death seems tasteless, but an Elizabethan audience would react in a different
manner. In Elizabethan England, “le petit mort” or ‘a little death’ was a euphemism for an
orgasm. Shakespeare (and other writers) often punned on the word ‘die’ to mean 281 ‘to
orgasm’. In fact, Juliet herself is referring to this in when she says, ‘Give me my Romeo, and
when I shall die’. And so, even though it seems odd today, Capulet’s linking of death to sex is
not as bizarre as it seems. If you study other Shakespeare plays, look carefully for this hidden
euphemism; Shakespeare uses it a lot. It can be seen across many of his plays, such as the
moment in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ when Benedick tells Beatrice he will ‘ live in thy heart, die
in thy lap’

Act 5 Scene 1
In Act 1 Scene 4, Romeo was told that ‘dreamers often lie’, a comment which is proven to be
true in this scene. Whilst we might expect Romeo to be depressed in this scene, we actually find
him in a happy mood following the ‘joyful news’ of his dream. When Balthasar turns up, his
dream is quickly shattered as he hears of Juliet’s death. Romeo reacts with anger at fate,
shouting, ‘I defy you stars’. Once again, the language of the prologue is referenced, and we can
now see just how ‘starcross’d’ these lovers seem to be. The word ‘defy’ is worth closer study.
Romeo is not complaining to fate but is outright challenging it. Considering how large a role fate
has played up until this point, this seems a stupid thing to do. Those who feel that Romeo is an
immature and temperamental character can easily use this moment to back up this
interpretation. It’s the equivalent of approaching the toughest kid in school, spitting in his face
and shouting, “Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough!” Dramatic irony runs
throughout this scene, as the audience is well aware that Juliet is not actually dead. The Friar
knows this, Juliet knows this, the audience knows this, but Romeo and Balthasar do not. Having
watched the play quite a few times, I can testify to the fact that audiences at this point seem to
temporarily forget the prologue’s news that both would end up dead. Audiences hope that
somehow everything will work out OK. It is a sign of Shakespeare’s powerful skill that we get so
involved in the plot – we desperately want these two to be OK, but deep down we know we are
kidding ourselves. Romeo’s next action tells us something key about his character. He explains
that there is an apothecary (like a pharmacist) whom he had previously spotted. Because the
apothecary is poor and worn down by ‘sharp misery’, he has guessed that he would sell him an
illegal poison if he needed one. What is important here is the fact that Romeo has previously
calculated that ‘if a man did need a poison…here lives a caitiff wretch would sell it him.’ This is
very bizarre behaviour. Let’s put this into perspective: what sane and rational person goes 290
through life looking for the nearest and most convenient method of suicide, just in case they
may wish to kill themselves? Here Shakespeare once again shows us how fickle Romeo is – as
a tragic hero he is over emotional and irrational. This irrationality led him to fall in love with
Rosaline, to be distraught when she didn’t love him back, to fall in love with Juliet, to be
distraught at the news of banishment and now to desire his own death. Romeo is too rash and
ultimately brings about his own downfall through his actions.

Act 5 scene 2
There is really only one thing to write about this short scene. Once again, fate controls the
events of the play. Despite the Friar’s greatest efforts to get a message to Romeo we learn that
Friar John was ‘stay’d’ and the message did not get delivered. Friar Laurence, spotting what is
likely to happen next, calls for ‘an iron crow’ (a metal crow bar) and heads off for Juliet’s tomb.
As we saw after Juliet’s poison scene, Shakespeare adds tension to his play by placing small
‘filler’ scenes in the way when the audience simply want to hurry ahead and find out what is
going to happen to Romeo and Juliet. This is one way that Shakespeare uses structure to
create tension.

Act 5 scene 3
Once again the setting of night is used to bring Romeo and Juliet together. They professed their
love at night, consummated their marriage at night and will now die at night. This use of setting
has been employed by Shakespeare throughout the play to symbolise how the two lovers are
set apart from the rest of the world. This could be to highlight how their love is ‘out of this world’,
but there is also another interpretation to be made. Night time is the time of dreams, and the fact
that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship takes place largely at night could symbolise how their love
is a dream – a fantasy. As Mercutio told us in Act 1 Scene 4 ‘dreamers often lie’. Could the
setting of night here be used to show that Romeo and Juliet, just as in a dream, were lying to
themselves to ever imagine their love could survive? Paris comes out of the shadows and
challenges Romeo to fight. Just as he tried at first to resist fighting Tybalt, Romeo tries to avoid
conflict with Paris. He warns Paris to ‘fly hence’, but Paris persists and is killed. With Tybalt and
now with Paris, it seems that these characters were fated to die and Romeo was unable to
avoid being involved. Again, this reflects the theme of fate: Romeo tried to avoid the conflict with
both, but was unable to do so. The manner in which Romeo and Juliet die forms the final piece
of the puzzle when analysing their characters. Romeo takes the easy option, having asked the
pharmacist specifically for drugs which are ‘quick’. His desire is an instantaneous and pain free
death and he is given it, dying with the words ‘thy drugs are quick’. 321 Juliet, on the other
hand, suffers a much more gruesome death. Picking up Romeo’s ‘happy dagger’ she stabs
herself. Even when offered escape by the Friar, she rejects the offer. In many cultures (Roman
and Japanese for two) death by stabbing was seen as an honourable and brave way to die. Like
the Seppuku of the Japanese Samurai, Juliet’s suicide through stabbing is far more impressive
than Romeo’s quick exit. This is just another example of Juliet proving herself to be more
mature than Romeo. It echoes the characters’ juxtaposed reactions to the news of Romeo’s
banishment, where Juliet calculated wisely and Romeo acted like a spoilt child. Act 1:
Exposition – The audience discovers that the Montague and Capulet families are enemies. They
fight. Act 2: Rising Action – Romeo and Juliet fall in love and get married. Exposition –
Introduces the setting and main characters. A Rising action – A series of events to keep the
reader interested. Climax – The main character comes face to face with a problem. They have a
choice to make. Denouement – The fallout from the way the characters deal with the climax.
Falling Action – the problem unravels and the hero either wins or loses. 322 Act 3: Climax –
Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt, Romeo is banished. Act 4: Falling Action - Being forced
to marry Paris, Juliet decides to kill herself. Act 5: Denouement – Romeo kills Paris, Romeo kills
himself, Juliet kills herself and the families are united. The play ends in irony; the death of
Romeo and Juliet brings the Capulet and Montague family together. This means that the very
same problem that prevented them from marrying openly (their families being at war) is solved
with their deaths. If they were somehow able to re-animate back to life, they would be able to
marry and live happily ever after!