Romeo & Juliet

Act 4

Act IV, Scene i - Summary

Paris tells the Friar of the wedding (in two days)Friar is shocked at haste - it ‘should be slowed’ Juliet cool towards Paris, cleverly sidesteps his

compliments; Paris is affectionate towards herParis leaves and Juliet threatens to take ‘this

bloody knife’ and kill herself if no help givenThe Friar offers Juliet a sleeping potion which

will induce a coma-like state for 42 hoursShe will lie alone in her chamber (on Wed night)Everyone will believe she is dead, and Romeo

will be sent for and they will escape to Mantua Juliet agrees instantly

Tension

The dramatic tension in the scene is created through the meeting of Paris and Juliet

Juliet and Paris engage in rigid, formal talkParis tries to engage Juliet but she is quick to

respond and curt in mannerHe is courteous suitor, while Juliet proves her

nimble mind as she evades Paris’s questions and compliments

Juliet’s Strength

She is surprised to find Paris at the Friar’s yet she presents herself as composed and confident

She describes the horrors she is prepared to face rather than marry Paris highlighting her bravery and the depth of her love for Romeo

Juliet is prepared to take her life rather than be without Romeo

The Friar states that if she has ‘the strength of will’ to kill herself, then she will have the courage to take the potion

She makes this decision quickly suggesting her determination and resolution to try anything to be with Romeo

Structure

This scene is defining moment in the structure of the play

In this scene, Juliet’s decision to accept the Friar’s potion demonstrates her– commitment to defying her father’s rule– asserting her independence– accepting her resolution to die in order to be

with Romeo

Romeo and Juliet - Parallel

Juliet’s conversation with the Friar parallels Act III, Scene 3 with Romeo when he threatens to kill himself

Juliet, like Romeo, now believes that only death can offer a solution to her dilemma: “Be not so long to speak. I long to die / If what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.”

As always, Rome and Juliet mirror each other’s actions

Friar and Fate

The Friar uses his knowledge of flowers and herbs when thinking of the potion

In Act II, scene iii, the Friar described the dual qualities of plants that are capable of healing yet have the power to act as a poison

The Friar’s plan offers hope for Juliet, but due to the influence of fate, becomes the vehicle of the tragedy

At the end of this scene:

Juliet has found an allyThe Friar has proven himself to be wily,

scheming and inventive in aiding Romeo and Juliet

BUT can he be trusted?Paris appears to be genuinely interested in

Juliet

Act IV, Scene ii - Summary

Juliet returns home where she surprises her parents by sweetly capitulating to the wedding

Capulet is so pleased, that he insists on bringing the wedding forward by one day (to the Wednesday morning)

Lady Capulet protests, saying it does not leave enough time to prepare, but the euphoric Lord Capulet states he will prepare everything

Juliet is now to be married the following morningThis will affect the Friar’s arrangements to let

Romeo know of their plans

Fate

Here, fate twists Juliet’s fortunes once againCapulet, in his impulsive zeal, complicates the

Friar’s plan by moving the wedding forward a full day

Juliet must take the potion that night and lapse into a suspended state 24 hours sooner than the Friar had anticipated

This development reduces the amount of time the Friar will have to notify Romeo in Mantua

Juliet - Duplicitous

Juliet pretends to acquiesce to Capulet’s plan She reveals enthusiasm which is somewhat

genuine since she feels hope in the potionShe reveals her ability to pretend and her

perception in working out what others want Juliet displays duplicity as she describes her

meeting with Paris saying she gave him, “what becomed love I might / Not stepping o’er the bounds of modesty.”

She also pretends to prepare for the wedding while preparing for her presumed death

She has emotionally removed herself from those who have betrayed her

Lord Capulet

Capulet is characteristically impulsive, rash, and unpredictable

His blind enthusiasm leads him to insist that his entire family and staff work through the night to make adequate preparations for the hastened ceremony

He shows disrespect for his wife and Juliet insulting Juliet by accusing her of “peevish, self-willed harlotry” and he completely dominates his wife, disregarding her desire to delay the wedding and ordering her to Juliet’s room to help the Nurse

Act IV, Scene iii - Summary

In her bedchamber, Juliet asks the Nurse to let her spend the night alone

She begins to wonder what will happen to her if she drinks from the vial

She comes up with reason after reason why drinking the sleeping potion may cause her harm – physical or psychological – but drinks it anyway, telling Romeo ‘I drink to thee’

Juliet – Independence

Juliet asserts independence by asking Nurse and Lady Capulet to leave her alone

She is separating herself from her family and takes a step toward her plan to be with Romeo

This request marks a turning point for JulietPreviously, she refrained from making her own

decisions (waited for instruction from Romeo when they would wed and depended on Friar to provide a plan)

She has grown more mature and independentPlaces dagger by her side showing her decision

to die if she can’t be with Romeo

Juliet - Strength

When Juliet is left alone, she is struck by the horror of her situation

She imagines gruesome, nightmarish horrors of 13-year-old facing her own mortality: being buried alive in the airless tomb and facing Tybalt’s corpse: “festering in his shroud.”

She is tempted to call for Nurse, but realises she must act independently

She displays courage as she defies her parents and fate itself ad is prepared to die

She accepts she must trust the Friar’s potion, and has strength in her ultimate faith

Foreshadowing

Both the knife, and the poison, hint at the lovers’ actual deaths

Just as Juliet drinks “poison”, Romeo will eventually procure poison from an apothecary and kill himself that way

Juliet will use the knife on herself

Writing Task:

‘Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again.’

Writing task: Re-write this speech in your own words – tracing all of Juliet’s changing ideas and emotions as she contemplates what she is about to do…

Act IV, Scene iv - Summary

Lord Capulet has not been to bed but has been preparing for the wedding

The Capulet household has been alive throughout the night with frenetic wedding preparation activities

The day begins to break, and Capulet hears music signaling that Paris is approaching the house

He orders the Nurse to awaken Juliet

Mood

The mood is joyful and excitedThe Capulet house bustles with activityBanter with the servants is frenetic and excitedThe atmosphere is electrified with the joyful

expectation of the upcoming marriageThis provides a striking contrast with the scene

upstairs, where the bride lies in bed, apparently dead

This scene relieves the tension from the previous dark scene

Act IV, Scene v - Summary

The Nurse enters Juliet’s room and discovers her seemingly lifeless body on the bed

The Nurse believes her to be dead and cries out to the family in desperation

They dramatically mourn Juliet’s loss The Friar expresses the belief that Juliet is in

heaven and that they are partly to blame He then arranges for Juliet’s body to be taken to

the family vaultCapulet orders that the wedding preparations be

changed to funeral preparations

Mood

The Nurse opens this with humorous banter

However, the mood changes quickly when the Nurse discovers Juliet’s body,

The tone of the scene immediately changes from excited anticipation to shocked sorrow creating a sense of shock for the audience

The parents

In their mourning for Juliet, they appear as individuals who have suffered a great loss

The audience gains an understanding of how much their hopes for the future had been invested in Juliet

And Paris’ grief seems genuine, rather than just disappointment

However, their griefs are centred on themselves and much of the sadness is shown in repetitive wailing rather than genuine feeling

At the end of Act IV

The situation is dire, but there could still be hope IF the Friar’s plan can be made to work

Juliet is apparently dead, and is being taken to the family tomb

The Friar has to send a message to Romeo (earlier than he thought) explaining the situation to him

Potential for tragedy?