Romeo and Juliet Act IV Act V Reading Guide

Romeo and Juliet Act IV – Act V Reading Guide

Write a quotation for each plot event noted below

Act 4, scene 1 (IV.i)

1. Paris explains why Capulet is rushing his daughter’s marriage to Paris.

1. Juliet threatens to kill herself.

1. The friar has an extreme proposal for solving Juliet’s current problem.

1. Juliet really does not want to marry Paris.

Act 4, scene 2 (IV.ii)

1. Look up “shrift” (line 15) and write down a one-word definition:

1. Juliet fakes that the Friar convinced her to be obedient and to ask for forgiveness.

1. Capulet is so excited, he moves the wedding up by a day.

1. Capulet plans on making sure all the preparations for the wedding are done.

Act 4, scene 3 (IV.iii)

1. Juliet asks the nurse not to stay in her room as she usually does. (Be sure your paraphrase makes it clear what excuse she uses.)

1. Juliet fears the Friar might be trying to poison her to cover up for his having married her to Romeo.

1. Juliet imagines Tybalt’s corpse in the burial vault.

1. A vision of an attack prompts Juliet to drink the friar’s potion.

1. Reread the section of Juliet’s fears – how many do you count total? List them briefly with line numbers:

Act 4, scene 4 (IV.iv)

1. Capulet is actively involved in the wedding preparations.

Act 4, scene 5 (IV.v)

1. Juliet’s death is compared to an unexpected frost killing a flower.

1. Capulet uses personification to explain Juliet’s death to Paris.

1. Capulet declares that all the wedding preparations will be converted into funeral preparations.

1. The musicians and servants provide some comic relief to the mounting tragedy.

Act 5, scene 1 (V.i)

1. Romeo curses fate.

1. The apothecary (look up and write down definition if this is a new word) does not want to sell Romeo the poison but does so because he is desperately poor.

apothecary =

1. Romeo says gold is more poisonous than what the apothecary sells him.

What does this mean?

Act 5, scene 2 (V.ii)

1. Friar John cannot deliver Friar Lawrence’s letter to Romeo because he was not allowed to travel. Officials feared he and another friar had been exposed to the plague and would be infectious.

1. Friar Lawrence rushes off to be with Juliet when she awakens in the tomb.

Act V, scene 3 (V.iii) – the final scene!

1. Paris says he will mourn Juliet nightly with flowers and tears. (Look up words you don’t know.)

1. Romeo threatens Balthasar. (Who is Balthasar?)

1. Paris thinks Romeo is there to vandalize the tomb.

1. Romeo tells Paris he is there to kill himself and Paris should leave.

1. Romeo asks two questions.

Act 5, scene 3 (V.iii) continued

1. Romeo asks if death has taken Juliet as his lover.

1. Mrs. Montague could not cope with her son’s banishment.

1. The friar gives a summary of the second half of the play.

1. The prince explains what he means by “all are punished” (305).

1. There will be statues commemorating both Romeo and Juliet.

Confused? Have questions? Write them below and ask in class.

(Citing page or line numbers will help.)