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 her Paris leaves and Juliet threatens to take ‘this bloody knife’ and kill herself if no help given The Friar offers Juliet a sleeping potion which will induce a coma-like state for 42 hours She 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 talk Paris tries to engage Juliet but she is quick to respond and curt in manner He 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 ally The 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 morning This will affect the Friar’s arrangements to let Romeo know of their plans

Fate Here, fate twists Juliet’s fortunes once again Capulet, 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 potion She 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 Juliet Previously, 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 independent Places 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 excited The Capulet house bustles with activity Banter with the servants is frenetic and excited The atmosphere is electrified with the joyful expectation of the upcoming marriage This 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 vault Capulet 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?