Romeo and Juliet Act III Scene 1 Tybalt is looking for Romeo He finds Mercutio and Benvolio Mercutio doesn’t want to tell him where Romeo is Romeo enters.

Romeo and Juliet

Act III

Scene 1• Tybalt is looking for Romeo• He finds Mercutio and Benvolio• Mercutio doesn’t want to tell him

where Romeo is• Romeo enters• He is now married

to Juliet

• Tybalt calls Romeo a villain• Romeo answers him in peace

Romeo as peacemaker

• Romeo is now Tybalt’s relative, by marriage

• Tybalt, of course, doesn’t know about the wedding

• Tybalt insults Romeo, but Romeo still will not fight

• Mercutio sees Romeo being insulted, and rushes to fight Tybalt

• Romeo tries to break it up• Mercutio is stabbed under

Romeo’s arm

• Tybalt and his friends run• Mercutio is fatally wounded• Even now, he makes jokes• “A plague on both your houses!”• This curse is foreshadowing - prophetic• Romeo blames himself

– Mercutio was defending Romeo’s name, and stabbed under his arm

– His love for Juliet has made him ‘effeminate’ (womanly)

• Benvolio comes back, to say that Mercutio is dead

Tybalt Returns• Romeo is angry –

probably feels guilty• Romeo fights to

avenge Mercutio• Tybalt is killed • Romeo stands

shocked at what he has done

• Benvolio hurries Romeo away- The Prince will condemn him to death

• Romeo laments what has happened, and leaves

The Prince’s Justice• Enter Prince, Montagues and

Capulets• Benvolio tells what happened• Lady Capulet demands that the

Prince should have Romeo killed, as he said before

• Montague argues that Romeo was obeying the law– Romeo killed Tybalt for killing

Mercutio• Prince is angry – Mercutio was his own kinsman• Romeo is banished• If he is found in Verona, he will be executed

Scene 2• “Gallop apace, you

fiery footed steeds…”• Classical allusion –

refers to the myth that the sun was a golden chariot

• She wants the day to pass quickly – Romeo will come at night

• (It is their wedding night, after all!)

Nurse arrives• She is so upset about Tybalt’s death that she

cannot tell her about it• Juliet thinks Nurse is saying Romeo is dead• Nurse finally says clearly that Tybalt is dead and

Romeo is banished for killing him• Juliet’s first reactions – Oxymorons show her torn

allegiance, Romeo and her family• Nurse: “There’s no trust, no faith, no honesty in

men” – “Shame come to Romeo!”• Then, Juliet defends him – she is loyal to Romeo

Juliet Comforts Herself• Tybalt is dead, who would have

killed her husband – so now her husband is safe!

• But Romeo is banished

• This is more painful to her now than Tybalt’s death

• Juliet starts talking about suicide

• Nurse promises to bring Romeo

– she guesses (correctly) that he is at Friar Lawrence’s cell

Scene 3• Friar Lawrence

tells Romeo of the banishment – better than death!

• Romeo thinks it is worse than death

• He cannot be with Juliet

• Anywhere else is Hell

Knock, Knock!

• Friar tells Romeo to hide, but he is too depressed

• The Nurse enters – tells Romeo to stand and be a man

• Romeo asks if Juliet hates him• His name causes Juliet pain – he wants to

cut his name out of himself• Romeo is talking about suicide as well!

Friar’s Scolding

• “Thy tears are womanish!”• Passion has destroyed Romeo’s reason• Juliet is alive – there you are happy!• Tybalt tried to kill you, but you killed him – There

you are happy!• The law banishes him instead of death – there you

are happy!• So….He should be happy!

Friar’s Plan• Go to Juliet’s bedroom

and comfort her• (Have wedding night)• But get out of Verona

before morning• Then go to Mantua, and

wait for message• They will fix everything,

and then call for him• Romeo agrees to this

Scene 4• Capulets meeting with Paris• It is too late for Paris to talk

with Juliet• Capulets think Juliet is sad

about Tybalt’s death, and this is why she stays in her room

• Dramatic Irony – really, she is with Romeo in her bedroom

• Capulet decided to cheer up his daughter by having her married

• They set the date – she will marry Paris in three days

Scene 5

• Begins with Romeo and Juliet in her bedroom

• They are saying goodbye – it is morning

• They do not want to say goodbye

• Finally, Juliet says Romeo must leave, for his own safety

• (He is IN CAPULET’S HOUSE, after all)

“Joyful Tidings”

• Juliet has a bad feeling – foreshadowing• Romeo departs, Lady Capulet Enters• Juliet speaks with double meanings• Dramatic Irony: we know what Lady C. does

not know• Lady C. tells Juliet that she will be married to

Paris on Thursday• Juliet says she will not (more double talk)

Enter Capulet• Lady C. tells him what Juliet said• Capulet is angry at her for refusing

Paris– Ungrateful – Paris is a perfect

husband!– What will it look like? – he will

not break his word to Paris• Nurse tries to help Juliet – Capulet

warns her not to stick up for her• He tells Juliet that if she will not

marry Paris, he will disown her• “hang, beg, starve, die in the streets!”

The Nurse’s Advice• Capulet and Lady C. exit, very

angry• Juliet cries to Nurse – what

shall I do?• The Nurse has an idea:

– Romeo will never come back– No one knows she married him– Paris is a better man anyway

• Her advice is to marry Paris!• Pretend her wedding did not

happen

Juliet agrees with her• (not really, of course)• The Nurse leaves to tell

her parents• Juliet monologue • She can never trust the

Nurse again• She will go to Friar

Lawrence• “If all else fail, myself

have power to die”

Act IV

“Juliet’s Act”

Romeo and Juliet

Scene 1

• Friar Lawrence meets with Paris

• Paris has told him of wedding plans

• He is VERY excited about the wedding

• Friar has objections – too fast, Paris does not know if Juliet will say yes

• Why doesn’t he tell him the truth?

• Juliet enters – double talk with Paris

Juliet is very upset• She begs the Friar to say that

he has a plan• She pulls out a knife, and says

that she will kill herself if she must marry Paris

• She continues to speak for some time

• This suggests that Friar Lawrence has not thought of a way out of their problem yet

• Finally, Friar says he has a desperate plan

The Friar’s Crazy Plan• 1. Tell your parents that you will marry Paris• 2. The night before the wedding, drink this drug

– Remember, he knows about drugs and medicines

• 3. The drug will make her sleep so deeply that she will seem to be dead

• 4. She will be buried in the family tomb• 5. Meanwhile, he will send letters to Romeo• 6. The drug will wear off in a day, and she will

awake – Romeo and Friar will be there• 7. Romeo will take her to Mantua

Scene 2• Capulet is making wedding

plans• Juliet enters – begs

forgiveness• Capulet decides to change the

day of the wedding to Wednesday – That’s tomorrow!!

• This change messes up the schedule of the Friar’s plan

Scene 3• Juliet’s bedroom – Nurse and

Lady C. help her get ready for wedding tomorrow

• The two older women leave• Juliet soliloquy

– says good bye to her mother

– If this works, she will go away with Romeo

– Her family will think she is dead

Juliet’s soliloquy• What if this doesn’t work? – she sets a knife ready

in case she needs it in the morning• What if this is really a poison?

– Friar would look bad or get in trouble

– She cannot believe this of him – a holy man

• What if Romeo is not there when she wakes up?– She fears she will go mad, among all the dead people

• She imagines she sees Tybalt’s ghost• Drinks the potion and falls down on her bed

Scene 4

• Dramatic Irony – Everyone is happy• Juliet is getting married this morning• (She lies “dead” behind the curtain)• Capulet sends Nurse to wake up Juliet

Scene 5

– “Is the bride ready to go to church?” (wedding)– “Ready to go, but never to return” (funeral)

• Paris and Capulets moan and wail in pain• (Dramatic Irony everywhere)

• Nurse tries to wake up Juliet, and realizes that she is “dead”• Screaming and panic! Capulets enter, and start crying as well• Friar and Paris enter

Friar Lawrence calms them

• She was never yours – you shared her with heaven• Now, heaven has all of her• Capulet – all that we prepared for her wedding will

now go for her funeral

Funny scene!

• Relieves the tension, keeps certain people in their seats

• (remember, Shakespeare wants to please all of his audience)

• A funny scene between Peter (a servant) and the musicians

• Why is there a funny scene here?