Acts Four and Five Organizer
Brief Summary of Act Four
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Act 4 is considered the Falling Action – the play is now moving swiftly towards the tragic end Juliet is experiencing a lot of internal conflict in this act as she moves from a child to a woman – she must act on her own without Romeo and without the Nurse – she has disobeyed her parents and has lied to Paris 4.1 As Paris is making arrangements with Friar Laurence to perform the wedding ceremony between himself and Juliet, she appears. Paris tries to tease some sign of affection out of Juliet and reminds her that they are to be married on Thursday. Juliet says that she will kill herself rather than marry Paris, and the Friar comes up with the plan for her to take the drug, which will make her appear dead for 42 hours, so that the wedding will be called off and Romeo can come and take her to Mantua. 4.2 As Capulet is making arrangements for the wedding feast, Juliet appears, begs her father's pardon, and tells him that she will marry Paris. This makes Capulet so happy that he moves the wedding up to the very next day, Wednesday. 4.3 Juliet persuades her mother and the Nurse to leave her alone. She agonizes over everything that could go wrong, is terrified by visions of the grave, but drinks the contents of the vial as a pledge of her love to Romeo. 4.4 The Capulets and their servants are busily preparing for the wedding. Paris' musicians are heard, and Capulet sends the Nurse to awaken Juliet. 4.5 The Nurse tries to awaken Juliet, but finds that she is (apparently) dead. Lady Capulet and Capulet come running, then lament their daughter's death. The rest of the wedding party arrives, only to find that Juliet is dead and hear the clamour of lamentation. Capulet, Lady Capulet, Paris, and the Nurse go nearly wild with grief, but Friar Laurence takes command of the situation by reminding everyone that Juliet is now in a better place, and telling them to proceed with her funeral. As the musicians are starting to leave, Peter rushes in and demands that they play a sad song to cheer him up. They refuse, Peter insults them with a riddle, and they all leave to wait for lunch. Group Activities: Create some kind of graphic organizer to present your information to the rest of the class Group One: Double Meanings Part One (IV.i.1-­‐44) - Make a t-­‐chart Paris Juliet - Look at the conversation between the two - Show how the two of them are really discussing the same problem but from different perspectives - List all of the examples/ways they are having two different conversations about the same thing – marriage - Who do you think handles the situation better, Juliet or Paris? Group Two: Juliet Makes a Plan (IV.i.45 – 89) - List the SIX + ONE things Juliet is prepared to do rather than marry Paris? - What do these crazy plans show further about Juliet’s character? Group Three: The Friar Makes a Plan (IV.i.90 – 127) - Friar Lawrence has a plan to resolve the problem. Outline the details of this plan, step by step - Why doesn’t Juliet just run off to Mantua? Why does she need this elaborate plan to fake her own death? Group Four: Double Meanings Part Two (IV.ii.1-­‐50) - Make a T-­‐chart Lord Capulet/Lady Capulet Juliet - Look at the conversation Juliet has first with her father and then with her mother - Show how the two of them are really discussing the same problem but from different perspectives - List all of the examples/ways they are having two different conversations about the same thing – Juliet’s marriage - How do you know Lord and Lady Capulet “buy” Juliet’s words as truth? - What does this show about Juliet’s character that she can so readily lie to her parents Group Five: Juliet’s Fears (IV.iii.21-­‐44) & The Symptoms (IV.v.25-­‐27) - Just before Juliet drinks the potion, she shares FOUR of her fears. List them. - Do you think they are valid? What do they reveal about her? - Everyone thinks Juliet is dead. What are her THREE symptoms as identified by her father? Group Six: A Change of Heart (IV.v.19-­‐64) - Look at how Lord and Lady Capulet respond to Juliet’s death - How do their responses to her death contrast to their earlier words and behaviour toward her? (Lady Capulet – 3.5.141 and Lord Capulet’s comments in 3.5) Act 5 Scene 1: 1.
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Look at Romeo’s soliloquy at the beginning of the scene. Why is it significant? (Several of the 9 reasons) How is the “I defy you, stars” an important change in Romeo’s character? How has Romeo’s character at the end of the scene much different from the way he was at the beginning of the play when we first meet him? Provide a quotation from the latter part of this scene that proves your answer. Scene 2 1. How does this scene contribute to the sense that something terrible is coming? Scene 3: 1.
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Why is Paris at the tomb? Why might Shakespeare have decided to bring him to the tomb on U night? How does dramatic irony increase suspense and pathos (pity) in scene 3 up to the death of Romeo? 3.
Look at Romeo’s last speech in this scene. What does it reveal about his character? 4.
How is the feud finally resolved? Who is Responsible for Juliet’s Death? On the diagram below, add the names of the people who you feel might have contributed to Juliet’s death Then, choose the character that you believe is the most responsible for Juliet’s death. Search throughout the play for words or actions of this character that might have made Juliet feel that she had to take such a drastic course of action. Record them below. Be prepared to defend your choice.