Romeo and Juliet -­‐ Act 3 Organizer Literary Devices / Figures of Speech you NEED to know: Soliloquy-­‐ when a character, alone on stage, utters his/her thoughts aloud. Allusion – reference to a historical person, place or event; reference to mythology; reference to another piece of literature (think of Shakespeare’s various references to Cupid throughout the play). Personification – giving human characteristics to inanimate objects Alliteration – the repetition of the initial consonant. There should be at least two repetitions in a row. Metaphor – a comparison of two distinctly different things. Simile – a comparison of two distinctly different things using “like” or “as”. Dramatic Irony-­‐ is a situation in which the reader or audience knows more about the immediate circumstances or future events of a story than a character within it Imagery – descriptive language meant to appeal to one or more of the five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, sound) Key Scene Questions – answer on a separate piece of paper. Point-­‐ form is fine. Act 3, scene 1 – The death of Mercutio and Tybalt 1. Count the references to “heat” in the first 35 lines. Why does Shakespeare refer to this? 2. (a) Why does Romeo refuse a duel? (b) How does Mercutio react to this refusal? 3. What does Mercutio mean when he says, “A plague o’ both your houses”? (3.1.96) 4. What does Romeo’s line: “O I am fortune’s fool” (3.1.133) reveal about his character? 5. There are two main plots in this play. What are they? The killing of Tybalt is the climax of one plot and produces a crisis in the other. Explain. Act 3, scene 2 – Juliet’s Soliloquy & Night Imagery 1. Juliet’s Soliloquy (lines 1-­‐32) (a) Identify three phrases that contain the word “night.” Why would Shakespeare add this “night” imagery to this speech? (b) What is Juliet thinking about during her soliloquy? (c) What figure of speech is being used in lines 2-­‐3? (d) How does Shakespeare use personification in lines 8-­‐10? (e) What words are examples of alliteration in line 11? (f) Explain the metaphor that Shakespeare uses in lines 22-­‐25s. (g) What figure of speech does Shakespeare use in lines 28-­‐31? 2. (a) How is dramatic irony used by Shakespeare when the Nurse finally arrives? (b) What is the intended reaction of the audience to the use of this device? Act 3, scene 3 – Romeo is a mess! 1. Friar Laurence scolds Romeo for his inability to control his passions: “Hold thy desperate hand:/Art thou a man”(3.3.108-­‐158)? a) List three reasons why Friar Lawrence thinks Romeo should be happy. b) What specific advice does he give Romeo in this speech? c) What flaw does Romeo reveal in his reaction to his banishment? 2. What figure of speech does Shakespeare use in lines 143-­‐145? 3. Complete the comparison on back of this page. Act 3, scene 4 – A Marriage is Arranged 1. In this scene, Capulet and Paris “arrange” Juliet’s future marriage. Make direct reference to the text in your answers. a. Why has Capulet suddenly decided that Paris may wed Juliet? (Think politics)! b. Is this consistent with his character, as we have seen it so far? Why or why not? 2. What is the effect of the short time frame (three days) proposed for Juliet’s marriage to Paris? Act 3, scene 5 – Wedding Night & The Morning After 1. Which figure of speech does Shakespeare use in lines 1-­‐3? 2. Why does Lady Capulet think Juliet is crying? 4. What had Lady Capulet come to tell Juliet? Be specific. Make reference to the text. 5. At the beginning of the play, Juliet is an obedient child. How has she changed? 6. What is Capulet’s ultimatum to Juliet? 7. Who betrays Juliet in this scene? How? Be specific. 8. At the end of this scene, what does Juliet see as her only options? Make reference to the text in your answer. ROMEO (3.3.29-52)
'Tis torture and not mercy. Heaven is here,
Where Juliet lives, and every cat and dog
And little mouse, every unworthy thing,
Live here in heaven and may look on her,
But Romeo may not. More validity,
More honorable state, more courtship lives
In carrion flies than Romeo. They may seize
On the white wonder of dear Juliet’s hand
And steal immortal blessing from her lips,
Who even in pure and vestal modesty,
Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin.
But Romeo may not. He is banishèd.
Flies may do this, but I from this must fly.
They are free men, but I am banishèd.
And sayst thou yet that exile is not death?
Hadst thou no poison mixed, no sharp-ground
knife,
No sudden mean of death, though ne'er so mean,
But “banishèd” to kill me?—“Banishèd”!
O Friar, the damnèd use that word in hell.
Howling attends it. How hast thou the heart,
Being a divine, a ghostly confessor,
A sin-absolver, and my friend professed,
To mangle me with that word “banishèd”?
Reaction to Banishment: 1. Compare each characters’ reaction to the banishment. 2. What does it reveal about each character? JULIET (3.2.98-128
Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?
Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy
name,
When I, thy three hours' wife, have mangled it?
But wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin?
That villain cousin would have killed my
husband.
Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring.
Your tributary drops belong to woe,
Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy.
My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain,
And Tybalt’s dead, that would have slain my
husband.
All this is comfort. Wherefore weep I then?
Some word there was, worser than Tybalt’s
death,
That murdered me. I would forget it fain,
But oh, it presses to my memory,
Like damnèd guilty deeds to sinners' minds.
“Tybalt is dead, and Romeo banishèd.”
That “banishèd,” that one word “banishèd”
Hath slain ten thousand Tybalts.
Tybalt’s death
Was woe enough, if it had ended there.
Or, if sour woe delights in fellowship
And needly will be ranked with other griefs,
Why followed not, when she said “Tybalt’s
dead,”
“Thy father” or “thy mother,” nay, or both,
Which modern lamentations might have moved?
But with a rearward following Tybalt’s death,
“Romeo is banishèd.” To speak that word,
Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet,
All slain, all dead. “Romeo is banishèd.”
There is no end, no limit, measure, bound,
In that word’s death. No words can that woe
sound.
Where is my father and my mother, Nurse?
Fate plays an important role in Act Three. Identify how it presents itself in each scene. Scene One Examples of Fate Examples of Character Errors Speed is an aspect of Fate –speed of the -­‐Romeo gets in between Mercutio hate scene (death of Mercutio and Tybalt) – and Tybalt events appear out of control, as if they -­‐Romeo chooses to kill Tybalt cannot be stopped or as if they are being orchestrated by a greater force -­‐reference to stars? – characters fulfilling destiny? -­‐speed of events -­‐forced isolation? Scene Two Scene Three Scene Four Scene Five In this Act, what is more responsible for the tragic events: fate or character error? Defend your opinion.