romeo and juliet act 5 essay

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Romeo and Juliet - Act 5, scene 1

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Act 5, scene 1.

Romeo’s man, Balthasar, arrives in Mantua with news of Juliet’s death. Romeo sends him to hire horses for their immediate return to Verona. Romeo then buys poison so that he can join Juliet in death in the Capulets’ burial vault.

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Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet Shakescleare Translation

Romeo and Juliet Translation Act 5, Scene 1

If I may trust the flattering truth of sleep, My dreams presage some joyful news at hand. My bosom’s lord sits lightly in his throne, And all this day an unaccustomed spirit Lifts me above the ground with cheerful thoughts. I dreamt my lady came and found me dead— Strange dream, that gives a dead man leave to think— And breathed such life with kisses in my lips That I revived and was an emperor. Ah me! How sweet is love itself possessed When but love’s shadows are so rich in joy!

If I can trust the favorable truth of sleep, then my dreams foretell some joyful news is on the way. Love sits lightly in my heart, and all day an odd feeling has seemed to lift me up with cheerful thoughts. I had a dream that my lady came and found me dead—what a strange dream, in which a dead man is able to think. And she breathed life back into me by kissing my lips. I revived and became an emperor. Oh! How sweet it would be to be with my love, when my dreams of love alone fill me with so much joy.

ROMEO's servant BALTHASAR enters.

News from Verona!—How now, Balthasar? Dost thou not bring me letters from the friar? How doth my lady? Is my father well? How fares my Juliet? That I ask again, For nothing can be ill if she be well.

News from Verona! How are you, Balthasar? Have you brought me a letter from the friar? How is my wife? Is my father well? How is my Juliet? I ask that again because nothing can be bad if she is well.

ROMEO enters.

Everything you need for every book you read.

Then she is well, and nothing can be ill. Her body sleeps in Capels’ monument, And her immortal part with angels lives. I saw her laid low in her kindred’s vault And presently took post to tell it you. O, pardon me for bringing these ill news, Since you did leave it for my office, sir.

Then she is well, and nothing is bad. Her body sleeps in the Capulet crypt, and her immortal soul lives with the angels. I saw her buried in her family’s tomb, and rushed here to tell you the news. Oh, pardon me for bringing this bad news, but you told me it was my duty to do so, sir.

Is it e’en so? Then I defy you, stars! Thou know’st my lodging. Get me ink and paper, And hire post horses. I will hence tonight.

Is it true? Then I defy you, fate! [To BALTHASAR] You know where I’m staying. Go there and get me some ink and paper, and hire some horses. I will leave here tonight.

I do beseech you, sir, have patience. Your looks are pale and wild, and do import Some misadventure.

I beg you, sir, have patience. You look pale and wild, as if you’re about to do something reckless.

Tush, thou art deceived. Leave me and do the thing I bid thee do. Hast thou no letters to me from the friar?

Come now, you’re being silly. Leave me and do what I told you to do. Do you really not have a letter for me from the friar?

No, my good lord.

No matter. Get thee gone, And hire those horses. I’ll be with thee straight.

No matter. Get going, and hire those horses. I’ll be with you soon.

BALTHASAR exits.

Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. Let’s see for means. O mischief, thou art swift To enter in the thoughts of desperate men! I do remember an apothecary— And hereabouts he dwells—which late I noted In tattered weeds, with overwhelming brows, Culling of simples. Meager were his looks, Sharp misery had worn him to the bones, And in his needy shop a tortoise hung, An alligator stuffed, and other skins Of ill-shaped fishes; and about his shelves A beggarly account of empty boxes, Green earthen pots, bladders and musty seeds, Remnants of packthread and old cakes of roses, Were thinly scattered to make up a show. Noting this penury, to myself I said, “An if a man did need a poison now”— Whose sale is present death in Mantua— “Here lives a caitiff wretch would sell it him.” Oh, this same thought did but forerun my need, And this same needy man must sell it me. As I remember, this should be the house. Being holiday, the beggar’s shop is shut. What, ho! Apothecary!

Well, Juliet, I’ll lie with you tonight. Let me think how. Evil acts are quick to enter the thoughts of desperate men! I remember a pharmacist who lives around here, and who I recently noted wears tattered clothes and has jutting brows. He knows his medicinal herbs. He looks poor, as if misery had worn him to the bone. A tortoise shell hung in his shabby shop, along with a stuffed alligator and the skins of odd-shaped fish. A few empty boxes sat on his shelves, as well as green clay pots, empty water skins, and some musty seeds. Old strands of string and rose petals pressed into cakes were displayed all scattered around. Seeing his poverty, I said to myself, “If a man needed some poison”—which is punishable by immediate death to sell in Mantua—“here is a miserable wretch who’d sell it to him.” Oh, this idea came before I even knew I needed the poison. But this is the poor man who will sell it to me. As I remember, this is the house. Since today’s a holiday, the beggar’s shop is shut. Hey! Pharmacist!

Who calls so loud?

Who’s that calling so loudly?

The APOTHECARY enters.

Come hither, man. I see that thou art poor. Hold, there is forty ducats. Let me have A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear As will disperse itself through all the veins That the life-weary taker may fall dead, And that the trunk may be discharged of breath As violently as hasty powder fired Doth hurry from the fatal cannon’s womb.

Come here, man. I see that you are poor. Here’s forty gold coins. Let me have a bit of poison, something that spreads so fast through the veins that the tired-out person who takes it will lose the breath of life as quickly as gunpowder explodes from the inside of a cannon.

Such mortal drugs I have, but Mantua’s law Is death to any he that utters them.

I have such deadly poisons. But those who sell poison receive the death penalty in Mantua.

Art thou so bare and full of wretchedness, And fear’st to die? Famine is in thy cheeks. Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes. Contempt and beggary hangs upon thy back. The world is not thy friend nor the world’s law. The world affords no law to make thee rich. Then be not poor, but break it, and take this. [Holds out money]

How can you be so poor and wretched and still be afraid to die? Your cheeks are thin from hunger. Starvation and oppression are visible in your eyes. Your poverty, and the contempt of others for your situation, is like a monkey on your back. The world is not your friend, and neither are the world’s laws. The world doesn’t provide a law that will make you rich. So don’t be poor. Break the law, and take this money. [He holds out money]

My poverty, but not my will, consents.

It is my poverty, not my morals, that forces me to agree.

I pay thy poverty and not thy will.

I'm paying your poverty, not your morals, then.

[Gives ROMEO poison] Put this in any liquid thing you will And drink it off; and, if you had the strength Of twenty men, it would dispatch you straight.

[He gives ROMEO poison] Put this in any kind of liquid you want, and drink it. Even if you had the strength of twenty men, it would kill you quickly.

[Giving money] There is they gold—worse poison to men's souls, Doing more murder in this loathsome world, Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not sell. I sell thee poison; thou hast sold me none. Farewell, buy food, and get thyself in flesh.

[Giving money to the APOTHECARY] There is your gold. Money is a worse poison to men's souls, and commits more murders in this awful world than these poor medicines you aren't permitted to sell. I'm selling you  poison; you haven't sold me any. Goodbye. Buy yourself some food, and put on some weight.

Exit APOTHECARY.

The APOTHECARY exits.

Come, cordial and not poison, go with me To Juliet's grave, for there must I use thee.

Come with me, medicine—you're no poison. We'll go to Juliet's grave, where I must use you.

Exit ROMEO.

ROMEO exits.

ACT 5, SCENE 1

Balthasar, a friend of Romeo’s, brings him news that Juliet is dead and lies in the Capulet tomb. Resolved to find her and join her in death, Romeo first visits an apothecary and bribes him to obtain an illegal (and lethal) poison.

Trigger warning: Act 5 contains material discussing and portraying suicide.

A market street in Mantua:

Enter ROMEO

If I may trust the flattering truth of sleep

My dreams presage ° some joyful news at hand.

My bosom’s lord [1] sits lightly in his throne:

And all this day an unaccustomed spirit

5 Lifts me above the ground with cheerful thoughts.

I dreamt my lady came and found me dead—

Strange dream that gives a dead man leave to think—

And breathed such life with kisses in my lips,

That I revived and was an Emperor.

10 Ah me, how sweet is love itself possessed, [2]

When but love’s shadows ° are so rich in joy!

Enter ROMEO’s man BALTHASAR

News from Verona! How now, Balthasar?

Dost thou not bring me letters from the Friar?

How doth my lady? Is my father well?

15 How doth my lady Juliet? That I ask again,

If she is well, then nothing can be ill.

Then nothing can be ill, for she is well!

Her body sleeps in Capel’s monument,

And her immortal part with angels lives.

20 I saw her laid low in her kindred’s vault,

And presently took post to tell it you.

O, pardon me for bringing this ill news,

Since you did leave it for my office °, sir.

Is it even so? Then I deny you, stars!

25 Thou knowest my lodging. Get me ink and paper,

And hire post horses. [3] I will hence tonight.

I do beseech you sir, have patience.

Your looks are pale and wild, [4] and do import °

Some misadventure °.

30 Tush, thou art deceived!

Leave me, and do the thing I bid thee do!

Hast thou no letters to me from the Friar?

No, my good lord.

No matter; get thee gone.

35 And hire those horses. I’ll be with thee straight.

Exit BALTHASAR

Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight.

Let’s see for means. [5] O mischief, thou art swift

To enter in the thoughts of desperate men!

I do remember an apothecary—

40 And hereabouts he dwells—which late I noted

In tattered cloths with overwhelming brows,

Culling of simples °. Meager were his looks.

Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.

And in his needy shop a tortoise hung,

45 An alligator stuffed, and other skins

Of ill-shaped fishes. And about his shelves,

A beggarly ° amount of empty boxes,

Green earthen pots, bladders, and musty seeds,

Remnants of packthread, and old cakes of roses

50 Were thinly scattered to make up a show.

Noting this penury °, to myself I said,

“An if a man did need a poison now—

Whose sale is present death in Mantua—

Here lives a caitiff ° wretch would sell it him.”

55 O, this same thought did but forerun my need,

And this same needy man must sell it me.

As I remember, this should be the house.

Being holiday, the beggar’s shop is shut.—

What ho, apothecary?”

Enter APOTHECARY

60 Who calls so loud?

Come hither, man. I see that thou art poor.

Hold, there is forty ducats °. Let me have

A dram ° of poison, such soon-speeding stuff

As will disperse itself through all the veins

65 That life-weary taker may fall dead,

And that the trunk ° may be discharged of breath

As violently as hasty powder fired

Doth hurry from the fatal cannon’s womb.

Such mortal drugs I have, but Mantua’s law

70 Is death to any he that utters them!

Art thou so bare and full of wretchedness

And fearest to die? Famine is in thy cheeks,

Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes,

Contempt and beggary hangs upon thy back!

75 The world is not thy friend, nor the world’s law.

The world affords no law to make thee rich.

Then be not poor, but break it and take this.

My poverty, but not my will, consents.

I pray thy poverty and not thy will. [6]

APOTHECARY gives him the poison

80 Put this in any liquid thing you will

And drink it off, and if you had the strength

Of twenty men, it would dispatch you straight.

There is thy gold: worse poison to men’s souls,

Doing more murder in this loathsome world

85 Than those poor compounds that thou must not sell.

I sell thee poison; thou hast sold me none.

Farewell, buy food, and get thyself in flesh. [7]

Exit APOTHECARY

Come, cordial ° and not poison, go with me

To Juliet’s grave, for there must I use thee.

ACT 5, SCENE 2

Friar John returns to Friar Lawrence, informing him that his letter could not be delivered to Romeo due to an outbreak of sickness. Aware that Juliet will soon awake, Friar Lawrence heads to the Capulet tomb to retrieve Juliet and keep her safe until Romeo can return.

Friar Lawrence’s cell in Verona:

Enter FRIAR JOHN

Holy Franciscan Friar, brother, ho?

Enter FRIAR LAWRENCE

FRIAR LAWRENCE

This same should be the voice of Friar John.

Welcome from Mantua!  What says Romeo?

Or if his mind be writ, give me his letter.

5 I went to find a barefoot brother ° out,

One of our order, to accompany me,

Who was in this city visiting the sick,

And, finding him, the searchers of the town

Suspected that we both were in a house

10 Where the infectious pestilence did reign,

Sealed up the doors and would not let us forth, [8]

So that my speed to Mantua there was stayed.

Who bare my letter then to Romeo?!

I could not send it—here it is again—

15 Nor get a messenger to bring it thee,

So fearful were they of infection.

Unhappy fortune!  By my Brotherhood,

The letter was not nice but full of charge [9]

Of dear import, and the neglecting it

20 May do much danger.  Friar John, go hence,

Get me an iron crow [10] and bring it straight

Unto my cell!

Brother, I’ll go and bring it thee!

Exit FRIAR JOHN

Now must I to the Monument ° alone.

25 Within this three hours will fair Juliet wake.

She will beshrew me much that Romeo

Hath had no notice of these accidents.

But I will write again to Mantua

And keep her at my cell ‘til Romeo come.

30 Poor living corpse, closed in a dead man’s Tomb.

Exit FRIAR LAWRENCE

ACT 5, SCENE 3

Paris mourns at the Capulet tomb, but hides when he hears someone (Romeo) approaching. As he reaches the tomb, Romeo commands Balthasar to leave; Balthasar leaves but decides to linger secretly. Paris confronts Romeo as he attempts to open the tomb. They fight, and Romeo kills Paris. Romeo enters the tomb and lays Paris inside it. Approaching Juliet, Romeo grieves for her death and the luster of her still-lively beauty. He drinks the poison and dies. Friar Lawrence arrives and witnesses the scene as Juliet wakes, offering to hide her away among a convent of nuns. She refuses. Hearing guards approaching, Juliet kills herself with Romeo’s dagger. The Prince, the Capulets, and the Montagues are summoned by the guards. Friar Lawrence summarizes the events leading to this point and is corroborated by Balthasar and Romeo’s letter to his father. In remorse, lords Capulet and Montague make peace.

The Churchyard, outside the Capulet Tomb, later moving within the tomb:

Enter PARIS and his PAGE

Give me thy torch, boy. Hence, and stand aloof °.

Yet put it out, for I would not be seen.

Under those young trees, lay thee all along, [11]

Holding thy ear close to the hollow ground.

5 So shall no foot upon the churchyard tread,

Being loose, unfirm, with digging up of graves,

But thou shalt hear it. Whistle then to me

As signal that thou hearest something approach.

Give me those flowers. Do as I bid thee; go!

10 I am almost afraid to stand alone

Here in the churchyard, yet I will adventure.

Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew—

O woe, thy canopy is dust and stones!

Which with sweet water nightly I will dew,

15 Or, lacking that, with tears distilled by moans.

The obsequies that I for thee will keep, [12]

Nightly shall be to strew thy grave and weep.

The PAGE whistles

The boy gives warning; something doth approach.

What cursed foot wanders this way tonight,

20 To cross my obsequies and true love’s right?

What, with a torch?  Muffle me, night, a while.

Enter ROMEO and BALTHASAR

Give me the mattock ° and the wrenching iron °.

And take this letter early in the morning.

See thou deliver it to my lord and father.

25 Give me the light. Upon thy life I charge thee,

Whatever thou hearest or seest, stand all aloof,

And do not interrupt me in my course.

Why I descend into this bed of death

Is partly to behold my lady’s face,

30 But chiefly to take thence from her dead finger

A precious ring, a ring that I must use,

In dear employment; [13] therefore hence, be gone.

But if thou, jealous °, dost return to pry,

In what I farther shall intend to do,

35 By heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint,

And strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs.

The time and my intents are savage, wild,

More fierce and more inexorable far

Than empty tigers, or the roaring sea!

40 I will be gone, sir, and not trouble ye.

In this thou shows me friendship. [hands BALTHASAR money] Take thou that.

Live and be prosperous, and farewell, good fellow!

BALTHASAR and ROMEO part

For all this same, I’ll hide me hereabout.

His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt.

45 Thou detestable maw °, thou womb of death,

Gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth,

Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open,

And in despite °, I’ll cram thee with more food!

[To himself] This is that banished haughty ° Montague

50 That murdered my love’s cousin, with which grief

It is supposed the fair creature died,

And here is come to do some villainous shame

To the dead bodies. I will apprehend him.

[ To ROMEO ] Stop thy unhallowed toil, vile Montague!

55 Can vengeance be pursued further than death?

Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee!

Obey and go with me, for thou must die!

I must indeed, and therefore I came hither.

Good gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man,

60 Fly hence and leave me. Think upon these gone;

Let them affright thee. I beseech thee, youth,

Put not another sin upon my head

By urging me to fury. [14] O, begone!

By heaven, I love thee better than myself,

65 For I come hither armed against myself.

Stay not: be gone, live, and hereafter say,

A madman’s mercy bid thee run away.

I do defy thy commiseration,

And apprehend thee for a felon here.

70 Wilt thou provoke me?  Then have at thee, boy!

ROMEO and PARIS fight

O Lord, they fight!  I will go call the Watch.

O, I am slain!  If thou be merciful,

Open the tomb; lay me with Juliet.

In faith, I will. Let me peruse ° this face.

75 Mercutio’s kinsman, noble County Paris!

What said my man, when my betossèd soul

Did not attend him as we rode?  I think

He told me Paris should have married Juliet.

Said he not so?  Or did I dream it so?

80 Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet,

To think it was so?  O, give me thy hand,

One writ with me in sour misfortune’s book!

I’ll bury thee in a triumphant grave.

A grave? O, no. A lantern, slaughtered youth,

85 For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes

This vault a feasting presence full of light!

ROMEO arranges PARIS in the Capulet tomb

Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interred.

How oft when men are at the point of death

Have they felt merry, which their keepers call

90 A lightning before death. O, how may I

Call this a lightning? O my love! My wife!

Death that has sucked the honey of thy breath

Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.

Thou art not conquered. Beauty’s ensign ° yet

95 Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,

And death’s pale flag is not advanced there.

Tybalt, lie you there in that bloody sheet?

O, what more favor can I do to thee

Than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain °

100 To sunder ° his that was thine enemy?

Forgive me, cousin! Ah, dear Juliet,

Why are thou yet so fair? I will believe—

Shall I believe—that unsubstantial Death is amorous, [15]

And that the lean abhorrèd monster [16] keeps

105 Thee here in dark to be his paramour °?

For fear of that I still will stay with thee,

And never from this palace of dim night

Depart again, here, here will I remain

With worms that are thy chambermaids. [17]  O, here

110 Will I set up my everlasting rest,

And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars

From this world-wearied flesh.  Eyes, look your last.

Arms, take your last embrace!  And lips, O, you

The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss

115 A dateless bargain to engrossing death!

He kisses JULIET

Come, bitter conduct!  Come, unsavory guide!

Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on

The dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark!

Here’s to my love! O true ° apothecary,

120 Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss, I die.

ROMEO drinks the poison and dies

Enter FRIAR LAWRENCE with a lantern, crowbar and a spade

Saint Francis [18] be my speed! How oft tonight

Have my old feet tripped on gravestones.—Who’s there?

Here’s one, a friend, and one that knows you well.

Bliss be upon you!  Tell me, good my friend,

125 What torch is yond that vainly lends his light

To grubs and eyeless skulls?  As I discern,

It burns in the Capulets’ monument.

It does so, holy sir,

And there’s my master, one that you love.

130 Who is it?

How long hath he been there?

Full half an hour.

Go with me to the vault.

135 I dare not, sir.

My master knows not but I am gone hence,

And fearfully did menace me with death,

If I did stay to look on his intents.

Stay then, I’ll go alone.  Fear comes upon me.

140 O, much I fear some ill unthrifty ° thing.

As I did sleep under this young tree here,

I dreamt my master and another fought

And that my master slew him.

145 Alas! Alas!  What blood is this which stains

The stony entrance of this sepulcher °?

What mean these masterless and gory swords

To lie discolored by this place of peace?

Romeo! O, pale. Who else? What, Paris too?

150 And steeped in blood? Ah, what an unkind hour

Is guilty of this lamentable chance?

The lady stirs.

O comfortable Friar! Where is my lord?

I do remember well where I should be.

155 And there I am. Where is my Romeo?

I hear some noise.—Lady, come from that nest

Of death, contagion, and unnatural sleep.

A greater power than we can contradict

Hath thwarted our intents. Come, come away,

160 Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead,

And Paris too. Come, I’ll dispose of thee

Among a sisterhood of holy nuns.

Stay not to question, for the Watch is coming.

Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay.

165 Go get thee hence, for I will not away.

What’s here? A cup closed in my true love’s hand?

Poison I see has been his timeless end!

O churl °! Drank all and left no friendly drop

To help me after? I will kiss thy lips.

170 Happ’ly some poison yet doth hang on them,

To make me die with a restorative.

She kisses ROMEO

Thy lips are warm!

Enter PAGE and WATCH

Lead, boy! Which way?

Yea, noise?  Then I’ll be brief.  O happy dagger,

175 This is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die.

JULIET stabs herself and dies

This is the place, there where the torch doth burn.

CHIEF WATCHMAN

The ground is bloody!  Search about the churchyard.

Go, some of you; whoe’er you find, arrest.

Pitiful sight!  Here lies the County slain,

180 And Juliet bleeding, warm, and newly dead,

Who here hath lain these two days burièd.

Go tell the Prince. Run to the Capulets.

Raise up the Montagues. Some others search.

We see the ground whereon these woes do lie,

185 But the true ground of all these piteous woes

We cannot without circumstance descry °.

Enter 2nd WATCHMAN escorting BALTHASAR

2nd WATCHMAN

Here’s Romeo’s man; we found him in the churchyard.

Hold him in safety ‘til the Prince comes hither.

Enter 3rd WATCHMAN escorting FRIAR LAWRENCE

3rd WATCHMAN

Here is a Friar that trembles, sighs, and weeps.

190 We took this mattock and spade from him

As he was coming from this churchyard’s side.

A great suspicion! Stay the Friar too.

Enter PRINCE

What misadventure is so early up

That calls our person from our morning rest?

Enter CAPULET and LADY CAPULET

195 What could it be that they so shrieked abroad?

LADY CAPULET

O, the people in the street cry “Romeo,”

Some “Juliet,” and some “Paris,” and all run

With open outcry toward our monument.

What fear is this which startles in our ears?

200 Sovereign, here lies the County Paris slain,

And Romeo dead, and Juliet, dead before,

Warm and new killed.

Search, seek, and know how this foul murder comes.

Here is a Friar, and slaughtered Romeo’s man,

205 With instruments upon them fit to open

These dead men’s tombs.

O heavens!  O wife, look how our daughter bleeds!

This dagger hath mista’en, for lo, his house [19]

Is empty on the back of Montague

210 And is mis-sheathed in my daughter’s bosom.

O me, this sight of death is as a bell

That warns my old age to a sepulcher. [20]

Enter MONTAGUE

Come, Montague, for thou art early up

To see thy son and heir, now early down.

215 Alas, my liege, my wife is dead tonight!

Grief of my son’s exile hath stopped her breath. [21]

What further woe conspires against mine age?

Look and thou shalt see.

[ To ROMEO ] Oh, thou untaught °! What manners is this

220 To press ° before thy father to a grave?

Seal up the mouth of outrage for a while,

‘Til we can clear these ambiguities

And know their spring °, their head, their true descent;

And then will I be general of your woes

225 And lead you even to death. [22] Meantime, forebear,

And let mischance be slave to patience. [23]

Bring forth the parties of suspicion.

I am the greatest, able to do least,

Yet most suspected as the time and place

230 Doth make [24] against me of this direful murder.

And here I stand, both to impeach and purge,

Myself condemned and myself excused.

Then say at once what thou dost know in this!

I will be brief, for my short date of breath

235 Is not so long as is this tedious tale.

Romeo there, dead, was husband to that Juliet,

And she, there dead, that’s Romeo’s faithful wife.

I married them, and their stol’n marriage day

Was Tybalt’s doomsday, whose untimely death

240 Banished the new-made bridegroom from this city,

For whom, and not for Tybalt, Juliet pined. [25]

You, to remove that siege of grief from her

Betrothed and would have married her perforce °

To County Paris.  Then comes she to me,

245 And with wild looks bid me devise some means

To rid her from this second marriage,

Or in my cell there would she kill herself.

Then gave I her, so tutored by my art,

A sleeping potion, which so took effect,

250 As I intended, for it wrought on her

The form of death. Meantime I wrote to Romeo

That he should hither come as this dire night

To help to take her from the borrowed grave

Being the time the potion’s force should cease.

255 But he which bore my letter, Friar John,

Was stayed by accident, and yesternight

Returned my letter back. Then all alone

At the prefixed hour of her waking

Came I to take her from her kindred’s vault,

260 Meaning to keep her closely at my cell,

‘Til I conveniently could send to Romeo.

But when I came some minute ere the time

Of her awakening, here untimely lay

The noble Paris, and true Romeo, dead.

265 She wakes, and I entreated her come forth

And bear this work of heaven [26] with patience.

But then a noise did scare me from the tomb,

And she, too desperate, would not go with me

But as it seems, did violence on herself.

270 All this I know, and to the marriage her Nurse is privy.

And if aught in this miscarried by my fault, [27]

Let my old life be sacrificed some hour before his time

Unto the rigor of severest law.

We still have known thee for a holy man.

275 Where’s Romeo’s man? What can he say to this?

I brought my master news of Juliet’s death,

And then in post ° he came from Mantua,

To this same place, to this same monument.

This letter he early bid me give his father,

280 And threatened me with death, going in the vault,

If I departed not, and left him there.

Give me the letter; I will look on it.

Where is the County’s page that raised the Watch?

Sirrah, what made your master [28] in this place?

285 He came with flowers to strew his lady’s grave,

And bid me stand aloof, and so I did.

Anon comes one with light to open the tomb,

And, by and by, my master drew on him,

And then I ran away to call the Watch.

290 [reading letter] This letter doth make good the Friar’s words.

Their course of love, the tidings of her death;

And here he writes that he did buy a poison

Of a poor apothecary, and there with it

Came to this vault to die and lie with Juliet.

295 Where be these enemies? Capulet? Montague?

See what a scourge is laid upon your hate

That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love!

And I, for winking at your discords, [29] too

Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished.

300 O brother Montague, give me thy hand.

This is my daughter’s jointure °, for no more

Can I demand.

But I can give thee more,

For I will raise her statue in pure gold

305 That whiles Verona by that name is known, [30]

There shall be no figure at such rate be set °

As that of true and faithful Juliet.

As rich shall Romeo’s [31] by his lady’s lie,

Poor sacrifices for our enmity.

310 A glooming peace this morning with it brings.

The sun for sorrow shall not show his head.

Go hence to have more talk of these sad things.

Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd.

For never was a story of more woe

315 Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

• My bosom’s lord: my heart ↵
• love itself possessed: i.e., love in real life ↵
• post horses: horses for rent, which were kept at inns ↵
• Your looks are pale and wild : Balthasar acknowledges the mania in Romeo's actions ↵
• Let’s see for means: i.e., how can I do this? ↵
• I pray thy...thy will : He will pay for the poison because the Friar is poor, not because he wills it. ↵
• get thyself in flesh: meaning, “get some meat on your bones” ↵
• “Here in…let us forth”: he was quarantined because the searchers suspected him of having the plague ↵
• not nice but full of charge: not trivial, but full of important instructions ↵
• iron crow: an iron rod used as a lever ↵
• all along: flat ↵
• The obsequies that I for thee will keep: i.e., the funeral rites that I will perform for you ↵
• In dear employment: i.e., for important reasons ↵
• Put not another sin upon my head : Do not make me kill again. ↵
• unsubstantial Death is amorous: i.e., death is in love with Juliet ↵
• lean abhorrèd monster : i.e. Death characterized as thin and detestable. ↵
• With worms that are thy chambermaids : i.e. Worms are characterized as servants to Juliet, tending to her grave. ↵
• Saint Francis: the patron saint of Italy ↵
• his house: the dagger’s sheath ↵
• That warns my old age to a sepulcher: i.e., makes her feel old ↵
• Grief of my son's exile hath stopped her breath : i.e., Montague's wife died due to the emotional weight of losing her son. ↵
• And lead you even to death: i.e., be your leader in grief ↵
• let mischance be slave to patience: i.e., let patience guide your misfortune ↵
• make: give evidence ↵
• For whom, and not for Tybalt, Juliet pined : i.e., Friar implies Juliet only care about Romeo and cares nothing for Tybalt. ↵
• this work of heaven: i.e., this tragedy ↵
• if aught in this miscarried by my fault: i.e., if anything in this was my fault ↵
• what made your master: i.e., what was he doing? ↵
• winking at your discords : looking the other way ↵
• whiles Verona by that name is known: while Verona is called Verona ↵
• Romeo’s: meaning Romeo’s statue ↵

accident, or failed attempt

extreme poverty

miserable; vile

small drink

medicinal drink

another friar

Capulet family tomb

at a distance

unfortunate

burial place

selfish person

by horseback

Romeo and Juliet Copyright © 2021 by Rebecca Olson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Romeo and Juliet

By william shakespeare, romeo and juliet essay questions.

In what way do Romeo and Juliet break gender conventions? How do these roles fluctuate throughout the play?

At the beginning of the play, the young lovers' behavior reverses common gender conventions – Romeo acts in a way that his friends call feminine, while Juliet exhibits masculine qualities. Romeo is by no means an archetypal Elizabethan man; he is disinterested in asserting his physical power like the other male characters in the play. Instead, Romeo chooses to stew in his pensive melancholy. On several instances, Romeo's companions suggest that his introspective behavior is effeminate. On the other hand, Juliet exhibits a more pronounced sense of agency than most female characters in Shakespeare's time. While the women around her, like her mother, blindly act in accordance with Lord Capulet's wishes, Juliet proudly expresses her opinion. Even when she has lost a battle (like when Lord Capulet insists she consider marrying Paris), she demonstrates a shrewd ability to deflect attention without committing to anything. In her relationship with Romeo, Juliet clearly takes the lead by insisting on marriage and proposing the plan to unite them. As the play progresses, Romeo starts to break out of his pensive inaction to the point that Mercutio notices this change. Romeo also makes a great shift from his cowardly attempt at suicide in Act III to his willful decision in Act V. Overall, Romeo and Juliet are arguably a good match because they are so distinct. Juliet is headstrong, while Romeo is passive until passion strikes and inspires him to action.

Contrast Romeo's attempted suicide in Act 3 with his actual suicide in Act 5. How do these two events reveal changes in his character and an evolving view of death?

Romeo considers suicide in both Act 3 and Act 5. In Act 3, Romeo's desire to take his own life is a cowardly response to his grief over killing Tybalt. He is afraid of the consequences of his actions and would rather escape the world entirely than face losing Juliet. Both Friar Laurence and the Nurse criticize Romeo for his weakness and lack of responsibility - taking the knife from his hands. In contrast, Romeo actually does commit suicide in Act V because he sees no other option. He plans for it, seeking out the Apothecary before leaving Mantua, and kills himself out of solidarity with Juliet, not because he is afraid. While suicide is hardly a defensible action, Romeo's dual attempts to take his life reveal his growing maturity and his strengthened moral resolve.

Several characters criticize Romeo for falling in love too quickly. Do you believe this is true? Does his tendency towards infatuation give the audience occasion to question Romeo's affection for Juliet?

This question obviously asks for a student opinion, but there is evidence to support both sides of the argument. In Act 2, Friar Laurence states his opinion that Romeo does indeed fall in love too quickly. Romeo is arguably in love with being in love more than he is in love with any particular woman. The speed with which his affections shift from Rosaline to Juliet – all before he ever exchanges a word with the latter – suggests that Romeo's feelings of 'love' are closer to lust than commitment. This interpretation is supported by the numerous sexual references in the play, which are even interwoven with religious imagery in Romeo and Juliet's first conversation. However, it also possible to argue that Romeo's lust does not invalidate the purity of his love. Romeo and Juliet celebrates young, passionate love, which includes physical lust. Furthermore, whereas Romeo was content to pine for Rosaline from afar, his love for Juliet forces him to spring into action. He is melancholy over Rosaline, but he is willing to die for Juliet. Therefore, a possible reading is that Romeo and Juliet's relationship might have been sparked by physical attraction, but it grew into a deep, spiritual connection.

Examine the contrast between order and disorder in Romeo and Juliet . How does Shakespeare express this dichotomy through symbols, and how do those motifs help to underline the other major themes in the play?

The contrast between order and disorder appears from the Prologue, where the Chorus tells a tragic story using the ordered sonnet form. From that point onwards, the separation between order and disorder is a common theme. Ironically, violence and disorder occurs in bright daylight, while the serenity of love emerges at night. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet is uncomplicated without the disorderly feud between their families, which has taken over the streets of Verona. The contrast between order and disorder underscores the way that Shakespeare presents love - a safe cocoon in which the lovers can separate themselves from the unpredictable world around them. At the end of the play, it becomes clear that a relationship based on pure love cannot co-exist with human weaknesses like greed and jealousy.

Many critics note a tonal inconsistency in Romeo and Juliet . Do you find the shift in tone that occurs after Mercutio's death to be problematic? Does this shift correspond to an established structural tradition or is it simply one of Shakespeare's whims?

After the Prologue until the point where Mercutio dies in Act III, Romeo and Juliet is mostly a comic romance. After Mercutio dies, the nature of the play suddenly shifts into tragedy. It is possible that this extreme shift is merely the product of Shakespeare's whims, especially because the play has many other asides that are uncharacteristic of either comedy or tragedy. For example, Mercutio's Queen Mab speech is dreamy and poetic, while the Nurse's colorful personality gives her more dimension than functional characters generally require. However, it is also possible to see the parallels between this tonal shift and the play's thematic contrast between order and disorder. Shakespeare frequently explored the human potential for both comedy and tragedy in his plays, and it is possible that in Romeo and Juliet , he wanted to explore the transition from youthful whimsy into the complications of adulthood. From this perspective, the play's unusual structure could represent a journey to maturity. Romeo grows from a petulant teenager who believes he can ignore the world around him to a man who accepts the fact that his actions have consequences.

Eminent literary critic Harold Bloom considers Mercutio to be one of Shakespeare's greatest inventions in Romeo and Juliet . Why do you agree or disagree with him? What sets Mercutio apart?

One of Shakespeare's great dramatic talents is his ability to portray functional characters as multi-faceted individuals. Mercutio, for example, could have served a simple dramatic function, helping the audience get to know Romeo in the early acts. Then, his death in Act 3 is a crucial plot point in the play, heightening the stakes and forcing Romeo to make a life-changing decision. Mercutio barely appears in Arthur Brooke's Romeus and Juliet , which Romeo and Juliet is based on. Therefore, Shakespeare made a point of fleshing out the character. In Mercutio's Queen Mab speech, Shakespeare has the opportunity to truly delve into the bizarre and often dangerous sexual nature of love. Further, Mercutio's insight as he dies truly expresses the horrors of revenge, as he declares a plague on both the Montague and Capulet families. He is the first casualty of their feud - and because he transcends functionality, the audience mourns his untimely death and can relate to Romeo's capricious revenge.

How does Shakespeare use symbols of gold and silver throughout the play? What does each element represent?

Shakespeare uses gold and silver as symbols to criticize human folly. He often invokes the image of silver to symbolize pure love and innocent beauty. On the other hand, he uses gold as a sign of greed or desire. For example, Shakespeare describes Rosaline as immune to showers of gold, an image that symbolizes the selfishness of bribery. Later, when Romeo is banished, he comments that banishment is a "golden axe," meaning that banishment is merely a shiny euphemism for death. Finally, the erection of the golden statues at the end of the play is a sign of the fact that neither Lord Capulet nor Lord Montague has really learned anything from the loss of their children. They are still competing to claim the higher level of grief. Romeo, however, recognizes the power of gold and rejects it - through him, Shakespeare suggests a distinction between a world governed by wealth and the cocoon of true love.

Do a character analysis of Friar Laurence. What motivates him? In what ways does this motivation complicate his character?

Friar Laurence is yet another character who transcends his functional purpose. When Romeo first approaches the Friar to plan his marriage to Juliet, the older man questions the young man's sincerity, since Romeo openly pined for Rosaline only a few days before. However, the Friar shows a willingness to compromise by agreeing to marry the young lovers nevertheless. What ultimately motivates Friar Laurence is his desire to end the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues, and he sees Romeo and Juliet's marriage as a means to that end. While his peaceful intentions are admirable, his devious actions to achieve them – conducting a marriage that he explicitly questions – suggests he is more driven by politics than by an internal moral compass. The fact that a religious figure would compromise one of the Church's sacraments (marriage) further suggests that the Friar wants his power to extend beyond the confines of his Chapel. He also displays his hubris by helping Juliet to fake her death, rather than simply helping her get to Mantua to be with Romeo. While Friar Laurence is not an explicit villain, his internal contradictions speak to Shakespeare's ability to create multi-faceted characters.

Should Romeo and Juliet be considered a classical tragedy (in which fate destroys individuals)? Or is it more a tragedy of circumstance and personality? Moreover, could the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet have been avoided?

In classical tragedy, an individual is defeated by Fate, despite his or her best efforts to change a pre-determined course of events. A classical tragedy both celebrates an individual's willpower while lamenting the fact that the universe cannot be bested by mankind. The tragic elements in Romeo and Juliet are undeniable - two young lovers want nothing more than to be together and fall victim to an ancient feud and rigid societal conventions. However, while Romeo and Juliet's deaths result from human folly, the immovable power of fate also has a hand in sealing their destinies. For instance, Romeo and Juliet had many opportunities to simply run away together instead of being separated after Romeo is banished from Verona. Furthermore, many of the tragic occurrences are contingent on antagonistic characters running into one another, and then choosing to pursue vengeance rather than simply walk away. Based on this evidence, it is possible to read Shakespeare's intent as suggesting that behavioral adjustment can often prevent tragic events.

How is Romeo and Juliet a criticism of organized religion? Examine the play's secularism to develop your answer.

While Romeo and Juliet does not present explicit attacks against religion, Shakespeare reveals his skepticism of Christianity in subtle ways. In many ways, Romeo and Juliet must reject the tenets of Christianity in order to be together. In their first meeting, they banter, using religious imagery to share their sexual feelings. In this exchange, the lovers acknowledge the omnipresence of Christianity, but cheekily use religious images in an unexpected context. Further, Christian tradition would have required Juliet to submit to her father's desire, but instead, she manipulates his expectations to distract him from her real agenda. Even Friar Laurence, an explicitly religious figure, uses Christianity as a tool towards his own ends. In this way, the play implicitly suggests that the rigid rules of religion often work in opposition to the desires of the heart - and to pursue true happiness, one must throw off the shackles of organized faith.

Romeo and Juliet Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Romeo and Juliet is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Can you find verbal irony in the play? Where?

One example of verbal irony would be Romeo's reference to the poison he has purchased as a "sweet medicine". A cordial is a sweet liquor or medicine.

Come, cordial and not poison, go with me To Juliet's grave; for there must I use thee.

What do we learn about Mercutio in queen man speech?

The whole speech is based on pagan Celtic mythology. Mercutio’s speech is laced with sexual innuendo. The words “queen” and “mab” refer to whores in Elizabethan England. As his speech goes on we notice the subtext get increasingly sexual...

What does Romeo fear as he approaches Capulet house? What literary device would this be an example of?

Romeo feels something bad is going to happen.

I fear too early, for my mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars

Looks like foreshadowing to me!

Study Guide for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Romeo and Juliet
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Essays for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

• Unity in Shakespeare's Tragedies
• Fate in Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet: Under the Guise of Love
• The Apothecary's Greater Significance in Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet: Two Worlds

Lesson Plan for Romeo and Juliet

• About the Author
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• Introduction to Romeo and Juliet
• Relationship to Other Books
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E-Text of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet e-text contains the full text of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

• List of Characters

Wikipedia Entries for Romeo and Juliet

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