Act IIIThe Downfall
Scene I “A plague o'both your houses” [pg. 123] “O, I am fortune's fool!” [pg. 125] This scene is a reminder to the audience that
Romeo and Juliet's lives/love affair is occurring in a male dominated society
Verona's society is consumed by masculine honor, pride, and honor
This scene also illustrates R&J's fragile state
Scene II Romeo and Juliet's love is tested as the conflict
between the 2 families increases Audience sees Juliet maturing, as she acts as a
brave and loyal woman/wife She states that her loyalty must remain with
her husband's, not with Tybalt's Juliet even reminds the nurse of where her
own loyalty should lie
Scene III The Friar remains hopefully and tries to explain
to Romeo of how lucky he is Romeo's passionate nature is, yet again,
illustrated He collapses onto the floor and throws a fit
during his conversation with the Friar Is completely grief stricken; refuses to see his
banishment as a gift from Prince Refuses to listen, threatens to kill himself
Scene IV Capulet's reasoning for moving up Juliet's
wedding date is unclear Maybe Capulet wants to bring some joy to
Verona after Tybalt's death...or maybe Capulet has realized that his family needs all of the political power that they can get
Regardless of Capulet's intentions, Juliet's powerlessness as a woman is reinforced
Is another reminder that women in Verona have no political or social power
Scene V Foreshadowing on pg. 159
Juliet: “O God, I have an ill-driven soul! Me thinks I see thee, now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails or thou lookest pale.”
Romeo: “And trust me, love, in my eye so do you. Dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu, adieu.”
The next time Juliet sees Romeo is right after he has committed suicide.
Scene V... Foreshadowing: pg. 173
Juliet: “I'll to the Friar to know his remedy. If all else fail, myself have power to die”
This scene demonstrates Juliet's full maturity She has transformed from girl to young
woman The Nurse is a symbol of Juliet's childhood
Juliet no longer needs the nurse. Juliet will no longer seek her advice
She is obedient and dependent upon her husband, Romeo
Scene V... Even though Juliet disobeys her parents, she
cannot leave Verona and go live with Romeo in Mantua
Women had no way of leaving society Juliet recognizes her powerlessness, but she
does not revert back to acting like a little girl She is determined to use her power any way
that she can Thus suicide, for Juliet, represents her desire to
control and direct her own life This is the assertion of authority over the self
Act IV
Scene I Friar Lawrence's character is the most
scheming within the play He encourages Romeo to go to Mantua Stages Juliet's death Secretly marries R&J
He is never presented as a negative character Is always illustrated as a character who is wise
and resourceful Never takes the blame for the characters' tragic
death
Scene II Paris's intentions with Juliet seem to be
honorable and pure He is somewhat of a neutral character. He favors the Capulet family but only because
of his love for Juliet He loves Juliet but does not illustrate any
discontentment with the Montagues Like everyone else in the play though he does not
know about R&J's relationship Paris represents a real and frightening danger for
Juliet
Scene III Once again, Juliet demonstrates her strength
as she decides to follow through on her decision to drink the poison
She takes full responsibility for herself She determines its worth to her The drinking of the potion hints at future
events
Scene IV
Illustrates the emotional roller coaster throughout the play
Tragedy vs. comedy Illustrates the complexity of human emotion
Life is full of both happy and sad moments Is Romeo and Juliet really a tragedy?
Scene V Paris's grief for Juliet also seems legitimate The Capulet's love for Juliet is illustrated
This allows for character development and growth
Lets the audience see Lord and Lady Capulet as more complex characters
They truly love Juliet and want whats best for her
Lord Capulet has place a tremendous amount of hope into his only child
Scene V... Peter and the musicians [pg. 205]
This portion of the play is often cut from performances
The scene seems ill placed This portion of the scene illustrates another
perspective onto Juliet's fake death Scene is supposed to be comedic As the scene progresses, it becomes clear that the
servants do not really care about Juliet's death. They are more concerned that they are now out of a job The great tragedy in the play is not a tragedy to everyone
Act V...This is It!
Scene I & II “Then I defy you, stars”
Another reference to the “star-crossed lovers” Romeo's defiance against his own fate
Apothecary: A seller of drugs The selling of poison in Mantua will lead to
serious consequences Friar John's character:
Illustrates another chance happening event
Scene I & II... Illustrates the characters inability to escape
their doomed fate Outbreak of the plague Balthasar tells Romeo of Juliet's fake death Romeo also begins to recognize his doomed
fate Unfortunately, he only believes that he will be
separated from Juliet As Romeo tries to defy his destiny, he brings
about his own fate
Something to Think About...
Throughout the play, Shakespeare consistently links the intensity of young love with suicidal
impulses. Romeo's threat of suicide in scene III, for instance, clearly illustrates and foreshadows
R&J's suicide in Act V. Time and time again, Shakespeare illustrates that suicide is the only
response to the overwhelming experience that is brought upon by [young] love.
Scene III Prince's last words...
“A story of more woe/ Than this of Juliet and Romeo”
Shakespeare pairs young love with suicide throughout the play...why?
Is it for dramatic effect Or is it an essential element of romantic love?
No social or political powers have any effect on the lovers' decisions
Scene III... The death of Romeo and Juliet
“The yoke of inauspicious stars. From this world-wearied flesh”
Kissing Juliet, Romeo drinks the poison and dies
Juliet's last words: “O happy dagger, This is thy sheath.”
She dies after stabbing herself with Romeo's dagger
Scene III Their death transforms the world that they were
just living in Their death enables them to escape Love conquers all/hope is not lost “These violent delights have violent ends/And in
their triumph die” Do we as an audience feel saddened by their
death?