romeo and juliet act 4 assignments

Romeo and Juliet

By william shakespeare, romeo and juliet summary and analysis of act 4, act four, scene one.

At the chapel, Paris speaks to Friar Laurence about his impending wedding to Juliet . Aware of the complications that will arise from this new match, the Friar is full of misgivings.

Juliet, in search of Romeo , arrives at the chapel and finds Paris there. She is forced to speak with him, and he behaves arrogantly now that their wedding is set. However, Juliet rebuffs him with her vague answers, and then finally asks Friar Laurence if she might speak to him alone. When the Friar assents, Paris is forced to leave.

Friar Laurence proposes a complicated plan to help Juliet reunite with Romeo. The Friar will give Juliet a special potion that will effectively kill her for 48 hours; she will exhibit no signs of life. Following their family tradition, her parents will place her body in the Capulet vault. Meanwhile, Friar Laurence will send a letter to Romeo, instructing him of the plan so that the boy can meet Juliet in the tomb and then lead her away from Verona. Juliet approves of the plan.

Act Four, Scene Two

Happy to know that she will be reunited with Romeo, Juliet returns home and apologizes to her father for her disobedience. He pardons her, and instructs her to prepare her clothes for the wedding, which is now going to happen the next day. Lord Capulet then sets out to find Paris to deliver the good news about Juliet's change of heart.

Act Four, Scene Three

Juliet convinces Lady Capulet and the Nurse to let her sleep alone that night. Juliet keeps a knife nearby in case the potion should fail. She then drinks the Friar's potion and falls to her bed, motionless.

Act Four, Scene Four

(Please note that some editions of the play separate this scene into two different scenes.)

When the Nurse arrives to fetch Juliet the next morning, she finds the young girl's lifeless body. Lady Capulet soon follows, and is understandably devastated over her daughter's apparent suicide. When Lord Capulet finds out his daughter is dead, he orders the the wedding music to shift into funeral dirges. The grieving family prepares to move Juliet's body to the Capulet tomb as soon as possible.

As noted in the previous Analysis sections, Shakespeare foreshadows Romeo and Juliet 's tragic ending by peppering the whole play with images of death. In Act 4, death finally comes to the forefront. Even though the audience understands that Juliet's death is a ploy, watching her plan and execute her suicide is an emotional moment - the extreme measures Juliet and Romeo are willing to take to be together are proof of their tragic desperation.

In Act 4, Juliet summons all of her internal strength, which is manifest in her willingness to engage in the Friar's rash and precarious plan. Romeo does not appear in this Act; which makes it feel like Shakespeare wanted to draw attention to Juliet's unwavering devotion towards solving their problem. Where Romeo's reacted to his banishment by actually attempting suicide in Act 3, Juliet looks at the problem logically, choosing to feign suicide in order to reunited with her lover. These parallel decisions suggest Juliet's superior courage and cleverness, and indicate the power of love in Romeo and Juliet .

Juliet's actions emphasize the recurring division between the young and the old in the play. Her decision to comply with the Friar's plan might be rash, but it is unquestionably brave. On the other hand, the adults in Act 4 act almost exclusively out of resignation and self-interest. Paris is no longer trying to charm or woo Juliet but, upon hearing the news that she has accepted his hand, becomes arrogant and obnoxious. Juliet's parents no longer concern themselves with her well-being once she claims to accept her betrothal to Paris, and even the Nurse (who knows the depth of her passion for Romeo) allows her to sleep alone. Only the young lovers know the triumph and the heartbreak of true love, whereas their older counterparts stoically accept the status quo, favoring ease and expediency. Juliet's parents are so happy that she has agreed to the profitable match with Paris that they never question why she has changed her mind about him so quickly.

From the beginning of Romeo and Juliet , Friar Laurence seems more like a politician than a holy man. He knows that Romeo and Juliet's marriage is hasty and irrational but sees it as a way to negotiate peace between the Montagues and the Capulets. In the first scene of Act 4, Friar Laurence makes no attempt to interfere with Paris's marriage plans, even though the Friar knows that Juliet is already married. He lacks the courage to state the truth, even though he knows that Juliet and Paris' marriage would be complete sacrilege. Furthermore, the Friar allows Juliet to use the sacrament of penance to get rid of Paris, which is another example of his disrespect for religious conventions. Finally, the Friar's outrageous plan makes him seem more like a mad scientist than a priest. He could have helped Romeo and Juliet to simply run away, but had he done so, he would have lost an opportunity to reconcile the feud between the Montagues and Capulets. By engineering a false tragedy and playing with death, Friar Laurence reveals his priorities - his own desire for political influence is more important than the lovers' happiness or his own religious vows.

Finally, the Friar's convoluted plan calls the play's tragic categorization into further question. While the ending of Romeo and Juliet is undeniably sad, it keeps moving further away from the tropes of classical tragedy. The fact that Juliet agrees the Friar's wild plan instead of simply running away (which is a realistic option, especially since Romeo has already been banished) suggests that the characters' choices play a major role in the lovers' ultimate demise. In a classical tragedy, fate and other immovable forces lead to catastrophic events. However, in the Friar and Juliet's plan, it seems that Juliet cannot fully relinquish her life in Verona – she wants to claim victory over her parents. She is too headstrong to wonder whether her youthful bravado might have its own negative consequences.

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.

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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
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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.

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March 3, 2017

How to teach shakespeare's romeo and juliet: act iv.

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ACT 4, SCENE 1

Paris meets with Friar Lawrence, informing him that the wedding will be held on Thursday in a supposed attempt to soothe Juliet’s grief over murdered Tybalt. Juliet arrives for confession, and Paris attempts to pressure her into confessing her love for him. After Paris leaves, Juliet tells the Friar she is resolved to kill herself if he can offer no solution out of the impending marriage. The Friar offers her a plan: agree to the marriage, but drink a poison the night before that will make her appear dead while in reality leaving her asleep. The Friar will then send word to Romeo, who will return and rescue Juliet once she awakes in the family tomb. Juliet accepts.

Friar Lawrence’s cell in Verona:

Enter Friar Lawrence and County Paris

FRIAR LAWRENCE

On Thursday, sir? The time is very soon.

My father Capulet will have it so,

And I am nothing slow to stall his haste.

You say you do not know the Lady’s mind?

5 Uneven is the course. I like it not.

Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death,

And therefore have I little talk of love,

For Venus [1] smiles not in a house of tears.

Now, sir, her father counts it dangerous

10 That she doth give her sorrow so much sway;

And in his wisdom hastes our marriage [2]

To stop the inundation ° of her tears,

Which, too much minded by herself alone,

May be put from her by society. [3]

15 Now you do know the reason of this haste.

[To himself] I would I knew not why it should be slowed. [4]

[To PARIS] Look, sir, here comes the lady towards my cell.

Enter Juliet

Happily met, my lady and my wife.

That may be, sir, when I may be a wife.

20 That “may be” must be, love, on Thursday next.

What must be shall be.

That’s a certain text °.

Come you to make confession to this father? [5]

To answer that, I would confess to you.

25 Do not deny to him that you love me.

I will confess to you that I love him. [6]

So will ye – I am sure that you love me.

If I do so, it will be of more worth

Being spoke behind your back than to your face.

30 Poor soul, thy face is much abused with tears.

The tears have got small ° victory by that,

For it was bad enough before their spite. [7]

Thou wrong’st it more than tears, with that report.

That is no slander, sir, when it’s a truth,

35 And what I said, I said it to my face.

Thy face is mine, and thou hast slandered it.

It may be so, for it is not mine own. —

Are you at leisure, Holy Father, now,

Or shall I come to you at evening Mass?

40 My leisure serves me, somber daughter, now.

My lord, we must ask for this time alone.

God shield I should disturb devotion!

Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouse you.

Till then, adieu, and keep this holy kiss.

He kisses her

45 O, shut the door! And when thou hast done so,

Come weep with me – past hope, past care, past help.

O Juliet, I already know thy grief;

It strains me past the compass of my wits.

I hear thou must – and nothing may postpone it –

50 On Thursday next be married to the County.

Tell me not, Friar, that thou hearest of this,

Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it:

If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help,

Do thou but call my resolution wise,

55 And with this knife I’ll help it presently.

God joined my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands.

And ere this hand – by thee to Romeo sealed –

Shall be the label to another deed, [8]

Or my true heart with treacherous revolt

60 Turn to another, this shall slay them both.

Therefore out of thy long-experienced time,

Give me some present counsel, or, behold,

‘Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife

Shall play the umpire, arbitrating that,

65 Which the commission of thy years and art [9]

Could not to this issue true honor bring.

Be not so long to speak; I long to die

If what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.

Hold, daughter! I do spy a kind of hope

70 Which craves as desperate an execution

As that is desperate which we would prevent. [10]

If rather than to marry County Paris

Thou hast the strength or will to slay thyself,

Then it is likely thou wilt undertake

75 A thing like death to chide away this shame,

That copes with Death himself to ‘scape from it;

And, if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy.

O bid me leap – rather than marry Paris –

From off the battlements of any tower,

80 Or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk

Where serpents are; chain me with roaring bears

Or hide me nightly in a charnel house, [11]

O’ercovered quite ° with dead men’s rattling bones,

With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls; [12]

85 Or bid me go into a new-made grave

And hide me with a dead man in his tomb;

Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble,

And I will do it without fear or doubt

To keep myself a faithful unstained wife

90 To my dear lord, my dearest Romeo.

Hold then: go home, be merry, give consent

To marry Paris. Wednesday is tomorrow.

Let not thy nurse lie with thee in thy chamber.

And when thou art alone, take thou this vial,

95 And this distilling liquor drink thou off,

When presently through all thy veins shall run

A cold and drowsy humor; for no pulse

Shall keep his native rhythm but surcease °.

No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest;

100 The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade

To many ashes. Thy eyes’ windows fall

Like Death when he shuts up the day of life;

Each part, deprived of supple government

Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death,

105 And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death

Thou shalt continue two and forty hours

And then awake, as from a pleasant sleep.

Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes

To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead;

110 Then, as the manner of our country is, [13]

In thy best robes uncovered on the bier °

Be borne to burial in thy kindred’s grave;

Thou shall be borne to that same ancient vault

Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.

115 In the meantime, by then thou shalt awake,

Shall Romeo by my letters know our plan,

And hither shall he come, and he and I

Will watch thy waking, and that very night

Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua.

120 And this shall free thee from this present shame,

If no inconstant toy nor womanish fear

Abate ° thy valor in the acting it.

Give me, give me! O, tell not me of fear!

He gives her the vial

Hold! Get you gone, be strong and prosperous

125 In this resolve. I’ll send a Friar with speed

To Mantua with my letters to thy lord. [14]

Love give me strength, and strength shall help afford.

Farewell, dear Father.

ACT 4, SCENE 2

Juliet returns to find her family preparing for the wedding. Repentant, she asks for forgiveness and agrees to marry Paris. Lord Capulet, in his excitement, decides to advance the ceremony from Thursday to Wednesday (tomorrow). Ignoring his wife’s protests, he instructs her to be with Juliet while he finishes preparations and sends word to Paris of the changed itinerary.

Somewhere within the Capulet estate:

Enter Capulet, Lady capulet, Nurse, and Servingmen

So many guests invite as here are writ.

Gives a list to a SERVANT, who then exits.

Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks.

You shall have none ill °, sir, for I’ll test if they will lick their fingers. [15]

How canst thou test them so?

5 Marry sir, ‘tis an ill cook that will not lick his own fingers:

Therefore he that will not lick his fingers goes not with me.

Go, be gone.

Exit Servingman

We shall be much unfurnished ° for this time.

What, is my daughter gone to Friar Lawrence?

10 Aye, forsooth .

Well he may chance to do some good on her.

A peevish, self-willed harlotry ° it is.

LADY CAPULET

See, here she commeth from confession.

How now, my headstrong?

15 Where have you been gadding °?

Where I have learnt me to repent the sin

Of disobedient opposition

To you and your behests, and am enjoined °

By holy Lawrence to fall prostrate here [Juliet kneels]

20 To beg your pardon. Pardon, I beseech you!

Henceforward I am ever ruled by you.

Now before God, this holy reverend Friar,

All our whole city is much bound ° to him!

Send for the County. Go tell him of this.

25 I’ll have this knot knit up tomorrow morning. [16]

I met the youthful lord at Lawrence’s cell,

And gave him what becomed love I might,

Not stepping o’er the bounds of modesty.

Why, I am glad on’t. This is well. Stand up.

30 This is as’t should be. Let me see the County.

Aye, marry, go I say, and fetch him hither.

JULIET rises

Nurse, will you go with me into my closet

To help me sort such needful ornaments

As you think fit to furnish me tomorrow?

35 No, not till Thursday. There’s time enough.

Go, Nurse, go with her.

We’ll to church tomorrow.

Exit Juliet and Nurse

Methinks on Thursday would be time enough.

I say I will have this dispatched tomorrow.

40 I pray, my Lord, let it be Thursday.

I say tomorrow while she’s in the mood.

We shall be short in our provision °.

‘Tis now near night.

Tush, I will stir about.

45 And all things shall be well, I warrant thee, wife.

Go thou to Juliet, help to deck ° her up.

I’ll not to bed tonight. Let me alone;

I’ll play the housewife [17] for this once.— [calls servants] What ho?

They are all forth °.— Well, I will walk myself

50 To County Paris, to prepare up him

Against tomorrow. My heart is wondrous light

Since this same wayward girl is so reclaimed.

ACT 4, SCENE 3

Juliet sends the nurse and Lady Capulet from her bedroom on the pretext of getting rest. She then experiences a series of doubts about the plan: what if the poison doesn’t work? What if the Friar actually intends to kill her to preserve the sanctity of her first marriage? What if she wakes up too early and suffocates? What if waking in the tomb will drive her insane? She rebuts most of these fears and drinks the poison, falling into a death-like trance.

Juliet’s chambers within the Capulet estate:

Enter JULIET and NURSE

Aye, those attires are best; but gentle Nurse

I pray thee leave me to myself tonight

For I have need of many orisons °

To move the heavens to smile upon my state,

5 Which, well thou know’st, is cross and full of sin.

Enter LADY CAPULET

What, are you busy – do you need my help?

No, madam, we have culled ° such necessaries

As are behooveful ° for our state tomorrow.

So please you, let me now be left alone;

10 And let the Nurse this night sit up with you,

For I am sure you have your hands full all

In this so sudden business.

Get thee to bed and rest, for thou hast need.

Exit NURSE and LADY CAPULET

15 Farewell:

God knows when we shall meet again.

I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins,

That almost freezes up the heat of life.

I’ll call them back again to comfort me.—

20 Nurse!— [18] What should she do here?

My dismal scene I needs must act alone.

Come, vial.

Takes out vial.

What if this mixture should not work at all?

Shall I be married then tomorrow morning?

25 No, no, this shall forbid it.

Takes out knife.

  Lie thou there.

What if it be a poison, which the Friar

Subtly hath ministered to have me dead,

Lest in this marriage he should be dishonored,

Because he married me before to Romeo?

30 I fear it is. And yet methinks it should not,

For he hath still been tried a holy man.

How, if when I am laid into the tomb,

I wake before the time that Romeo

Comes to redeem me? There’s a fearful point:

35 Shall I not then be stifled ° in the vault,

To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes in,

And there die strangled ere my Romeo comes?

Or, if I live, is it not very like °

The horrible conceit ° of death and night,

40 Together with the terror of the place—

As in the vault, an ancient receptacle

Where for these many hundred years the bones

Of all my buried ancestors are packed:

Where bloody Tybalt, yet but green in earth, [19]

45 Lies festering in his shroud; where, as they say,

At some hours in the night spirits resort °.

Alack, alack, is it not like that I

In early waking, what with loathsome smells,

And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth, [20]

50 That living mortals hearing them run mad—

O, if I wake, shall I not be distraught,

Environed ° with all these hideous fears,

And madly play with my forefathers’ joints?

And pluck the mangled Tybalt from his shroud?

55 And, in this rage, with some great kinsman’s bone,

As with a club, dash out my desperate brains?

O look, methinks I see my cousin’s ghost,

Seeking out Romeo that did spit ° his body

Upon a rapier’s point. Stay, Tybalt, stay!

60 Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink; I drink to thee. [21]

She drinks and falls upon her bed within the curtains.

ACT 4, SCENE 4

The Capulets work through the night in preparation. Hearing Paris’ arrival, Lord Capulet tells the Nurse to wake Juliet.

  Somewhere within the Capulet estate:

Enter LADY CAPULET and NURSE

Hold, take these keys and fetch more spices, Nurse.

They call for dates and quinces ° in the pastry. [22]

Enter CAPULET

Come, stir, stir, stir! The second cock hath crowed; [23]

The curfew bell hath rung. ‘Tis three o’clock:

5 Look to the baked meats, good Angelica, [24]

Spare not for cost.

Go, you cotquean, [25] go,

Get you to bed. Faith, you’ll be sick tomorrow

For this night’s watching.

10 No, not a whit. What! I have watched ere now

All night for lesser cause, and ne’er been sick.

Aye, you have been a mousehunt ° in your time,

But I will watch you from such watching now.

  Exit LADY CAPULET and NURSE

A jealous-hood, a jealous-hood! Now, fellow, what is there?

Enter three or four SERVINGMEN with spits, logs, and baskets

15 Things for the cook, sir, but I know not what.

Make haste, make haste, sirrah! Fetch drier logs.

Call Peter; he will show thee where they are.

FELLOW 

I have a head sir, that will find out logs,

And never trouble Peter for the matter.

20 Mass, [26] and well said. A merry whoreson, [27] ha!

Thou shalt be loggerhead. [28] —Good Father, ‘tis day.

  Play music

The County will be here with music soon,

For so he said he would. I hear him near.

Nurse! Wife! What ho! What, Nurse, I say!

  Enter NURSE

25 Go waken Juliet, go trim her up,

I’ll go and chat with Paris. Hie, make haste,

Make haste. The bridegroom: he is come already.

Make haste, I say!

  Exit all but NURSE

ACT 4, SCENE 5

The Nurse enters Juliet’s bedroom, assuming her to be asleep, but then discovers her to be (apparently) dead. Lady Capulet, Lord Capulet, Paris, and Friar Lawrence arrive consecutively and grieve at seeing Juliet in her current state. The Friar reassures the family that Juliet is surely well in heaven and urges them to bring her to church to begin the funeral rites. After they leave, musicians hired for the wedding linger, and, unconcerned by the day’s events, joke and banter about music before making their exit.

Mistress? What, mistress? Juliet? Fast °, I warrant her, she.

Why, lamb! Why, lady! Fie, you  slugabed °!

Why, love, I say! Madam, sweetheart! Why, bride!

What, not a word? You take your pennyworths ° now,

5 Sleep for a week, for the next night I warrant

The County Paris hath set up his rest [29]

That you shall rest but little.—God forgive me.

Marry and Amen! How sound is she asleep.

I must needs wake her.—Madam, madam, madam!

10 Aye, let the County take you in your bed;

He’ll fright you up, i’faith. Will it not be?

What, dressed and in your clothes and down again?

I must needs wake you. Lady, lady, lady!

Alas, alas! Help, help! My lady’s dead!

15 O welladay ° that ever I was born!

Some aqua-vitae, ho! My lord, my lady!

What noise is here?

O lamentable day!

What is the matter?

20 Look, look! O heavy day!

O me, O me! My child, my only life!

Revive, look up, or I will die with thee!

Help, help! Call help!

CAPULET 

For shame, bring Juliet forth. Her Lord is come.

25 She’s dead, deceased, she’s dead. Alack the day!

Alack the day! She’s dead, she’s dead, she’s dead.

Ha! Let me see her. Out, alas—she’s cold!

Her blood is settled, and her joints are stiff;

Life and these lips have long been separated.

30 Death lies on her like an untimely frost

Upon the sweetest flower of all the field.

O woeful time!

Death, that hath ta’en her hence to make me wail,

35 Ties up my tongue and will not let me speak.

Enter FRIAR LAWRENCE and PARIS with MUSICIANS

Come, is the bride ready to go to church?

Ready to go, but never to return.

O son, the night before thy wedding day

Hath Death lain with thy wife. There she lies,

40 Flower as she was, deflowered by him.

Death is my son-in-law; Death is my heir.

My daughter he hath wedded. I will die

And leave him all life living. All is Death’s.

Have I thought long to see this morning’s face,

45 And doth it give me such a sight as this?

Accursed, unhappy, wretched, hateful day!

Most miserable hour that e’er time saw

In lasting labor of his pilgrimage. [30]

But one, poor one, one poor and loving child,

50 But one thing to rejoice and solace in,

And cruel Death hath catched it from my sight.

O woe, O woeful, woeful, woeful day!

Most lamentable day, most woeful day

That ever, ever I did yet behold.

55 O day, O day, O day, O hateful day,

Never was seen so black a day as this:

O woeful day, O woeful day!

Beguiled, divorcèd, wrongèd, spited, slain!

Most detestable Death, by thee beguiled,

60 By cruel, cruel thee quite overthrown.

O love, O life; not life, but love in death.

Despised, distressèd, hated, martyred, killed!

Uncomfortable time, why cam’st thou now

To murder, murder our solemnity?

65 O child, O child, my soul and not my child!

Dead art thou! Alack, my child is dead,

And with my child, my joys are burièd.

Peace, ho! For shame! Confusion’s cares lives not

In these confusions °. Heaven and yourself

70 Had part in this fair maid. [31] Now heaven hath all,

And all the better it is for the maid.

Your part in her, you could not keep from Death,

But heaven keeps his part in eternal life.

The most you sought was her promotion,

75 For ‘twas your heaven she should be advanced.

And weep ye now, seeing she is advanced

Above the clouds, as high as heaven itself?

O in this love, you love your child so ill

That you run mad seeing that she is well.

80 She’s not well married that lives married long,

But she’s best married that dies married young.

Dry up your tears and stick your rosemary [32]

On this fair corpse, and, as the custom is,

In all her best array ° bear her to Church.

85 For though some nature bids us all lament,

Yet nature’s tears are reason’s merriment.

All things that we ordained festival

Turn from their office to black funeral.

Our instruments to melancholy bells,

90 Our wedding cheer to sad burial feast,

Our solemn hymns to sullen dirges ° change,

Our bridal flowers serve for a buried corpse,

And all things change them to the contrary.

Sir, go you in, and madam, go with him;

95 And go, sir Paris. Every one prepare

To follow this fair corpse unto her grave.

The heavens do frown upon you for some ill;

Move them no more, by crossing their high will.

Exit all but NURSE and MUSICIANS

FIRST MUSICIAN

Faith, we may put up our pipes [33] and be gone.

100 Honest good fellows, ah, put up, put up!

For well you know, this is a pitiful case.

Aye, by my troth, the case may be amended. [34]

Exit NURSE 

Enter PETER

Musicians, O musicians! “Heart’s Ease,” “Heart’s Ease.” [35]

O, and you will have me live, play “Heart’s Ease.”

105 Why “Heart’s Ease?”

O musicians, because my heart itself plays “My heart is full of

woe.” O play me some merry dump ° to comfort me.

Not a dump, no—’tis no time to play now.

You will not then?

I will then give it to you soundly.

What will you give us?

No money, on my faith, but the gleek °. I will give ° you the

minstrel. [36]

115 Then will I give you the serving-creature. [37]

Then will I lay the serving-creature’s daggers on your pate °. I will

carry no crochets °; I’ll re you, I’ll fa you. [38] Do you note me?

If you re us and you fa us, you’ll note us.

SECOND MUSICIAN

Pray you put up your dagger, and put out your wit. Then have at

120 you with my wit.

I will dry-beat ° you with an iron wit and put up my iron dagger.

Answer me like men:

[ Sings ] When griping griefs the heart doth wound,

And doleful dumps the mind oppress,

125   Then music with her silver sound—

Why “silver sound?” Why “music with her silver sound?”

What say you, Simon Catling? [39]

Marry, sir, because silver hath a sweet sound.

Prates °! What say you, Hugh Rebeck? [40]

130 I say “silver sound” because musicians sound for silver. [41]

Prates too! What say you, James Sound-Post? [42]

THIRD MUSICIAN

Faith, I know not what to say.

O, I cry you mercy! [43] You are the singer. I will say for you: It is

“music with her silver sound” because musicians have no gold for

135 sounding.

[ Sings ] Then Music with her silver sound

With speedy help doth lend redress ° .

Farewell, fiddlers! Farewell!

What a pestilent knave is this man!

140 Hang him, [44] Jack. Come, we’ll be in here, tarry for the mourners, and

stay dinner. [45]

• Venus : a mythical goddess often representing love ↵
• Hastes our marriage : To move quickly with the wedding ↵
• May be put from her by society: Paris is saying that with company, she might cry less ↵
• I would I knew not what it should be slowed : Friar Lawrence wants to be heard by the audience, not Paris, and is saying that he wishes he didn't know what was to come. ↵
• Come you to make confession to this father? : Paris is asking Juliet if she has come to confess to the Friar. Confession is a common practice in the Catholic religion. ↵
• I will confess to you that I love him : Juliet is using tricky and playful language to confuse Paris and keep him under the impression that she does love him. In fact, she is actually saying that she will confess that she loves Romeo . ↵
• For it was bad enough before their spite : Her face was abused and dirty enough before the tears. She is trying to get Paris to leave her alone. ↵
• Shall be the label to another deed : That Juliet should be married to both Romeo and Paris. ↵
• the commission of thy years and art: the authority of your age and skills ↵
• Which craves as...which we would prevent : the friar is saying that his plan is as difficult as their current situation, but that it could work. ↵
• c harnel house: structure that stores burial remains ↵
• reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls: smelly bones and jawless skulls ↵
• As the manner of our country is : it was common to bury families all in the same tomb or cemetery. ↵
• thy lord : Romeo ↵
• lick their fingers : The servingman speaks with a dialect of the lower class. Licking their fingers is a sign that a cook likes their own cooking, so they must be a good hire. ↵
• this knot knit up tomorrow morning: this means Juliet will be married in the morning, a day earlier than planned. ↵
• Sensitivity note: housewife in this context represents another example of Shakespeare's assumed gender roles. Keep in mind that though this may have been a common phrase in his time, it does not mean it was an accurate or respectful statement. ↵
• Nurse : Juliet is breaking her soliloquy to call out for the nurse before quickly coming to her senses and thinking to herself again. ↵
• yet but green in earth: freshly buried ↵
• mandrakes: plants whose roots grow in a humanlike shape and, according to legend, shriek when torn from the ground. ↵
• O look, methinks...I drink to thee : This rambling from Juliet conveys her confusion and fear in this moment. These fears of death and what could be in the vial fill her head until she settles on drinking it. ↵
• pastry: pastry-making room ↵
• The second cock hath crowed: tradition had it that the cock crows first at midnight, then at 3AM, and then an hour before the sun rises ↵
• Angelica : a plant used for flavoring, baking, and candies. ↵
• cotquean: here, a man doing women’s work or displaying womanish tendencies. ↵
• Mass : word used to agree with someone else ↵
• A merry whoreson: i.e., he’s a funny son of a sex worker ↵
• loggerhead: could mean blockhead; could also mean having a big head (out of proportion to the body) ↵
• hath set up his rest: has resolved ↵
• lasting labor of his pilgrimage:   i.e., in all his days ↵
• had part in this fair maid: i.e., were alive in her ↵
• rosemary: the herb was sometimes used in funeral ceremonies ↵
• put up our pipes:  pipe instruments were traditionally used at weddings; “put up” here means “put away.” ↵
• the case may be amended: referring to either the case of Juliet’s death, or his instrument case ↵
• “Heart’s Ease”: a popular song at the time. ↵
• the minstrel: insulting term for “musician” ↵
• the serving-creature: insulting term for “servant” ↵
• I’ll re you, I’ll fa you:   re and fa are both names of musical notes ↵
• Catling: a string used for instruments ↵
• Rebeck: a bowed instrument ↵
• sound for silver: i.e., make sound for money ↵
• Sound-Post: a small component used in violins and other similar instruments. ↵
• cry you mercy: beg your pardon ↵
• Hang him : phrase used to disregard or ignore someone ↵
• stay dinner: wait for dinner ↵

overflowing abundance

unprincipled behavior

food and drink

notion; idea

surrounded; buried

a ladies’ man

fast asleep

money’s worth

woe the day

yelling; commotion

songs of lamentation

a musical note

a stupid answer

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.

10 Activities for Teaching Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of those classic pieces of literature I think everyone has read. Even students who haven’t read the Shakespeare play have probably heard of the story or will relate to the plot as it has been retold in various films and literature. If you need some fresh ideas before you start this unit, read on. 

Here are 10 activities for teaching Romeo and Juliet

1. relatable bell ringers.

If you’re going to focus on a Shakespeare play, you must go all in. Immersing students into a unit from start to finish is such a perfect way to help students understand a topic in-depth. Start off each class with these Shakespeare Bell Ringers . Each one includes a famous Shakespearean quote and a quick writing prompt. Students will explore various writing styles based on the quote.

2. Character Focus

Help your students identify and organize characters with these graphic organizers . This resource has two sets for almost every character in the play. Students will identify characters as round or flat, static or dynamic, and other basic qualities. This will also require them to provide textual evidence. The second organizer focuses on tracing emotions and motivations throughout the play. It’s a creative way for students to organize the play’s characters and is also a great resource for ESL students and struggling readers. 

3. Get Interactive

I can remember interactive notebooks becoming all the rage. And while the paper notebooks are creative, a motivator for some students, and it’s generally pretty easy to put an interactive spin on old ideas already at hand. Having a digital version is just one more layer to add something unique to the interactive notebook. My digital notebook resource can work as its own unit and includes analysis activities covering characters, symbols, major events, writing tasks, and response questions. Digital notebooks are great for classrooms trying to limit paper use, use more technology, prepare students for tech demands, and for any classes that need to work with mobile options.

4. Engaging Writing Tasks

Help students understand and analyze the play by giving them unique writing assignments. Have students explore different writing styles, analyze universal themes, and study character development. My Writing Tasks resource does all this and more. Each act has its own unique writing assignment, and I’ve included brainstorming organizers for each. You’ll be able to use this with differentiated instruction, and there are several additional resources and organizers included. 

5. Read “Cloze”ly

Prep passages for students to summarize to help them understand events from the play. This is an ideal activity for review, comprehension, or even assessment. Cloze reading is an ideal way to help students understand what is happening. Cut your prep time down by using this resource, with 6 passages ready to use AND written in modern-day English. Use as an individual assignment or collaborative activity. 

6. Use Office Supplies

Increase student engagement with hands-on activities using sticky notes. You can use various colors to coordinate different aspects of study (literary elements, major events, character development, etc). It’s an easy and quick way for students to organize thoughts and notes, and the bits of information can be manipulated and moved around for different assignments. Students can gather relevant information for various essays, or can organize their sticky notes in a way that makes sense to them (by topic, or chronologically, as an example). Check out my Sticky Note Literary Analysis activity that includes 12 sticky note organizers. 

7. Make Use of Bookmarks

There are many creative avenues when it comes to bookmarks. Have an activity where students pick a favorite quote, draw a scene, or draw what they know about the play prior to reading (they can use the back to draw after reading the play). Consider a foldable version like this one where you can jam-pack a variety of questions, vocabulary, literary analysis and more. These are foldable, interactive, fun, engaging – and it saves you time passing out one activity to be used throughout the play. 

8. Plan an Escape 

Escape rooms live up to the hype. Challenge your students with a fun and engaging review escape challenge. Have students work together in groups to complete collaboratively and spark authentic discussion. This escape room activity includes 40 timeline events to sort from the play correctly.

9. Don’t Forget Vocabulary

Vocabulary is an important aspect of understanding any work, but Shakespeare is on a whole other level. In addition to reading an older version of English in poetic form, students must grasp key vocabulary to understand the play more deeply. Engage your students with hands-on activities to learn vocabulary, whether that be through graphic organizers, visual dictionaries, or word puzzles. Check out my ready-to-print vocabulary packet that includes word lists, puzzles, organizers and quizzes for the entire play. 

10. Practice Annotations

Start at the very beginning with an engaging activity for the prologue. This will allow students to explore the Shakespearean language and the set-up to the drama that is Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy. Using this resource , students will read and annotate the prologue, be introduced to Elizabethan English, and have context and background information before reading the play. Students then will rewrite the prologue in modern-day English following the same sonnet form. I love having students explore language, and this activity fits perfectly into the unit. 

If you’re starting fresh with activities to fill a unit, or you’re looking to refresh your tried-and-true activities, check out my 5-week unit plan for Romeo and Juliet here . It’s full of goodies including a pacing guide, pre-reading activities, bookmarks, vocabulary, passages, writing tasks, essays, review activities, and more. 

Put a new spin on the classic tragedy by refreshing your activities and finding new ways to present to students. Just a few simple updates and changes can keep students engaged and help them relate to the material. I love seeing what others do in their classrooms, so please share your favorite ideas in the comments below. 

Is Teaching Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Still Revelant?

In an earlier blog post , I discuss if teaching Shakespeare is still relevant.

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Romeo and Juliet

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Romeo and Juliet - Act 4, scene 2

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Last updated: Fri, Jul 31, 2015

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Act 4, scene 2.

Capulet energetically directs preparations for the wedding. When Juliet returns from Friar Lawrence and pretends to have learned obedience, Capulet is so delighted that he moves the wedding up to the next day and goes off to tell Paris the new date.

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