Romeo and Juliet

Part 1: Write a working definition for each of the following vocabulary words (5pts).

inundation (n): “To stop the inundation of her tears…” (Act 4, Scene 1, line 12) an overwhelming abundance of people or things.

detestable (adj): “Most detestable Death, by thee beguiled...” (Act 4, Scene 5, line 56) deserving intense dislike.

melancholy (adj): “Our instruments to melancholy bells…” (Act 4, Scene 5, line 86) a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.

pestilence (n): “Where the infectious pestilence did reign…” (Act 5, Scene 2, line 10) a fatal epidemic disease

inexorable (adj): “More fierce and more inexorable far...” (Act 5, Scene 3, line 38) impossible to stop or prevent.

Part 2: Identify the speaker of each quote (4pts).

“The obsequies that I for thee will keep nightly shall be to strew thy grave and weep.” Paris

“Here's to my love! (drinks the poison) O true apothecary, thy drugs are quick.” Romeo

“Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger, this is thy sheath.” Juliet

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” Prince Escalus

Part 3: Answer the following comprehension questions about Acts 4-5 (6pts).

In Act 4, what plan does Friar Lawrence devise to help Juliet escape marrying Paris? How is this plan almost immediately complicated? Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a special potion that will make her look dead so that way she can avoid marrying Paris and later reunite with Romeo. The plan is complicated because Lord Capulet decided to move the wedding up a day so now Juliet has to drink the potion sooner. This change makes it even more difficult for Friar Lawrence to get the message to Romeo in time about Juliet.

In Act 5, why was Friar John unable to deliver the letter to Romeo? How does Friar Lawrence have to adjust his plan as a result of this? Friar John couldn’t deliver the letter to Romeo because he was stopped and had to be quarantined because of the plague outbreak. Because Romeo never got the message about how Juliet was faking her death, he thinks that she is dead. In order to fix this, Friar Lawrence went to Juliet’s tomb to wake her up and hide her until Romeo can know about Juliet but it’s too late.

At the end of the play, what becomes of the feud between Montague and Capulet? What do they promise to do for each other? After Romeo and Juliet died, the Montague and Capulet families realized that their feud caused the tragedy and agreed to end it finally. Lord Montague promises that he will build a gold statue of Juliet to honor her and Lord Capulet says he will do the same for Romeo as well. This shows that they have finally made peace once and for all.

Part 4: Answer the following reflection question about the play (10pts).

Please treat this question as a stand-in for a test essay question. Answer completely with multiple examples from the text.

Throughout Romeo and Juliet, we have been discussing the theme of fate vs. responsibility. Which, in your opinion, was the greatest cause for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet in the end? If it was fate, what fateful moments in the play were deciding factors? If it was character decisions, who were the most responsible, and why? I believe that the biggest cause of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths were their character decisions and possibly not just fate. I believe this because first, Friar Lawrence made a risky plan with the potion and Romeo’s quick decision to kill himself before checking if Juliet was really dead was because of his decision and didn’t believe that there could be a possibility because it is still his true love. Their families feud also played a huge role because it forced them to hide their love. If fate was definitely involved, bad luck moments like the letter not reaching Romeo and the wedding being moved up just made things worse a lot worse. In conclusion, the choices of Romeo and Juliet and the adults around them led to this tragedy of losing both of Romeo and Juliet in the end.

consort (v): “Mercutio, thou consort’st with Romeo.” (Scene 1, line 41) Keep company with someone

eloquence (n): “But Romeo’s name speaks heavenly eloquence.” (Scene 2, line 33) Fluent or forceful in speech or writing97

beguile (v): “Poor ropes, you are beguiled…” (Scene 2, line 133) charm or enchant someone in a deceptive way

calamity (n): “And thou art wedded to calamity.” (Scene 3, line 3) Serious event causing distress

stratagem (n): “…that heaven should practice stratagems against…” (Scene 5, line 210) Cleverly devised plan

Part 2: Identify the speaker of each quote (4pts).

“A plague o' both your houses! They have made worms' meat of me.” Mercutio

“Oh, I am fortune's fool!” Romeo

“I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday, or never after look me in the face.” Capulet

“Good Father, I beseech you on my knees, hear me with patience but to speak a word.” Juliet

Part 3: Answer the following comprehension questions about Act 3 (6pts).

In Scene 1, what is a possible reason why the Prince decided to banish Romeo rather than have him executed for Tybalt’s killing? The Prince decided to banish Romeo instead of executing him because he realized that Romeo had almost a passion after Tybalt killed Mercutio. He wanted to try and have peace in Verona and avoid violence between the 2 families. Plus, executing Romeo would cause too much chaos.

In Scene 3, where does Friar Lawrence tell Romeo to flee? What does Friar hope to do while Romeo is gone? (Friar Lawrence’s monologue, page 179) In Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence tells Romeo to leave to Mantua after he is banished. Friar Lawrence hopes to create a plan to have Romeo and Juliet reunite while he is gone and communicate with Romeo to prepare for their return together at some point.

In Scene 5, what does Capulet say will happen to Juliet if she does not agree to marry Paris? In Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet, Capulet threatens Juliet that if she does not marry Paris, he will disown her and get her out of the family.

Part 4: Answer the following reflection questions about Act 2 (10pts).

In a Shakespearean five-act play, the third act typically contains the climax or turning point in the play. How do the two deaths in Act 3, Scene 1, represent a major turning point in Romeo and Juliet? Consider class discussions on foreshadowing, character foils, and comic relief in your response. In Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt mark a major turning point that makes the feud between the Montagues and Capulets even stronger. Mercutio’s death foreshadows horrible outcomes, while Tybalt's killing by Romeo leads to Romeo's banishment, which makes his love between Juliet a difficult situation. These events erase the comic relief, and makes the story toward a tragic conclusion.

Throughout Romeo and Juliet, we have been discussing the theme of fate vs. responsibility. In Act 3, Scene 5, what character or characters may have altered Juliet’s fate had they acted differently? Explain your reasoning. In Act 3, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet, characters like Juliet's Nurse, her parents, Lord and Lady Capulet, could have altered her fate by acting a little differently. The Nurse was very supportive of Juliet's relationship with Romeo and then all of a sudden says for her to marry Paris. Also, if Lord and Lady Capulet had been a little bit more understanding and compassionate towards Juliet's feelings, they might have prevented some actions. Their lack of support and understanding contributes to Juliet's tragic fate at the end.