Act 3 Flashcards
scene 1
“a fatal fight”. structure: public. Monday afternoon (1 hour after wedding). sharp contrast between the beauty and love of the previous scene with the violence, death and banishment of this. peripatetic for Romeo
“the day is hot” scene 1
Benvolio. hot day becomes pathetic fallacy suggesting short tempers of violence
“one would kill the other” scene 1
Mercutio. foreshadowing his own death so audience should be worried. he is first to mention violence
“dost thou make us minstrels?” scene 1
Mercutio - dig at class
“thou art a villain” scene 1
Tybalt to Romeo. Elizabethan courtly tradition - insult but also an invitation to fight (honour and reputation)
“the reason tat I have to love thee doth much excuse… love thee better than thou canst devise till thou shalt know the reason of me love… good Capulet - which name I tender as dearly as mine own” scene 1
Romeo to Tybalt. Romeo and Tybalt now related - cousins so can’t fight him but rejecting duel is dishonourable. dramatic irony increases and means we are aware of the situation Romeo is in and so our sympathies are with Romeo. actively trying to avoid fighting. honour - Elizabethan nobility is attached to one’s reputation
Tybalt and Mercutio scene 1
equally desperate to fight - both hot headed and fiery - also incapable of seeing the damage to come - considering immediate not future.
[Tybalt under Romeo’s arm thrusts Mercutio in] scene1
Tybalt stabs Romeo but Romeo is responsible
“A plague a both your houses!” scene 1
Mercutio curses both families foreshadowing their collective doom - more dramatic coming from the joker’s mouth. curse son becomes true. impending doom
“you shall find me a grave man” scene 1
even when dying Mercutio makes a pun. form of tragedy does not permit a comical character - death amplified by punning. his hurt is not too much. because he is funny he doesn’t belong in the second part of play. means be in grave but also means serious which e has never been
Mercutio’s death scene 1
Friar’s plan to reunite houses ruined. after first death everything spirals towards the end. “this day’s black fate on moe days doth depend; this but begins the woe others must end” - Romeo - rhyming couplet to signify the start of the tragedy - unusual - Shakespeare indicating the moment of Peripeteia
“O, I am fortune’s fool” scene 1
Romeo - immediate response - mercy of fate - makes us aware of fate’s sudden re-entry into the drama
“blood of ours shed blood of Montague” scene 1
Lady Capulet. vengeful response. both families equally thirsty for revenge. blood thirsty desire emphasised repetition. underlines violent responses of their society and the vulnerability of Romeo and Juliet
Benvolio speech scene 1
filled with images of violence so increases tragic irony as he is one of the most peace-loving characters in the play
“immediately we do exile him hence… else when he is found that hour is his last” scene 1
Prince. Romeo banished from Verona - Prince is a Montague so he is affected by violence and trying to stop violence. Romeo warned of immediate death. Romeo’s marriage had begun the reconciliation of the families but now it is shattered as fate has taken over
Scene 2
The new bride awaits Romeo. structure: private. Later Monday afternoon (3 hours after marriage 2 hours after fight)
Juliet’s soliloquy in scene 2
She desires the act of love because it represents the pinnacle of marriage. It takes the form of an epithalamium to be a metaphor for isolation. Poignant because this should be sung by their families together but she is the only one celebrating
“Romeo leap to these arms” scene 2
Juliet. Dramatic irony heightens sense of tragedy - audience is aware, but Juliet is not, about Romeo’s banishment
“come, thou day in night” scene 2
Juliet saying Romeo’s presence will shine out against the darkness. Exactly how Romeo sees Juliet - recurrent motif shows balance of love. Sees night as a positive force. Light imagery - contrast to darkness of previous scene but also increases sense of tragedy as her world is about to be shattered
“I have bought the mansion of a love, but not possess’d it” scene 2
Juliet. Mansion being Romeo. Married but not consummated yet. Understands sex within married life but also has sexual desires so shows balance of desires. She sees sex as natural and right part of marriage
“The cords” scene 2
Nurse. the cords is the rope ladder so a metaphorical representation of his life is bound to hers or alternatively it’s a symbol of his life choices being taken from him
“He’s dead he’s dead he’s dead” scene 2
Nurse. Repetition to show she’s shocked upset about Mercutio. Juliet is at bridal bed waiting for husband - violence always impacts on love even in tender scene. A scene of confusion -foreshadows scene when Romeo hears of Juliets death - Juliet thinks Romeo is dead - the nurse is so overwhelmed with grief that she stops making sense
Scene 2 audience
Audience feels a sense of pathos
“Vile earth, to earth resign” scene 2
Juliet. First instinct wants to die herself. Foreshadowing of joint death or shows her naïveté of she doesn’t want to live without him
“Serpent heart… a damned saint… that deceit should dwell in such a gorgeous palace!” Scene 2
Juliet uses a series of paradoxes in which inward character is contrasted with outward appearance. Elizabethans would expect this with dexterity of Shakespeare’s language. full of devil imagery implying Romeo is sly and has an evil heart. reference to 1st meeting -fated by outward appearance. deep regret of how much she worshipped him with knowing him
“Will you speak well of him that kill’d your cousin?” “Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?” Scene 2
Nurse then Juliet. Balance of 2 lines. Internal rhyme and stressed syllables. Structure amplifies conflict that Juliet is feeling. Loyalty of family vs loyalty of husband
Nurse scene 2
Brings Tybalt’s murderer into house of Capulet - motherly - indulging Juliet when maybe she shouldn’t
“Give this ring to my true knight” scene 2
Juliet. Symbol of ring - eternity of their love - love will survive after death - foreshadows houses reuniting