Act 4 Flashcards
scene 1
the Friar’s plan. structure: private. later on Tuesday
Juliet being duplicitous with Paris scene 1
neither commits to love or marry. cross purposes
“thy face is mine” scene 1
Paris. Juliet’s position in society - brutality of line shows her husband dictates her. Shakespeare playing with words
“past hope, past cure, past help” scene 1
Juliet to Friar. repetition of past amplifies how desperate she is feeling - loss amplified
“shall Romeo by my letters know our drift” scene 1
Friar telling Juliet plan. doesn’t happen - makes tragedy greater
Juliet’s character in scene 1
really headstrong - makes rash decisions - hamartia. manipulative and cunning - lie to fiance. passionate and determined. morally courageous - will not marry Paris and “stain” marriage to Romeo
scene 2
wedding preparations. structure: private. near night on Tuesday
“repent the sin… by holy Lawrence to fall prostrate here… I beseech you. Henceforward I am ever rul’d by you” scene 2
Juliet to Capulet. convincing in apology. religious language to manipulate her father. irony.
“knot knit” scene 2
Capulet. metaphor for how complicated the tragedy/ everything has become
“my heart is wondrous light since this same wayward girl is so reclaim’d” scene 2
Capulet. ironic image of dutiful daughter. how far apart Juliet and her father are, prepares audience for poison trick to come
scene 3
Juliet’s act of desperation. structure: private. tuesday night.
Juliet’s soliloquy in scene 3
whole soliloquy focuses on the crypt where she will be placed, further darkens the mood of the play. images of death - play’s tragic end. “come vial”-addresses it. doubting Friar. fear and uncertainty. supernatural - fear becomes magnified. imagining going mad. “stay, Tybalt, stay” imagines ghost of Tybalt coming. fear makes her drink it. toast to Romeo
scene 4
preparations continue. 5am wednesday. private scene. dramatic contrast to scene before of stillness - juxtaposition of two scenes
“spare not for cost” scene 4
Capulet determined to show his material wealth - irony his most precious possession lies “dead” above him
“make haste, make haste” scene 4
Capulet. repetition of haste is ironic. haste of Capulet has contributed to tragedy. stark contrast to following scene
scene 5
the Friar’s potion has its effect. structure: private. early wednesday morning
“my child, my only life, revive, look up, or I will die with thee” scene 5
Lady Capulet. odd contrast. shes restricted in feelings - only Juliet’s death connection. amplifying gap of parent and child - formalised responsibilities. exaggerates responses plus dramatic irony can make this scene seem false
“shes dead, shes dead, shes dead!” scene 5
Lady Capulet. repetition - so overwhelmed with grief or sense of regret - relationship in formal stock grieving
“Death lies on her like an untimely frost…Death ties up my tongue and will not let me speak… the night before thy wedding day hath Death lain with thy wife” scene 5
Capulet personifies death. metaphor about the ‘untimely frost’ cuts through his wife and the Nurse’s hysterical cries. death is so real to him can almost see death - through loss of daughter. repeated personification of death - quasi-sexual images of death lying with Juliet - lose virginity by death himself “deflowered by him”
“is the bride ready to go to Church?” scene 5
Friar is duplicitous - shock the audience that he so easily pretends shock - complicit in her fake death
“accurs’d, unhappy, wretched, hateful day!” “O woe! O woeful, woeful, woeful day!” “Beguil’d, divorced, wronged, spited, slain!” “despis’d, distressed, hated, martyr’d, kill’d” scene 5
Lady Capulet then Nurse then Paris then Capulet. extreme use of repetition by nurse represents guilt and sorrow or adds to overwhelming artificiality. formalised, ritualised response. echoes of structure. listing device. rather than a sincere outpouring of grief. within society Shakespeare is criticising formality of their relationships to Juliet
Friar Lawrence use of religious language in scene 5
man in control. hypocrite. manipulating everyone
“melancholy bells… sad burial feast… dirges change… for a buried corse” scene 5
Capulet mirrors swiftness of fate. lines are a balance of life and death - metaphor for play
Friar Lawrence’ fault scene 5
or feel more complicit because we know friar is lying through religious language and putting blame on others
