Analysis of Act One, Scenes 4-5

Question 1

Who is Queen Mab, and which character describes her?

Answer 1

Queen Mab is “the fairies’ midwife”, a fairy who supposedly brings dreams to people. Mercutio describes her to Romeo.

Question 2

Give an example from Act 1, Scene 5 which shows that Capulet is a character with a lot of authority.

Answer 2

Capulet stops Tybalt from fighting Romeo. He is outraged when table threatens to disobey him and asks him “Am I the master here, or you?”

Question 3

What does Romeo learn at the end of Act 1, Scene 5 that causes him to say “My life is my foe’s debt”?

Answer 3

In Act 1, Scene 5, Romeo learns that the girl he has fallen in love with is a Capulet. The quote suggests that his life is now in the hands of the Capulets, his ‘foe’.

Question 4

Why is it significant that Romeo and Juliet’s first conversation takes the form of a sonnet?

Answer 4

As the sonnet form is often associated with love, it is used to show that Romeo and Juliet are made to be together. Their lines within the sonnet often rhyme (e.g. Romeo rhymes “despair” with Juliet’s “prayer”), showing that they fit with each other perfectly.

Question 5

What effects is created by the use of religious imagery in Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting (act 1, scene 5)?

Answer 5

• Religion was considered to
  be very important in
  Shakespeare’s time, so the
  use of religious imagery
  suggests that Romeo and
  Juliet are serious about
  loving each other.
• The imagery could suggest
  that their love is pure
  because it is linked to God
• The religious imagery
  could also suggest that
  their love is sinful. It was
  seen as wrong to worship
  anyone except God, but
  they are already idolise
  each other.