Death

Question 1

What are the six main ways in which death is presented in Romeo and Juliet?

Answer 1

The amount of death that occurs warns us against extreme emotions
Death comes from following your heart
Death is fated and cannot be avoided
Death goes hand in hand with love, but can also be it’s rival
Death is stronger than love because everyone ends up dying
Death comes at the worse times and takes advantage of things

Question 2

‘__ __ __ have __ __
And in their __ _, __ __ and __’
(Fill in the gaps, who says this? What does it mean? When in the play is it said?)

Answer 2

Friar Lawrence: These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder’ Act 2 scene 6

• this passion and joy of love will end suddenly, their victory in love will lead to defeat, and will blow up in their faces (foreshadowing to deaths)
• their great desire for each other will die, one will ignite the other (powder and fire) they will destroy each other: the love will fizzle out

Question 3

A __ of __-__ __ __ their __;
__ __ __ __
__ with __ __ __ their __’ __’
(Fill in the gaps, who says this? What does it mean? When in the play is it said?)

Answer 3

Chorus: ‘a pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife’ Prologue

• they’re opposed by the stars (God). In this time believed the star order directly affected events, so this was planned. It was fate, and unavoidable.
• delivers plot and moral of the play, as audience would have already known the story so suspense was not important

Question 4

‘__, __ __, he is __ __…__ __ the __ __ a __-__’

Fill in the gaps, who says this? What does it mean? When in the play is it said?

Answer 4

Mercutio: ‘Alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead… run through the eye with a love-song’ act 2, scene 4

• Romeo has been blinded by love
• It’s love that killed Romeo, dramatic irony as audience already knows he dies
• shows love and death as hand in hand