Name Date Period # Romeo & Juliet Act 5 Act 5 Timeline: For never was a story of more woe We ve reached the end!!! Things are happening very fast, with the events thus far spanning just days. Act 1 Sunday. o The brawl, Romeo and Juliet at the party. Act 2 Sunday into Monday. o The balcony scene, Romeo and Juliet marry. Act 3 Monday into Tuesday. o Tybalt and Mercutio die, Romeo is banished, Juliet gets engaged to Paris. Act 4 Tuesday into Wednesday. o Juliet takes the Friar s potion and dies. I m your pusher-man We meet an apothecary in Scene 1. An apothecary is Shakespeare s equivalent of a. They use plants to make medicines, and Romeo goes to see one Keep in mind what Friar Lawrence said about plants in Scene 3 of Act 2. I pay thy poverty and not thy will. Romeo shares some interesting thoughts on why the rich are rich and the poor are poor with the apothecary. According to Romeo, who is really selling to who? Money, money, money, money Money! Romeo gives the apothecary 40 ducats. A ducat was a coin made up of about 3 ½ grams of gold. In today s prices, 40 ducats is about $ worth of gold. Then I defy you, stars! When Romeo hears of Juliet s death, he challenges. As you read these scenes, think about if the things happening to Romeo and Juliet are: Choice - because of what they say or do. OR - Chance - is their situation beyond their control? A plague o both your houses! The Friar s plan to reunite Romeo and Juliet is effected by The Plague. This painful, highly contagious disease is thought to have killed up to 60% of Europe s population in Shakespeare s time. In the play, the plague is clearly a force of something that Romeo, Juliet, or the Friar can t control.
I dreamt my lady came and found me dead... Shakespeare once again foreshadows exactly how Romeo and Juliet will die. Look for the line above in Scene 1 for clues....from the fatal cannon s womb. Twice so far, Shakespeare has used images of gunpowder and to describe young love. Look for such imagery again in Scene 1. Oxymoron: Remember, an oxymoron is a when something is described using words that each other. It seems ridiculous and impossible but it might be really. Look for an oxymoron from Friar Lawrence in the last few lines of Scene 2. with sweet water nightly I will dew. There is significant evidence in Scene 5 that Paris genuinely Juliet. His presence is deeply moving, and also ironic. o Just as it was when he was at the church, asking the Friar to marry him and Juliet. o Paris is once again playing the part Juliet has cast for Romeo. Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew Paris arrives at Juliet s grave to perform, and he plans on doing this nightly. Obsequies are rites or ceremonies done at a funeral, so Paris plans to mourn Juliet s death every night for the rest of his life. Thou detestable maw, There s a ton of figurative language in this scene, mostly surrounding. What is death compared to? What living qualities is death given, and who gives them to him at various points in Scene 5? a feasting presence full of light. There s also some more figurative language in Scene 5. Look for some over-exaggeration, especially regarding the tomb and the effect Juliet s presence there has on it. Again, Shakespeare uses imagery in unexpected ways. I dreamt my lady came and found me dead... So much that has been foreshadowed in previous scenes gets here. As the play comes full-circle, Shakespeare skillfully resolves the conflict as if he were completing a puzzle. o We knew what the picture was supposed to look like, but we didn t know how the pieces fit. See what a scourge is laid upon your hate... Anyone and everyone who could be said to have a part in maintaining the between the Capulets and the Montagues gets touched by the play s tragic end. We learn that Paris was Mercutio s kinsman, and is therefore related to the. A greater power than we can contradict is again blamed for the events in the play. Again, is it really responsible? Were the things that happened to Romeo and Juliet meant to happen? Or, was what happened to them the result of their own? Look at what various characters think as the play comes to an end. Theme: A theme is a main, universal or conveyed by a story. A theme is expressed as a complete sentence. For example Some themes from The Outsiders could be: o Don t judge people by how they look.
o Stay true to who you are. Stories can have multiple themes. There can be more than one possible message or idea. When you re stating the theme, the characters and events get mentioned. This is because themes are said to apply to the world beyond the one described in the story. o That s what makes themes they apply to the reader, and the story. Finding the theme: A theme is rarely stated by the author. Instead, it is slowly revealed through the characters and their actions. Looking at The Outsiders again, the theme Don t judge people by how they look is developed through Ponyboy. o Ponyboy s intelligence and sensitivity aren t consistent with what s expected from a Greaser. What themes does Shakespeare convey in Romeo & Juliet? Study Questions: Scene 1: 1. Find an example of foreshadowing from this scene. Be sure to use quotes, and to explain (in detail) what is being hinted at. 2. In this scene, Balthasar tells Romeo of Juliet: Then she is well and nothing can be ill. / Her body sleeps in Capels monument, / And her immortal part with angels lives. Explain, in your own words, what Balthasar is saying.
3. In Question 2, the lines Balthasar speaks are ironic. What kind of irony are they an example of, and why? 4. In the following passage Romeo is talking about an apothecary: I do remember an apothecary, / And hereabouts a dwells, which late I noted / In tattered weeds, with overwhelming brows, / Culling of simples; meager were his looks; / Sharp misery had worn him to the bones, This description implies that the apothecary is: A. Not too smart. B. Very old. C. Poor. D. A gardener. 5. What is the punishment for selling poison in Mantua (quote the lines that tell you this)? 6. Why does the apothecary agree to sell the poison to Romeo though it is not legal to do so? A. Because the apothecary is an evil man. B. Because the apothecary is poor and desperate for money. C. Because Romeo threatens the apothecary. D. Because the apothecary feels sorry for Romeo. 7. According to Romeo, what is more harmful to men s souls than poison? A. Hate B. Love C. Money D. Anger Scene 2: 8. Why Romeo didn t get word of the Friar s plan?
9. How long, in hours, has Juliet been asleep when the Friar leaves for the Capulet tomb? Quotes are needed. 10. Find the oxymoron present in the last line of Scene 2, and explain what it means. Scene 3: 11. What is something Paris says and does in this scene that shows he was truly in love with Juliet? Be specific, giving quotes for support. 12. Paris being at Juliet s grave is an example of: A. Verbal irony, B. Dramatic irony, C. Situational irony. D. Foreshadowing. 13. Explain your choice for #12..
14. Why does Paris think Romeo is at the Capulet tomb, and what does Paris intend to do about it? 15. According to Romeo, why does he love Paris better than Romeo loves himself? 16. According to the Prince, who or what is to blame for the things that have happened in the play? Provide quotes to support your answer. 17. How does Lord Montague decide to honor Juliet s memory? Use quotes to support your answer.
18. List all four characters who have died in this Act, and explain how they lost their life. 1) 2) 3) 4) 19. What is one possible theme for Romeo and Juliet? Remember, this should be written as a complete sentence, and no characters or events should be mentioned.