Notes – Romeo and Juliet
Act V Notes
Scene i – Mantua – street
 Romeo:
o has dreamed that he will receive joyful news
o he also dreamed Juliet came and found him dead (foreshadowing) – she kisses him
and wakes him up; then he becomes an emperor
 Balthasar (servant) comes in and tells Romeo that Juliet is dead
 Romeo blames fate and then says he will leave Mantua for Verona – he will lie dead with
Juliet that same night – thinks about how he will kill himself and Juliet’s grave.
o Remembers meeting a very poor apothecary (pharmacist) he knows who may be
willing to sell him poison, even though selling poison is illegal  punishment is
death
o Meets with the pharmacist and convinces him, because he is so poor, to finally sell
him strong poison
o Romeo says that the real poison in the world is money, which causes more death and
evil than any poison
Scene ii – Friar Laurence’s cell
 Friar John comes in, and Friar Laurence asks him whether he delivered Friar Laurence’s
letter to Romeo, which explained Juliet’s plan
 Friar John said he and a friend were quarantined because of a plague and was thus unable to
deliver the letter
 Friar Laurence realizes the potential danger and says he must hurry to the tomb with a
crowbar to rescue and hide Juliet; he also will send another letter to Romeo
Scene iii – Capulet tomb in churchyard
 Paris (with his servant) comes in:
o bringing flowers for Juliet’s tomb – will water them with perfume or his tears
o worries about being seen – sends his page (servant) to keep watch
o hides when he hears someone
 Romeo and Balthasar
o Gives Balthasar a letter for his father
o Tells Balthasar to leave and not come back
o Enters Juliet’s tomb:
 To see Juliet’s face
 To get a ring from her finger
o Romeo tells Balthasar if you try to interfere, Romeo will kill him
o Balthasar doesn’t leave because he is worried about Romeo  he hides
o Romeo opens tomb (personification)
 Paris recognizes Romeo – thinks he is there to do something bad to the bodies, so he tries to
stop Romeo
 Romeo says he is there to die – asks Paris to leave him alone
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Paris argues  they fight  Paris is mortally wounded
Paris asks to be placed next to Juliet
Romeo remembers that Paris was supposed to marry Juliet, so he places Paris next to Juliet
Romeo sees Juliet:
o Is surprised that she looks so good, with color in her cheeks
o Says, “Why art thou yet so fair?”
o Sees Tybalt and says that Tybalt will now have revenge
o Kisses her
o Drinks the poison  dies
Friar Laurence comes to the cemetery, speaks to Balthasar, and learns that Romeo has been
in the tomb for a half hour  he is worried
Friar Laurence enters the tomb:
o Sees Romeo dead
o Sees Paris covered in blood
o Juliet wakes and gets up
Juliet learns that Romeo is dead  Friar Laurence encourages her to leave with him; he will
hide her in a convent of nuns
Juliet:
o sees the bottle of poison in Romeo’s hand
o kisses Romeo, hoping that some poison is still on his lips
o stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger and falls dead on Romeo’s body
The guards arrive and see:
o Juliet, obviously bloody and newly dead
o Paris, bloody and dead
o Romeo dead
o Friar Laurence in the graveyard, shaking and weeping, with a pickax and spade
The Prince, Capulet, Lady Capulet come in
o They learn of all the deaths
Montague enters and says that his lady has died of grief over Romeo’s banishment
Friar Laurence tells all what happened to cause all these deaths
Balthasar confirms what the Friar has told and gives Romeo’s letter to the Prince
Romeo’s letter confirms all that the Friar has told
The Prince says that heaven (fate) has found a way to end the feud between the two families
Capulet shakes hands, in peace, with Montague
Montague says he will put up a gold statue of Juliet in Verona
Capulet says he will put up an equally rich statue of Romeo beside the statue of Juliet
The Prince says there never was a more sorrowful story than the story of Romeo and Juliet