Romeo and Juliet - Act III Journal Assignment
Option A: Why does Mercutio die so early in the play?
Many reasons have been suggested for why Shakespeare kills off Mercutio so early in the play, for instance
that it serves to:
→ Increase Romeo’s anguish and despair
→ Spur Romeo to revenge
→ Help establish the play as a tragedy
→ Intensify the feud between the Montagues and Capulets
→ Deepen the contrast between love and hate in the play
→ Mercutio was such an attractive character and that he would ‘steal the play’ from Romeo and
Juliet.
What do you think? Write an assignment on Mercutio’s character and his early death. You must include at
least 3 textual examples to support your claim.
Option B: Fathers and Daughters
Capulet is certain that Juliet will obey him (I think she will be ruled/In all respects by me; nay more, I
doubt it not). Shakespeare often wrote about fathers who wished to dominate their daughters’ lives. Here
are some names:
Cordelia
Portia
Hermia
Hero
Ophelia
Jessica
Imogen
Miranda
Desdemona
Celia
Do some research and choose 5 of the above characters to identify and explain which play and their roles in
which each daughter appears.
Option C: Dramatic Irony
Act III, scene 4 is full of dramatic irony (when the audience knows something the character does not
know). Even as Capulet plans Juliet’s marriage, she is earlier awaiting her husband Romeo in her
bedroom. Identify 5 examples of dramatic irony in the lines and suggest what makes each ironic.
Option D: Last time together
Act III, scene 5, lines 1-59 are the last time Romeo and Juliet will see each other alive. Write how you
would stage this episode to bring out its poignancy and dramatic impact. Use at least 3 lines and justify
how and why you would rewrite them.
Option E: Juliet feels betrayed by the Nurse
Reread Act III, scene 5, lines 204-242 and respond to each:
→ What you think of the Nurse’s advice
→ Whether you think the Nurse recognizes Juliet’s irony or sarcasm when she says “Amen” and
“Well, thou hast comforted me marvelous much”
→ What the Nurse’s advice adds to your knowledge of her character?
→ How your understanding of Juliet has grown in this scene
→ What you think would be the most dramatically effective way of staging these lines
Option G: Juliet’s sense of isolation
Juliet increasingly feels trapped. Her father has threatened her, her mother has abandoned her, and she
feels that the Nurse has proved a false friend. She also feels her religion adds to her desolation. In lines
205-208, she recognizes that only by Romeo’s death can she sincerely take a faithful (Religious) vow to
marry Paris. So how might she deliver her final line as she leaves to visit the Friar?