Act lll Romeo and Juliet
Ballan
1. Do you think Romeo is a victim of fate or character? Explain.
2. Trace the series of events which begins with Tybalt's death and ends with
Romeo's banishment.
3. Describe the clashing emotions Juliet feels when the Nurse reports Tybalt's death
and Romeo's banishment.
4. In his long speech to Romeo, Friar Lawrence mentions three things for which
Romeo should consider himself fortunate. What are they?
5. What decision concerning Paris and Juliet does Lord Capulet make in Scene iv?
Describe Juliet's reaction to this plan.
6. As Romeo and Juliet are about to part, how do they differ in their views of the
future? What advice does the Nurse give Juliet at the end of Act lll? Describe
Juliet's reaction to this advice.
7. What does Romeo mean when he says, after killing Tybalt, "O, I am fortune's
fool!"?
8. Why does Prince Escalus not sentence Romeo to death, in keeping with his
speech in Act 1?
9. Explain why you think Romeo and Juliet's troubles do or do not result primarily
from fate. Support your answer with details from the play.
10. Up to this point, the Nurse has acted as a counselor for Juliet. What qualities
should a counselor have? Do you think that the Nurse has given Juliet good
advice up until now?
11. A soliloquy is a speech in which a character, alone on stage, speaks directly to the
audience. An aside is a brief remark to the audience, uttered while other
characters are nearby but yet unable to hear. A monologue is a lengthy speech
addressed to other characters, rather than the audience.
a) What thoughts and feelings does Juliet reveal in her soliloquy that opens
scene ii?
b) When Lady Capulet, in Scene v, refers to Romeo as a villain, Juliet
utters the aside "Villain and he be many miles asunder." In your own
words, what is Juliet saying? Why is it important that the audience, but
not Lady Capulet hear this remark?
c) Reread Friar Lawrence's monologue in Scene iii beginning "Hold thy
desperate hand." What criticisms is he addressing to Romeo?