Romeo and Juliet
Review: Act III
What does the Nurse advise Juliet
to do? How does Juliet feel about
this advice?
The Nurse advises Juliet to forget about
Romeo and marry Paris. Juliet feels as
though the Nurse has let her down. She feels
as though the Nurse does not understand her
feelings, and is only looking out for herself.
Why do Juliet’s parents think she is
sad? What is her father’s plan to
cheer her up?
Juliet’s parents think she is sad because of
Tybalt’s death, when in reality, she is sad
about Romeo’s banishment. To cheer her up,
they agree to marry her to Paris in two days’
time.
How does Juliet react to her
father’s plans for her? How does
her father react to her reaction?
Juliet refuses to marry Paris and begs her
father not to force her to do so. Capulet
becomes so enraged at Juliet’s refusal that he
shouts at her, calls her names and threatens to
kick her out of the house if she does not marry
Paris.
Why does Mercutio get involved in
the fight between Romeo and
Tybalt?
Mercutio gets involved in the fight because
Romeo refuses to stand up for himself.
Mercutio thinks Romeo is acting like a coward,
and he wants to protect his friend’s reputation.
Why does Romeo not want to fight
Tybalt?
Romeo does not want to fight Tybalt
because he just married Juliet; therefore, he
would be fighting a family member.
Why does Romeo feel especially
guilty about Mercutio’s death? How
does he respond?
Romeo feels guilty about Mercutio’s death
because he got in the way of their fight. He
stopped Mercutio from killing Tybalt. He
responds to Mercutio’s death by killing Tybalt
himself.
How does Mercutio die? What are
his dying words, and what do they
mean?
Mercutio is killed by Tybalt. His last words, “A
plague on both your houses” mean that he
believes both households are equally guilty of
the feud, and both deserve to have curses
brought down upon them.
Whom does the Prince trust to
describe the exact details about the
fight? Why does Lady Capulet not
agree with this?
The Prince trusts Benvolio with the truth.
Lady Capulet does not agree with this. She
accuses Benvolio of being biased because
he is a Montague.
What punishment is Romeo
supposed to get, and what does he
get instead? Why does the Prince
change his mind?
Romeo is supposed to receive the death
penalty, but the Prince reduces his
punishment to banishment. He does so
because Mercutio was his cousin, and also
because Tybalt’s blood has already been
spilled.
Where is Romeo hiding when he
receives the Prince’s punishment?
How does he react?
Romeo takes his punishment very
hard. He cries and wonders why fate is
being so cruel to him. He becomes so
depressed, he wants to kill himself.
What inner conflict does Juliet go
through upon hearing the news of
Tybalt’s death? What does she
decide?
Juliet must decide if she is going to side with
her family or her husband. After going back
and forth, she decides to side with Romeo.
What three reasons does Friar
Laurence gives to Romeo that he
should be grateful?
1) Be grateful Juliet is still alive.
2) If Romeo had not killed Tybalt, then Tybalt
would have killed Romeo.
3) Be grateful that the Prince has reduced the
punishment from death to only
banishment.
To what city will Romeo go? What
are Lady Capulet’s plans for him?
Romeo will to go Mantua. Lady
Capulet plans to send an
assassin who will poison him to
Mantua.
What is the Friar’s solution and
advice to Romeo?
The Friar advises Romeo to be patient, wait
quietly in Mantua until the tension has
cooled down. Once enough time has
passed, his family and friends will ask the
Prince to allow his return.
Why do Romeo and Juliet argue
about the lark and the nightingale?
What do those birds represent?
The lark is a bird that sings in the
morning, while a nightingale sings at
night. Juliet is trying to convince Romeo
that the bird outside is the nightingale so
he will not leave her side.
Before Romeo leaves Juliet for the
last time, what vision do both of
them have?
They both have a vision of each
other in a tomb.
On what pretense does Juliet go to
Friar Laurence’s cell?
Juliet says she will go to Friar
Laurence’s cell for confession because
she has dishonored and displeased her
father.
What does the Prince say he will do
if Romeo comes back to Verona?
The Prince says that if Romeo
returns to Verona, he will receive
the death penalty.
If the Friar is not willing or able to
help Juliet, what does she say she
will do?
If the Friar cannot offer Juliet helpful
advise, she has decided that she will kill
herself.