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Act III Scene 1
1. Lines 5-10. Is Mercutio describing Benvolio or (subconsciously?) himself?
Give reasons for your opinions.
2. Lines 1-4. How does Shakespeare remind us of place and time, bearing in mind that on the
Elizabethan stage there was little to assist the audience’s imagination other than the language?
3. Lines 32-35. In what ways do these lines turn out to be ironic?
4. Lines 57 on. Who is more to blame for stirring up the quarrel? With whom, if anyone, do our sympathies lie?
5. Lines 6366. Explain Romeo’s “I see thou know’st me not” and these lines.
6. Lines 76-
78. Why does Mercutio address Tybalt a “rat-catcher” and “King of
Cats”? (Do some research to find a connection between Tybalt’s name and a character found in fairy tales.)

7. Lines 85-95. How far is Mercutio responsible for what has happened, or was some such tragedy inevitable?
8. Lines 100-
108. How do you react to Mercutio’s words in these lines? What aspects of his character do th ey reflect? What is your reaction to Romeo’s reply in line 109.
9.
Who else in the play “thought all for the best” and yet in some way contributed to the tragedy?
10. Why does
Romeo stay (Benvolio’s question, line 143) Analyze in detail
Romeo’s changes of mood in this scene and the reasons for these changes.
How could these changes be demonstrated on stage?
11. Line 147. “Up, sir”. What does this brief remark tell us about stage actions which Shakespeare intends to be going on at this time?
12. Lines 156157. What do these lines tell us about Lady Capulet’s character?
13. Line 159. Why do you think the Prince turns to Benvolio at this line?
14. Lines 160184. How fair and accurate is Benvolio’s account of what has happened?

15. Lines 185-190. Is there any “justice” in Lady Capulet’s appeal to the Prince?
What effect are her words like to have on the audience’s attitude towards
Romeo?
16.
End of scene. Where do the audience’s sympathies like in this scene?
17. End of scene. How far are (a) Mercutio, (b) Tybalt, and (c) Romeo’s responsible for what happens? How justified is the Prince’s punishment of
Romeo? What is the dramatic justification for removing Mercutio and Tybalt from the play at this stage?
18. Line 206. To whom, do you suppose, is this line addressed?
19. Entire Scene. The midpoints of many of Shakespeare’s plays are turningpoints; in what ways does the scene act as a turning-point in the play? Could we view the play as a comedy up to line 91 of this scene?
Act III Scene 2
1. Lines 1-33. Comment on the striking contrast Shakespeare achieves as he moves the action from Scene 1 to Scene 2. In what way is Juliet’s speech full of pathetic, dramatic irony for the audience?
2. Lines 133. Juliet’s language in this speech is highly sensual but makes a very different impact on the audience from Mercutio’s no less frank language elsewhere in the play. What is the difference in impact and how does
Shakespeare achieve this effect? What is the effect of the previous scene on the audi ence’s reaction to Juliet’s speech?

3. Lines 1-
33. What imagery in Juliet’s speech reminds us of imagery elsewhere in the play?
4. Lines 42-
48. Has the Nurse any awareness of Juliet’s feelings here, or is she absorbed in her own grief? Write brief notes of advice for both actresses as to how they might suit their actions to their words.
5. Lines 67-69. As in Act 2, Scene 4, the nurse delays in giving Juliet news, but in a very different mood and context. Contrast the two occasions.
6. Lines 92-98. W hat is the effect of the Nurse’s call for brandy?
7. Lines 99-104. Why does Juliet change her tune so swiftly and dramatically?
What does that suggest about her criticisms of Romeo in previous lines?
8. Lines 106-138. An actress playing Juliet must be careful not to be excessively histrionic during this speech, or she will act badly. What advice could you give her? Comment on specific lines. Does the language invite an excessive expression of grief?
9. Lines 141144. What do Juliet’s remarks about her parents reveal about her feelings towards them and Romeo?
10. Lines 156-157. How do the closing words of the scene change the prevailing mood?

Act III Scene 3
1. Line 10. In this line, at a moment of high emotional tension, Romeo indulges in wordplay. Where else in the previous scene does this happen?
2. Lines 3154. Compare the violent expression of Romeo’s grief with Juliet’s in the previous scene. Do they use similar language and express similar sentiments?
3. Lines 67-73. How would you describe Romeo’s state of mind at this point in the play? How does it fit in the general picture of his character and temperament? Do his youth and inexperience show?
4. Line 73. What demand does this line make of the actor?
5. Line 75. Why does Romeo not hide himself?
6. Lines 76-77. Comment on the image Romeo uses in these lines. Is it effective, or is it farfetched?
7. Lines 75-87.This page of script demands considerable onstage action. Write down exact production notes for all the movements you would like to see made in your production. (This is called “ blocking ”. You will need to plan them on a sketch of your idea of the set.

8. Lines 91-98. What contribution does the Nurse make to the dramatic impact of this scene?
9. Lines 118-168. How might an actor playing the Friar maintain some variety in his long speech? (Remember that an Elizabethan audience would have been more used to listening to long sermons than we are today.) In what way is line 145 a turning point in the speech?
10. Lines 169-
171. What is the effect of the Nurse’s response to the Friar’s speech?
11. End of scene. Analyze in detail the changes in emotion that Romeo experiences in this scene. What causes them?
Act III Scene 4
1. Line 12. In what way does this line encapsulate the dramatic ironies with which this scene is loaded?
2.
Line 15. Why does Capulet “doubt in not”?
3. Lines 1625. How does Capulet’s reaction to Tybalt’s death compare with the reactions of Romeo and Juliet? What does this suggest about their emotional capacities?
4. Lines 34-35. How do these lines introduce suspense?

5. End of scene. What is the dramatic impact of this scene?
6. Line 36. Why is Capulet’s request for light important in the Elizabethan theater?
Act III Scene 5
1. Lines 1-5. What is the effect of the contrast between the language of these opening lines and that used in the preceding scene?
2. Line 36. What does Romeo mean by this remark? How seriously does he intend it? What is its impact on the audience? Why would their reaction be different from Romeo’s intention?
3. Lines 1-36. What is the dramatic effect of the light-dark contrasts in the opening speeches of this scene?
4. Lines 4159. Write down director’s notes for the actors giving hints as to how this page of script might best be played.
5. Lines 71-76. What manner or attitude does Lady Capulet adopt with her daughter? Why?
6. Lines 78-
79. How do Lady Capulet’s remarks in these lines echo Capulet’s in the previous scene?

7. Lines 80-111. What is the dramatic effect of the difference between Juliet’s and the audience’s knowledge, on the one hand, and Lady Capulet’s meaning, on the other, throughout this conversation?
8. Lines 108-
116. What effect does the audience’s prior knowledge have on their reac tion to Lady Capulet’s lead-up to her announcement and Juliet’s reaction?
9. Lines 65-130. Compare this conversation with the similar conversation between Juliet and her mother in Act I, Scene 3, lines 68-105. What are the main differences?
10. Lines 135142. Capulet sees Juliet’s body as a boat. Where earlier in the play does a character sees himself in terms of the same image? What is the effect of Capulet’s rather over-extended imagery after Juliet’s crisp and powerful outburst?
11. Line 145. In what way are these lines ironic?
12. Lines 146162. What is the audience’s reaction to Capulet’s treatment of his daughter? Is it possible to feel any sympathy for him?
13. Lines 170-174. Comment on the dreadful irony in these lines.

14. Lines 176-
180. Does the Nurse’s attempt to stand up for Juliet affect the audience’s view of her?
15. In line 200 Capulet again puts Juliet on the same level as one of his horses.
Is it his anger speaking or does this reveal a basic attitude? Does the second half of line 207 indicate his true concern —that, having rashly promised his daughter to Paris, he will lose dignity if he has to go back on his word.
16. Lines 212-213. In these lines Shakespeare continues to signpost the ultimate tragedy. Where in the play has he given us similar premonitions in the imagery?
17. Lines 225238. How is the audience’s view of the Nurse altered by her advice to Juliet? Bearing in mind the Nurse’s praise of Romeo in Act 2, Scene 4, how can we make sense of her change in attitude towards him?
18. Lines 225238. How might Juliet react during the Nurse’s advice?
19. End of Scene. How would you describe the mood of the play at the end of the scene? How does it compare with the mood at the beginning of the scene?