1. Romeo & Juliet
Act 4

2. Act IV, Scene i - Summary
Paris tells the Friar of the wedding (in two days)
Friar is shocked at haste - it ‘should be slowed’
Juliet cool towards Paris, cleverly sidesteps his compliments; Paris is affectionate towards her
Paris leaves and Juliet threatens to take ‘this bloody knife’ and kill herself if no help given
The Friar offers Juliet a sleeping potion which will induce a coma-like state for 42 hours
She will lie alone in her chamber (on Wed night)
Everyone will believe she is dead, and Romeo will be sent for and they will escape to Mantua
Juliet agrees instantly

3. Tension
The dramatic tension in the scene is created through the meeting of Paris and Juliet
Juliet and Paris engage in rigid, formal talk
Paris tries to engage Juliet but she is quick to respond and curt in manner
He is courteous suitor, while Juliet proves her nimble mind as she evades Paris’s questions and compliments

4. Juliet’s Strength
She is surprised to find Paris at the Friar’s yet she presents herself as composed and confident
She describes the horrors she is prepared to face rather than marry Paris highlighting her bravery and the depth of her love for Romeo
Juliet is prepared to take her life rather than be without Romeo
The Friar states that if she has ‘the strength of will’ to kill herself, then she will have the courage to take the potion
She makes this decision quickly suggesting her determination and resolution to try anything to be with Romeo

5. Structure This scene is defining moment in the structure of the play
In this scene, Juliet’s decision to accept the Friar’s potion demonstrates her
commitment to defying her father’s rule
asserting her independence
accepting her resolution to die in order to be with Romeo

6. Romeo and Juliet - Parallel
Juliet’s conversation with the Friar parallels Act III, Scene 3 with Romeo when he threatens to kill himself
Juliet, like Romeo, now believes that only death can offer a solution to her dilemma: “Be not so long to speak. I long to die / If what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.”
As always, Rome and Juliet mirror each other’s actions

7. Friar and Fate
The Friar uses his knowledge of flowers and herbs when thinking of the potion
In Act II, scene iii, the Friar described the dual qualities of plants that are capable of healing yet have the power to act as a poison
The Friar’s plan offers hope for Juliet, but due to the influence of fate, becomes the vehicle of the tragedy

8. At the end of this scene:
Juliet has found an ally
The Friar has proven himself to be wily, scheming and inventive in aiding Romeo and Juliet
BUT can he be trusted?
Paris appears to be genuinely interested in Juliet

9. Act IV, Scene ii - Summary
Juliet returns home where she surprises her parents by sweetly capitulating to the wedding
Capulet is so pleased, that he insists on bringing the wedding forward by one day (to the Wednesday morning)
Lady Capulet protests, saying it does not leave enough time to prepare, but the euphoric Lord Capulet states he will prepare everything
Juliet is now to be married the following morning
This will affect the Friar’s arrangements to let Romeo know of their plans

10. Fate Here, fate twists Juliet’s fortunes once again
Capulet, in his impulsive zeal, complicates the Friar’s plan by moving the wedding forward a full day
Juliet must take the potion that night and lapse into a suspended state 24 hours sooner than the Friar had anticipated
This development reduces the amount of time the Friar will have to notify Romeo in Mantua

11. Juliet - Duplicitous Juliet pretends to acquiesce to Capulet’s plan
She reveals enthusiasm which is somewhat genuine since she feels hope in the potion
She reveals her ability to pretend and her perception in working out what others want
Juliet displays duplicity as she describes her meeting with Paris saying she gave him, “what becomed love I might / Not stepping o’er the bounds of modesty.”
She also pretends to prepare for the wedding while preparing for her presumed death
She has emotionally removed herself from those who have betrayed her

12. Lord Capulet
Capulet is characteristically impulsive, rash, and unpredictable
His blind enthusiasm leads him to insist that his entire family and staff work through the night to make adequate preparations for the hastened ceremony
He shows disrespect for his wife and Juliet insulting Juliet by accusing her of “peevish, self-willed harlotry” and he completely dominates his wife, disregarding her desire to delay the wedding and ordering her to Juliet’s room to help the Nurse

13. Act IV, Scene iii - Summary
In her bedchamber, Juliet asks the Nurse to let her spend the night alone
She begins to wonder what will happen to her if she drinks from the vial
She comes up with reason after reason why drinking the sleeping potion may cause her harm – physical or psychological – but drinks it anyway, telling Romeo ‘I drink to thee’

14. Juliet – Independence
Juliet asserts independence by asking Nurse and Lady Capulet to leave her alone
She is separating herself from her family and takes a step toward her plan to be with Romeo
This request marks a turning point for Juliet
Previously, she refrained from making her own decisions (waited for instruction from Romeo when they would wed and depended on Friar to provide a plan)
She has grown more mature and independent
Places dagger by her side showing her decision to die if she can’t be with Romeo

15. Juliet - Strength
When Juliet is left alone, she is struck by the horror of her situation
She imagines gruesome, nightmarish horrors of 13-year-old facing her own mortality: being buried alive in the airless tomb and facing Tybalt’s corpse: “festering in his shroud.”
She is tempted to call for Nurse, but realises she must act independently
She displays courage as she defies her parents and fate itself ad is prepared to die
She accepts she must trust the Friar’s potion, and has strength in her ultimate faith

16. Foreshadowing
Both the knife, and the poison, hint at the lovers’ actual deaths
Just as Juliet drinks “poison”, Romeo will eventually procure poison from an apothecary and kill himself that way
Juliet will use the knife on herself

17. Writing Task: ‘Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again.’
Writing task: Re-write this speech in your own words – tracing all of Juliet’s changing ideas and emotions as she contemplates what she is about to do…

18. Act IV, Scene iv - Summary
Lord Capulet has not been to bed but has been preparing for the wedding
The Capulet household has been alive throughout the night with frenetic wedding preparation activities
The day begins to break, and Capulet hears music signaling that Paris is approaching the house
He orders the Nurse to awaken Juliet

19. Mood The mood is joyful and excited
The Capulet house bustles with activity
Banter with the servants is frenetic and excited
The atmosphere is electrified with the joyful expectation of the upcoming marriage
This provides a striking contrast with the scene upstairs, where the bride lies in bed, apparently dead
This scene relieves the tension from the previous dark scene

20. Act IV, Scene v - Summary
The Nurse enters Juliet’s room and discovers her seemingly lifeless body on the bed
The Nurse believes her to be dead and cries out to the family in desperation
They dramatically mourn Juliet’s loss
The Friar expresses the belief that Juliet is in heaven and that they are partly to blame
He then arranges for Juliet’s body to be taken to the family vault
Capulet orders that the wedding preparations be changed to funeral preparations

21. Mood The Nurse opens this with humorous banter
However, the mood changes quickly when the Nurse discovers Juliet’s body,
The tone of the scene immediately changes from excited anticipation to shocked sorrow creating a sense of shock for the audience

22. The parents
In their mourning for Juliet, they appear as individuals who have suffered a great loss
The audience gains an understanding of how much their hopes for the future had been invested in Juliet
And Paris’ grief seems genuine, rather than just disappointment
However, their griefs are centred on themselves and much of the sadness is shown in repetitive wailing rather than genuine feeling

23. At the end of Act IV
The situation is dire, but there could still be hope IF the Friar’s plan can be made to work
Juliet is apparently dead, and is being taken to the family tomb
The Friar has to send a message to Romeo (earlier than he thought) explaining the situation to him
Potential for tragedy?