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Breakdown of Romeo and Juliet Act 4 Scene 1
Nutshell Summary: - At Friar Laurence’s cell, Paris and Laurence discuss his upcoming hasty marriage with Juliet. - Juliet enters distraught and wishes to speak alone with Friar Laurence; she is, as usual, clever and equivocating with the clueless Paris. - Juliet says she’ll kill herself before marrying Paris. - Laurence says he has a desperate plan: Juliet will feign death by drinking a “distilling liquor.” Once she is in the crypt, Romeo will come wake her up and they can escape Verona together. - Because Romeo is in Mantua, Laurence will send a messenger to tell him of the plan.
Themes Discussed: (For more detailed discussion of THEME in Romeo and Juliet see https://dai.ly/x80qt0r)
- T1 Wasteland - T3 Self vs Society - T7 Sacred Marriage: eyes are the conduit to the true, receptive heart - T11 Fate: cosmic / bad luck vs fate of personality
Characters Discussed: (For more detailed discussion of CHARACTER in Romeo and Juliet see https://dai.ly/x80pud8)
- C5 Friar Laurence: wise old man or meddling fool? - C6 Juliet: worthy hero; adolescent, all-or-nothing thinking - C6 Juliet: clever, equivocating, courageous, presence of mind - C11 Paris: unworthy suitor, dorky foil, unaware of Juliet’s needs (unfair?)
This video on Shakespeare’s LANGUAGE might also help: https://dai.ly/x80qtdh
All commentary in this series is designed to help students: — Prepare for GCSE, A-Level, IB, and AP evaluation — Prepare for general high school and college quizzes, exams, and essays — Generate ideas for analysis essays — Participate knowledgeably in class discussions
