Act 4
Posted by msjjohnson on April 29, 2008
Yes, we are moving fast with these discussion questions. Since we had extentsive class discussion about Act 3 in class, I will not prolong that discussion on this site. I have included questions for the remaining of Act4. Therefore, depending on whenever you post, there should be a revelent question for you to answer. Keep in mind that this is an assignment grade (100) and late post (after the deadline) will only recieve a reduced score. Remember that all comments should be original and insightful. It is obvious to all if you are copying another’s comments.
- Write a character sketch of Juliet emphasizing the internal conflict she is experiencing in this act.
- How has the Friar’s hobby contributed to the plot of the play?
- Discuss the four fears Juliet experiences just before she drinks the sleeping potion.
- Describe the reactions of Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, the Nurse, and Friar Laurence to the death of Juliet.
- 2. Define dramatic irony and give examples from this act.
Since I was late posting 
the deadline for this post will be Monday May 5th at 11:59 p.m.
FREDERICK SIMPSON *MR. SUPERSTAR*/MR.PICTURE-PERFECT said
Friar Lawrence’s hobby was contributed to the plot of the play because he was kind of like the priest. Whenever Juliet or Romeo needed something, he was always there to conquer their needs. When Juliet had a confession to make about marrying Paris, Friar Lawrence was there to help her through the situation. I believe he was put in the play for deliverance. It seemed like he was always helping someone overcome an obstacle, which is great! That’s what good people are for. He married Romeo and Juliet, he reunited them after numerous ocassions, he helped Juliet recover from denial, he even gave Paris some conference time although we all know that’s not what Juliet wanted. Juliet wanted her one and only love Romeo, if she couldn’t have him she threatened to commit suicide if the potion did not function. Friar Lawrence also created the potion. He kind of reminded me of a Love or a Spirtual Guru as well.
LaQuetta Cade said
I’m responding to #3: Juliet is plagued by fear, she’s anxious that the sleeping potion may not work. Rational but skeptical, she lays a knife beside her so that she may commit suicide if the potion didn’t work. She then imagines all of the terrifying possibilities that could be a result in taking the potion; that Friar Lawrence has poisoned her, that she will awaken and be trapped in the vault, or that she will awaken in the vault and go crazy. As she kept thinking about her fears she hallucinates Tybalt’s ghost trying to find Romeo. As scared as she is, she toasts to Romeo and drinks the potion.
LaQuetta
A.K.A
Mz.S~H
Antwon Edwards said
Well in Act 4 it was just something. Well After Romeo left an was banished out of Verona. Julliet was sad and down so Paris wanted to marry her to make her feel better. Lord Capulet threatned her that if she didnt marry Paris he was going to throw her out on the streets. So she said if she marries him she was going to kill herself. But after that she went to Friar Lawerence to get advice because the nurse was pretty much telling her to just do it, so Friar Lawerence made her a sleeping potion that would make her go into a deep sleep so she can play died and get out of marring Paris. So Lord Capulet change the wedding to the next day, and that night Julliet drunk the sleeping potion. She fear that she would wake up and if it didnt work she had place a dagger next to he bed and she planned to kill herself. But what it was it was a plan to be with Romeo again. It was when they take her body to the tomb Friar Lawerence and Romeo would be there waiting for her to awake. But everybody reaction was critical everybody was said and shock that she died over night; Lady Capulet and Lord Capulet reaction was shocking that their daughter died Lord Capulet said that she has marry death. Friar Lawerence knew about the plan but he reacted like he didnt know and he came in the room and asked when was the funeral. He was trying to hurry up and get her to the tomb before the potion ran off. (The potion slow down the blood running through her veins so she was cold and stiff). Thats what happened in Act 4. I believe i covered everything rite.
Latosha a.k.a Tosha b.k.a Ms.Red said
I am responing to # 1.
In scene 4 Juliet is under alot of stress right now. She’s dilling with the banishing of Romeo, the fact that people are forcing her to marry Paris, and deciding if she’s going to take this slepping potion that Friar Lawrence gives her. The potion is suppose to make her appear as dead the morning of her wedding with Paris so she wouldn’t have to marry him.Just in case the potion doesn’t work, she threatens to commitee suicide if she could not be with Romeo and have to marry Paris.”Do thou but call my resolution wise,and with this knife I’ll help it presently.” “I long to die if what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.” At this time Juliet is reallyt in love with Romeo, and if she cannot have him to herself then she will go in for the kill!!! She’s hoping that when she wakes up from the potion that Romeo will be right there to take her away. Then Juliet finds herself lucky because, Capulet moves the wedding up to the next day and goes off to tell Paris the new date. That would give Juliet time for the potion to keep in and really get to working.Then everyone gets ready to make Juliet’s funeral arrangements, and that’s the end of that.
JLOPE said
In response to #3, Juliet would rather die than to marry Paris, so she has Friar Laurence make her a potion that will make her body seem dead. Right before Juliet drinks the potion, she suddenly becomes very nervous of what might happen if this plan goes wrong. The first thing she feared was what if the Friar had given her actual poison. Then she becomes fearful of what if the potion doesn’t. Just in case of the potion’s failure, Juliet places a dagger beside her. She also fears that if the potion doesn’t work she will be trapped in the Capulet vault.
Derrick Newman said
Dramatic irony is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different understanding for the reader than they do for the characters. Dramatic occurs many times in the act, but mainly in scenes four and five. Dramatic irony was first apparent in the act when Juliet went to go see Friar Lawrence for advice and so did Paris. We as readers knew that Juliet was there to get advice on how to prevent the marriage from happening, while Paris was clueless about Juliet’s feelings of being married to him. Paris was there to get advice on arranging the marriage. This was one example of dramatic irony in the act.
Philesha said
Hi ms. johnson i was jus written to tell u that i was going to post but i left my book at school
..but i will do it when i come home tomorrow from skool ..promise ..have a wonderful Sunday evening!
Love,
Philesha
~:~Leecia Barnes~:~ said
Juliet was experiencing the fear of the potion not working. She was worried that if it didn’t work and she awoke in the morning that she would have to go through with the marriage to Paris, therefore “Deflowering” her i think it’s called. But she would no longer have a pure marriage with her true love Romeo. She also was afraid that the potion was a possible oppourtunity for Friar Lawrence to murder her. which’s i think is crazy ( Ms.Johnson I hope i get extra credt for this) but an ironic thing about this is that all through she was so suicidal even in the end she commited suicide, so why would she be afraid of dying, that should have been the least of her worries-but maybe it’s just me? The thought of being cooped up in the tomb with all the dead relatives frightened her as well. She thought that if she awoke before Romeo made it to the tomb she’d possibly die of suffocation, i believe that’s what she was trying to say at least. Lastly she was afraid to come upon a ghost. She was thinking of Tybalt’s ghost coming back from the dead and bashing out her brains and all type of crazy stuff. The death of Juliet the frist time which was fake took Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, and Nurse by surprise unfortunately a sad one. But I don’t know why Lord and Lady Capulet were acting out as they wer because they seemed like they barely even knew Juliet! But I nurse on the other hand can do that because she knew Juliet like the back of her hand. But as we all know Friair Lawrence knew all about the scheme so he just put on an act and played his part. But the second time and the “Real Time” Juliet died it seemed to pain them even more. To know that she was alive the first time would have made me coo coo for cocoa cocoa puffs too. But Lady Capulet stated that such a thing could potentially send her to an early grave or sepulchre as she said. Lord Capulet seemed to feel a little salty, he was saying how this was their faults and how if they never had this falling out with the Montague’s this probably would have never happened. Nurse was not a part of this last piece but i can only imagine that she felt a ton of a lot worse than she did in the beginning. Friar seemed to be taking it well, I think he knew it was going to occur due to his not getting the letter to Romeo timely, so it was not as much of a shock to him.
~:~ Leecia~:~
smooches
Tina Brooks said
The fears that Juliet experience before she drinks the potion are unusaul she is starting to worry about the situation. She fears that the potion may not work at all an she will be married the next day. She fears that she may die because she thinks Friar Lawrence created the mixture to kill her because it is a dishonor to marry a foe. Lastly she fears that she may wake before time an Romeo will not be in the vault. “What if this mixture do not work at all? Shall I be married then tomorrow morning? No,no, this shall fobid it. Lie thou there . What if it be a posion which the Friar Sublty hath ministered to have me dead. Lest in this marriage he shall be dishonored Because he married me before Romeo? I fear it is. An yet methinks it should not, For he hath still been tried a holy man.” Juliet is very emotional at this time an does not understand the situation she lets her mind wonder an feed off of her negative thoughts.Her fears are takening over her.
Aureonna Kirvan-Green said
Juliet experiences many fears just before she drinks the sleeping potion. Not only is she stressed out about the entire situation, but she also fears what may lay ahead of her. For example, what if the potion doesn’t work? If it does work, then how will she know that she’ll wake on the morning of the wedding? Her mind is full of questions that she is forced to leave unanswered. She also fears the possibility of not being able to be with Romeo.
He is her ultimate goal; without him, Juliet finds life meaningless. Last but not least, Juliet fears death.
$!*Aure*!$
Happy Cinco De Mayo! Lol