Moment 9: Romeo's real death Flashcards
(5 cards)
“Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death, / Gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth.” (Romeo, 5.3)
Romeo’s extended metaphor compares the tomb to a mouth that has devoured Juliet, portraying death as both consuming and grotesquely maternal. The paradox suggests that the tomb both ends and starts life. Tomb is personified.
“Here’s to my love! O true apothecary! / Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” (Romeo, 5.3)
The phrase “Thus with a kiss I die” encapsulates the central tragedy of the play: love and death are inseparable. His hamartia (impulsiveness) is emphasized one last time as he kills himself just before Juliet awakes.
In Elizabethan England, suicide was considered a mortal sin, condemning the soul to eternal damnation
“A greater power than we can contradict / Hath thwarted our intents.” (Friar Laurence, 5.3)
The abstract noun “power” suggests divine intervention, reinforcing the theme of fate as an unstoppable force. The Friar’s words absolve himself of blame, implying that Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy was inevitable. Shakespeare leaves the audience to interpret whether free will even existed in the play at all.
Shakespeare borrows from Greek tragedy, where fate is an inevitable force beyond human control.
“This is thy sheath: there rust, and let me die.” (Juliet, 5.3)
Juliet’s metaphor likens her body to a “sheath” for the dagger, suggesting that her death is both natural and inevitable. Shakespeare contrasts their deaths to show Juliet as more decisive, while Romeo remains ruled by impulsive emotion.
“See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, / That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love.” (Prince Escalus, 5.3)
The juxtaposition of “kill” and “love” highlights the play’s central paradox—hatred has led to the destruction of love. The tragedy is not just personal but societal—Romeo and Juliet’s deaths serve as a moral lesson.
The Montague-Capulet feud reflects real rivalries between noble families in Shakespeare’s time
