Romeo and Juliet Flashcards
(26 cards)
What happens in Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: A street fight breaks out between the Montagues and Capulets in Verona. Prince Escalus stops the violence and threatens death to anyone who disturbs the peace again. Romeo appears, melancholy over his unrequited love for Rosaline. Benvolio advises him to forget her by looking at other women.
Topics: Family feuds, unrequited love, violence, law and order, friendship
Literary Elements: Dramatic exposition, characterization (Romeo’s lovesickness), conflict establishment (family feud), foreshadowing (Prince’s death threat)
What happens in Act 1, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Count Paris asks Capulet for permission to marry his daughter Juliet. Capulet says Juliet is too young but invites Paris to his party that evening to woo her. A servant who cannot read asks Romeo to help with the guest list, inadvertently inviting him to the Capulet party. Benvolio suggests they attend so Romeo can compare Rosaline to other beauties.
Topics: Arranged marriage, youth, fatherdaughter relationships, chance encounters
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Romeo invited to enemy’s party), characterization (Capulet as protective father), plot device (illiterate servant)
What happens in Act 1, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Lady Capulet and the Nurse discuss Juliet’s age and readiness for marriage. The Nurse shares bawdy memories of Juliet’s childhood. Lady Capulet tells Juliet about Paris’s marriage proposal and encourages her to consider him at the party. Juliet agrees to look at Paris but promises nothing more.
Topics: Marriage arrangements, motherdaughter relationships, coming of age, duty vs. desire
Literary Elements: Characterization (Nurse’s earthiness vs. Lady Capulet’s formality), exposition (Juliet’s background), contrast (different attitudes toward marriage)
What happens in Act 1, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio prepare to crash the Capulet party. Romeo expresses reluctance and shares a dream that troubles him. Mercutio delivers the Queen Mab speech, mocking Romeo’s belief in dreams. Romeo fears the night will set in motion events leading to his death, but decides to attend anyway.
Topics: Fate vs. free will, dreams and omens, friendship, premonitions
Literary Elements: Foreshadowing (Romeo’s premonition), dramatic irony (audience knows the outcome), characterization (Mercutio’s wit and skepticism)
What happens in Act 1, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: At the Capulet party, Romeo sees Juliet and instantly falls in love, forgetting Rosaline. Tybalt recognizes Romeo’s voice and wants to fight him, but Capulet stops him. Romeo and Juliet meet, share a sonnet in dialogue, and kiss twice. Only after their encounter do they learn each other’s identities as enemies.
Topics: Love at first sight, forbidden love, family identity, hospitality vs. hostility
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (love between enemies), symbolism (light/dark imagery), sonnet form (shared dialogue), recognition scene
What happens in Act 2, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: After the party, Romeo hides from his friends and climbs over the orchard wall into the Capulet garden. Benvolio and Mercutio search for him, with Mercutio making sexual jokes about Romeo’s “love.” They give up and leave, not knowing Romeo is nearby listening.
Topics: Friendship, sexual humor, pursuit of love, separation from friends
Literary Elements: Comic relief (Mercutio’s jokes), dramatic irony (Romeo hearing but not responding), setting transition (from public to private space)
What happens in Act 2, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Romeo sees Juliet on her balcony speaking her thoughts aloud about their impossible love. He reveals himself, and they declare their love despite their families’ hatred. They plan to marry secretly the next day. Juliet will send a messenger to Romeo to learn the wedding arrangements.
Topics: Forbidden love, secret marriage plans, private vs. public identity, romantic idealism
Literary Elements: Soliloquy (Juliet’s balcony speech), dramatic irony (eavesdropping), symbolism (balcony as barrier and bridge), metaphor (sun and moon imagery)
What happens in Act 2, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Early morning, Romeo visits Friar Lawrence, who is collecting herbs. Romeo asks the Friar to marry him and Juliet that day. Friar Lawrence is shocked by Romeo’s sudden change from Rosaline to Juliet but agrees to perform the ceremony, hoping it might end the families’ feud.
Topics: Religious guidance, young love’s fickleness, hope for peace, herbal medicine
Literary Elements: Characterization (Friar as wise counselor), dramatic irony (Friar’s hope vs. tragic outcome), symbolism (herbs as healing and poison)
What happens in Act 2, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Benvolio and Mercutio worry about Romeo, who didn’t come home. Tybalt has sent a challenge to Romeo. When Romeo appears, he matches Mercutio’s wit, showing his happiness has returned. Juliet’s Nurse arrives, and after much bawdy joking, Romeo tells her the wedding plans: Juliet should come to Friar Lawrence’s cell that afternoon.
Topics: Male friendship, dueling culture, comic relief, marriage arrangements
Literary Elements: Comic relief (wordplay and sexual puns), characterization (Romeo’s transformed mood), dramatic irony (Tybalt’s challenge while Romeo plans marriage)
What happens in Act 2, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Juliet waits impatiently for the Nurse’s return with news from Romeo. When the Nurse finally arrives, she teases Juliet by delaying the message, complaining of aches and pains. Finally, she reveals the wedding plans: Juliet must go to Friar Lawrence’s cell that afternoon to marry Romeo.
Topics: Impatience, servant mistress relationships, comic delay, wedding preparations
Literary Elements: Comic relief (Nurse’s delays), characterization (Juliet’s impatience vs. Nurse’s enjoyment of attention), dramatic tension through delay
What happens in Act 2, Scene 6 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Romeo waits at Friar Lawrence’s cell for Juliet. The Friar warns Romeo about the dangers of passionate love. Juliet arrives, and after expressing their love, Friar Lawrence leads them off to perform the secret marriage ceremony.
Topics: Secret marriage, passionate love, religious ceremony, warnings about excess
Literary Elements: Foreshadowing (Friar’s warnings), dramatic irony (marriage during family feud), symbolism (religious setting for union)
What happens in Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Benvolio and Mercutio encounter Tybalt, who’s looking for Romeo. When Romeo arrives, Tybalt challenges him, but Romeo refuses to fight (because they’re now kinsmen through marriage). Mercutio fights Tybalt instead and is killed when Romeo tries to stop them. In rage, Romeo kills Tybalt. Prince Escalus banished Romeo from Verona.
Topics: Honor, revenge, friendship loyalty, consequences of violence, justice
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Romeo’s secret reason for refusing to fight), climax (turning point of play), tragic irony (Romeo’s intervention causes Mercutio’s death)
What happens in Act 3, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Juliet eagerly awaits her wedding night with Romeo. The Nurse arrives with news of Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment. Juliet is torn between grief for her cousin and loyalty to her husband. The Nurse promises to bring Romeo to Juliet for their wedding night before he flees.
Topics: Conflicted loyalty, wedding night anticipation, grief and love, family vs. marriage
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Juliet’s joy turning to sorrow), internal conflict (cousin vs. husband), soliloquy (Juliet’s epithalamion)
What happens in Act 3, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Romeo hides in Friar Lawrence’s cell, devastated by his banishment. He considers it worse than death because it separates him from Juliet. When the Nurse arrives with news from Juliet, Romeo threatens suicide. Friar Lawrence scolds him and devises a plan: Romeo will spend the night with Juliet, then flee to Mantua until the families can be reconciled.
Topics: Exile, despair, suicide threats, hope and planning
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Romeo’s despair vs. Friar’s hope), characterization (Romeo’s extreme emotions), plot development (escape plan)
What happens in Act 3, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Late at night, Capulet speaks with Paris about Juliet. Believing marriage will help Juliet overcome grief for Tybalt, Capulet arranges for her to marry Paris on Thursday (three days away). He’s confident Juliet will obey his decision.
Topics: Arranged marriage, parental authority, grief management, hasty decisions
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Juliet already married), characterization (Capulet’s assumption of obedience), rising action (new conflict created)
What happens in Act 3, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Romeo and Juliet’s wedding night ends at dawn. They debate whether it’s morning (lark) or night (nightingale). Romeo leaves for exile. Lady Capulet tells Juliet about the arranged marriage to Paris. When Juliet refuses, Capulet becomes furious and threatens to disown her. The Nurse advises Juliet to marry Paris, and Juliet decides to seek help from Friar Lawrence.
Topics: Forced separation, parental authority, disobedience, betrayal by trusted figures
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (parents don’t know about secret marriage), symbolism (dawn as separation), characterization (Capulet’s rage)
What happens in Act 4, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Paris visits Friar Lawrence to arrange the wedding ceremony. When Juliet arrives, Paris tries to claim her as his bride, but she gives cryptic responses. After Paris leaves, Juliet threatens suicide rather than marry him. Friar Lawrence gives her a potion that will make her appear dead so she can avoid the marriage and reunite with Romeo.
Topics: Desperate measures, suicide threats, religious guidance, deception plans
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Paris’s enthusiasm vs. Juliet’s horror), symbolism (death potion as escape), plot device (Friar’s plan)
What happens in Act 4, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Juliet returns home and apologizes to her father for her disobedience, saying Friar Lawrence has advised her to be obedient. Capulet is delighted and moves the wedding up to Wednesday (the next day). Juliet maintains her deception while internally preparing for the potion.
Topics: False obedience, parental joy, wedding preparations, internal deception
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Juliet’s false submission), characterization (Capulet’s joy at obedience), tension building (accelerated timeline)
What happens in Act 4, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Alone in her room, Juliet dismisses her mother and Nurse. She contemplates the fears surrounding the potion: what if it doesn’t work, what if it’s poison, what if she wakes up in the tomb surrounded by death? Despite her terror, she drinks the potion and falls unconscious.
Topics: Isolation, fear of death, courage despite terror, trust in others’ plans
Literary Elements: Soliloquy (Juliet’s fears), dramatic irony (audience knows the plan), suspense (will the plan work?), imagery (tomb horrors)
What happens in Act 4, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Early Wednesday morning, the Capulet household busily prepares for Juliet’s wedding to Paris. Capulet has stayed up all night making arrangements. The family is excited and busy with wedding preparations, unaware of what awaits them in Juliet’s room.
Topics: Wedding preparations, family excitement, dramatic irony of timing
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (preparation for joy before discovering tragedy), contrast (bustling activity vs. still death), foreshadowing (rapid shift from joy to sorrow)
What happens in Act 4, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: The Nurse discovers Juliet apparently dead on her wedding morning. The family and Paris grieve her sudden death. Friar Lawrence arrives and reminds them that Juliet is in heaven. Musicians who came for the wedding are dismissed. The wedding preparations become funeral arrangements.
Topics: Apparent death, family grief, religious consolation, dramatic reversal
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (apparent vs. real death), reversal (wedding to funeral), characterization (different grief responses), comic relief (musicians scene)
What happens in Act 5, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: In Mantua, Romeo dreams that Juliet found him dead and revived him with kisses. Balthasar arrives with news that Juliet is dead and buried. Romeo decides to return to Verona and die beside her. He buys poison from a poor apothecary and heads back to Verona to join Juliet in death.
Topics: Tragic irony, miscommunication, suicide determination, poverty and desperation
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Romeo doesn’t know the truth), foreshadowing (prophetic dream), characterization (Romeo’s absolute despair), symbolism (poison as escape)
What happens in Act 5, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Friar John returns to Friar Lawrence, explaining that he was quarantined and couldn’t deliver the letter explaining the plan to Romeo. Friar Lawrence realizes Romeo believes Juliet is truly dead. He rushes to the tomb to be there when Juliet awakens, planning to hide her until Romeo can be contacted.
Topics: Failed communication, quarantine, urgent rescue attempts, timing failures
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (audience knows the missed message causes tragedy), plot device (plague prevents message), rising action (race against time)
What happens in Act 5, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet?
Plot: Paris mourns at Juliet’s tomb and fights Romeo, who kills him. Romeo sees Juliet’s lifelike appearance but drinks the poison and dies beside her. Juliet awakens to find Romeo dead. She kisses his poisoned lips and, when that fails to kill her, stabs herself with his dagger. The families arrive, discover the tragic scene, and Friar Lawrence explains everything. Devastated by their children’s deaths, the Capulets and Montagues end their feud.
Topics: Death, tragic irony, family reconciliation, love stronger than death, feud resolution
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Juliet awakens moments too late), tragic climax (both lovers die), catharsis (families reconciled), symbolism (death uniting the lovers and families)
