Romeo and Juliet Act 4 summary sheet pages 809 – 824

1. What do you think of the Friar’s plan? Is it likely to work?

2. What motivates Friar Laurence to come up with this plan?

3. Consider all the fears that Juliet discusses in her soliloquy in scene 3. Which makes the most sense to you? Explain.

4. Do you think Juliet is foolish or courageous to take the drug?

5. Consider the expressions of grief in scene 5, lines 51-73. Are these characters sad at the death of Juliet for her own sake, or unhappy about how Juliet’s death affects them for their own sakes?

6. Friar Laurence knows that Juliet is not dead. Is he admirable for consoling the family or shameful for lying to them?

7. Give any character in this act a piece of your mind. Tell the character why his or her behavior is wrong or foolish. For example, you might criticize Capulet for his treatment of Juliet, or Juliet for taking the potion, or the Friar for planning the trick.

8. Describe another plan that Friar Laurence could have used to rescue Juliet from a second marriage and reunite her with Romeo.

9. Suppose that at this point Friar Laurence has to defend his actions to his superior in the church. What might he say to his boss?

10. If Juliet were a teenager today confronted with a similar problem, what options would she have? List some choices for her.