Romeo and Juliet Graphic

Organizer
In your own words, write a short summary of Act 5 Scene 3:
After Romeo kills Paris, whom Juliet was arranged to marry, he finds her lying in the tomb. He believes she is
dead, although she is only drugged with a heavy sedative. He is heartbroken and decides to take his own life to be
with his wife because he can’t bare living without her. After he kills himself with poison, Juliet awakens from her
stupor. Friar Laurence tries to convince her to flee from the guards approaching but she refuses to leave Romeo.
She willingly stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger and dies by his side. The Capulet and Montague families discover
how much their hatred for one another has taken from them.

Choose four quotes that demonstrate why this scene is the climax of the play. Then, analyze the quote
AND explain why it’s important.

Quote 1:
“A grave — O no, a lantern, slaughtered youth;
For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes
This vault a feasting presence full of light.
Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interred.”
(lines 84-87)
Romeo sees Juliet inside the tomb for the first
time and thinks she’s dead. Although she is
“dead” he believes she is still beautiful and has
a brightness about her (this should have been a
clue to him). He foreshadows his suicide by
calling himself “a dead man interred”.

Quote 2: Romeo is finalizing his decision to kill himself by

“Eyes, look your last!
Arms, take your last embrace! And, lips, O you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing death!” (lines
112-115)
bidding farewell to Juliet. He looks at her beauty
for the last time, hugs her for the last time, and
even kisses her. He considers his decision to be a
“dateless bargain” because it is a permanent
decision in which he will have no more days to
bargain his death.

Quote 3:
“What's here? A cup closed in my true love's
hand?
Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end.
O churl, drunk all and left no friendly drop
To help me after. I will kiss thy lips.
Haply some poison yet doth hang on them
To make me die with a restorative.” (lines 161-
166)
Juliet awakes from her drug induced sleep to find
Romeo poisoned and dead. She describes him as
“churl” or stingy for not leaving her even a
“friendly” drop of poison to help her follow suit.
She hopes to kiss his lips and find some left over
to aid in her death.

Quote 4: Juliet hears someone coming and knows she

“Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger,
This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.”
(lines 169-170)
must act quickly. After the kiss did not leave her
any poison, she chooses to stab herself with
Romeo’s dagger. She refers to the weapon as a
“happy dagger” suggesting that she feels no
sorrow in taking her own life to be with her love.