Romeo and Juliet – Act 4, Scene 1 – Scene Summary

Romeo and Juliet

Act 4, Scene 1

Scene Summary

Characters: Paris, Friar Lawrence, Juliet

Location: Friar Lawrence’s cell

Time: Tuesday Morning

Scene Events: Paris comes to Friar Lawrence’s cell to arrange his marriage to Juliet that Thursday, he says that Capulet wants his daughter to stop crying over the death of her beloved cousin, Tybalt and be happy about marrying Paris. Juliet joins them in the cell and pretends that she is going to confession with the Friar to get Paris to leave. Paris refers to Juliet as if he owns her even though they are not yet married, he says that he owns her face and that she is abusing it by crying. Friar Lawrence is concerned as to how Juliet’s second marriage to Paris is coming so quickly. After Paris leaves Juliet tells him that if he does not find a solution to her problems she will have to resort to different methods of ending her suffering, she pulls out a knife and threatens to kill herself. The Friar devises a plan in which Juliet will go home and say to her family that she will marry Paris, Wednesday night she will make sure that she is alone, not even her nurse will be allowed in her bedroom and will take a sleeping potion that will last for forty-two hours. Under the effect of the Friar’s sleeping potion, Juliet will be motionless, she will not breathe, move and will look completely dead so that she will be taken to the Capulet tomb. Friar Lawrence will quickly send word to Romeo of his plan and the two of them will watch over Juliet until she awakens and there is no suspicion. Romeo will take Juliet to the city of Mantua with him.

Quote: Paris “Poor soul, thy face is abus’d with tears. Thy face is mine, and thou hast slander’d it”.

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