Summary: Act 4, scene 1
In his cell, Friar Lawrence speaks with Paris about the
latter’s impending marriage to Juliet. Paris says that Juliet’s
grief about Tybalt’s death has made her unbalanced, and that Capulet,
in his wisdom, has determined they should marry soon so that Juliet
can stop crying and put an end to her period of mourning. The friar remarks
to himself that he wishes he were unaware of the reason that Paris’s
marriage to Juliet should be delayed.
Juliet enters, and Paris speaks to her lovingly, if somewhat
arrogantly. Juliet responds indifferently, showing neither affection
nor dislike. She remarks that she has not married him yet. On the
pretense that he must hear Juliet’s confession, Friar Lawrence ushers Paris
away, though not before Paris kisses Juliet once. After Paris leaves,
Juliet asks Friar Lawrence for help, brandishing a knife and saying
that she will kill herself rather than marry Paris. The friar proposes
a plan: Juliet must consent to marry Paris; then, on the night before
the wedding, she must drink a sleeping potion that will make her
appear to be dead; she will be laid to rest in the Capulet tomb,
and the friar will send word to Romeo in Mantua to help him retrieve
her when she wakes up. She will then return to Mantua with Romeo,
and be free to live with him away from their parents’ hatred. Juliet
consents to the plan wholeheartedly. Friar Lawrence gives her the
sleeping potion.
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Act 4, scene 1 →
Summary: Act 4, scene 2
Juliet returns home, where she finds Capulet and Lady
Capulet preparing for the wedding. She surprises her parents by
repenting her disobedience and cheerfully agreeing to marry Paris.
Capulet is so pleased that he insists on moving the marriage up
a day, to Wednesday—tomorrow. Juliet heads to her chambers to, ostensibly,
prepare for her wedding. Capulet heads off to tell Paris the news.
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Act 4, scene 2 →
Analysis: Act 4, scenes 1–2
Friar Lawrence is the wiliest and most scheming character
in Romeo and Juliet: he secretly marries the two
lovers, spirits Romeo to Mantua, and stages Juliet’s death. The
friar’s machinations seem also to be tools of fate. Yet despite
the role Friar Lawrence plays in bringing about the lovers’ deaths,
Shakespeare never presents him in a negative, or even ambiguous,
light. He is always treated as a benign, wise presence. The tragic
failure of his plans is treated as a disastrous accident for which
Friar Lawrence bears no responsibility.
In contrast, it is a challenge to situate Paris along
the play’s moral continuum. He is not exactly an adversary to Romeo
and Juliet, since he never acts consciously to harm them or go against
their wishes. Like almost everyone else, he knows nothing of their
relationship. Paris’s feelings for Juliet are also a subject of some
ambiguity, since the audience is never allowed access to his thoughts.
Later textual evidence does indicate that Paris harbors a legitimate
love for Juliet, and though he arrogantly assumes Juliet will want
to marry him, Paris never treats her unkindly. Nevertheless, because she
does not love him, he represents a real and frightening potentiality
for Juliet.