Romeo and Juliet

Juliet, unaware of all that has happened, is waiting impatiently at home for Romeo to come and celebrate their wedding night. She begs the sun to hurry up and set:

Lovers can see to do their amorous rites

By their own beauties, or, if love be blind,

It best agrees with night [...]

Come, gentle night; come, loving black-browed night (III.2.8-11).

The Nurse arrives, wailing, and delivers the terrible news: Romeo has killed Tybalt. Juliet is distraught. At first, she curses Romeo’s name, but as soon as the Nurse speaks ill of him, she reverses course: “Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?” (III.2.106). She loses herself in grief, less over Tybalt’s death than over Romeo’s banishment. She bewails the power of that one word, “banished.” She vows to take to her bed and die. The Nurse says she’ll go find Romeo and bring him to comfort her.

Romeo is with Friar Lawrence, bewailing his fate. He turns the word “banished” over and over, seeing it as the worst possible thing that could happen to him: “O Friar, the damned use that word in hell” (III.3.50). Friar Lawrence counsels him to be patient: If he’s not dead, there’s hope.

The Nurse appears to fetch Romeo. She tells them that Juliet is in much the same state as Romeo, wailing and weeping. Romeo draws his dagger to stab himself, but Friar Lawrence exasperatedly holds him back and points out all the good luck that has come their way: Juliet is alive, and Romeo is alive and not under the sentence of death, meaning they will see each other again. He tells Romeo to go to Juliet and then to flee to Mantua in the morning. Romeo, relieved, agrees.

Lord and Lady Capulet speak to Paris of their family’s misfortune and agree to hurry forward Juliet’s wedding to him. It’s Monday now; they’ll celebrate the marriage on Thursday morning. Paris speaks of his eagerness, and Capulet sends him away. Lady Capulet readies to tell Juliet to prepare for her wedding.

The next morning, Romeo and Juliet wake up in bed together. They’re reluctant to let each other go and trade words about whether the birds they’re hearing are nightingales (birds of the night, which mean they can be together) or larks (birds of the morning, which mean they have to part). At first, Romeo insists they’re larks, and Juliet nightingales. Then Juliet remembers that Romeo is under the threat of death and changes her mind: “Some say the lark makes sweet division. / This doth not so, for she divideth us” (III.5.29-30).

The Nurse comes in and hurries Romeo away. Romeo climbs out the window, and the lovers exchange a slow, tortured farewell. Juliet has a foreboding vision: “Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, / As one dead in the bottom of a tomb” (III.5.55-56). At last, Romeo departs for Mantua.

Lady Capulet appears and tells Juliet that she’s going to be married to Paris on Thursday. Juliet, outraged, declares that she won’t do it: “Now by Saint Peter’s Church, and Peter too, / He shall not make me there a joyful bride!” (III.5.121-22). Lord Capulet appears and flies into a rage at Juliet’s disobedience. He says he’ll disown her if she doesn’t agree to marry Paris. The weeping Juliet turns to her mother for comfort, but Lady Capulet offers none.

At last, Juliet falls into the arms of the Nurse. The Nurse advises her to be reasonable: Romeo’s banished, so she should marry Paris. After all, he’s very handsome. Horrified by this betrayal, Juliet withdraws and runs to Friar Lawrence.