Scene 4
Despite allowing Juliet to decide herself if she wanted to marry Paris, Capulet tells the young man that he is sure his daughter will consent. He arranges the marriage for Thursday and instructs his wife to tell Juliet.
Scene 5
Day breaks on the night the lovers have spent together, and they know that Romeo must leave if he is to escape death. The Nurse warns them that Juliet's mother is coming. After parting from her husband, Juliet fears that she will never see him again. Her mother then tells her that in two days she must marry Paris as a means of alleviating her grief for Tybalt. Juliet refuses, and when her father learns of her disobedience, he rages at her, asserting that he will disown her if she does not comply. Juliet resolves to go to the Friar for help as Romeo did.
ACT IV
Scene 1
Paris goes to tell the Friar of his planned marriage to Juliet, and that the urgency is an attempt to alleviate her grief at the death of her cousin. Juliet enters and Paris questions her about her love for him. He leaves, believing that she is to confess to Friar Lawrence; however, instead she asks for his help in avoiding the match. The Friar suggests that she takes a potion before the day of the wedding that will induce a deep sleep and make her appear dead. She will then be placed in the Capulet vault, and by informing Romeo of this her husband will be there when she wakes up. She can then go to Mantua with him. Juliet agrees to this.
Scene 2
The Capulets prepare for the wedding, and Juliet plays along. Her father brings the marriage forward a day, and resolves to stay up all night to ensure all runs smoothly.
Scene 3
Juliet dismisses her Nurse under the directions of Friar Lawrence, and takes the potion. This is a day earlier than he planned as the wedding day has been moved forward.
Scene 4
Capulet has been up all night arranging for the wedding. He jokes with the servants, whipping up an air of festivity and excitement.
Scene 5
The Nurse, unaware of the secret plan, goes to wake Juliet and finds her to be seemingly dead. The family mourns her death and the Friar arrives to take charge, making sure she is put into the family vault as he arranged.
ACT V
Scene 1
Romeo, now in Mantua and awaiting good news from Verona, is horrified to learn from his servant that Juliet is dead. Balthasar has no letter from Friar Lawrence detailing the plan and has obviously been wrongly informed. Romeo decides to return to where his wife is and poison himself in the vault.
Scene 2
Friar John was the means by which a letter would be forwarded to Romeo. In this scene he tells Friar Lawrence that he was unable to carry out his wishes because he was shut up in his house for fear of plague. Friar Lawrence resolves to go to the vault alone, not knowing that Romeo is also making his way there.
Scene 3
Paris comes to grieve for Juliet, believing that grief for her cousin brought about her death. He is disturbed by Romeo, who tries to open the tomb, and goes to stop him, thinking that he has come to mutilate the bodies of his enemies, the Capulets. They fight and Paris is killed. Romeo only recognizes him after he is dead. He opens the vault and as in preparation for death, meditates on Juliet's beauty. The Friar enters just as Romeo drinks the poison, and seeing the bodies of the two young men, urges the waking Juliet to run away. But she refuses when finding her Romeo dead, and stabs herself. The Watch arrive, having been summoned by Paris's servant, and then the Capulets, Montagues and Prince enter. The Friar explains how the death of the young people came about, and as the Chorus told us, the families are reconciled in their grief.
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