ACT II - Scene VI Practice Quiz — Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: ACT II - Scene VI
Where does Act 2, Scene 6 take place?
Friar Laurence's cell (his room in the monastery).
What is the purpose of the meeting in this scene?
Romeo and Juliet have come to Friar Laurence's cell to be secretly married.
What does Friar Laurence pray for at the start of the scene?
He prays that the heavens will smile upon the marriage and that future hours will not bring sorrow.
What does Romeo say about future sorrow?
Romeo says no sorrow could outweigh the joy of one minute with Juliet, and he dares "love-devouring death" to do its worst.
Complete the quote: "These violent delights have ___"
"These violent delights have violent ends." — Friar Laurence warns that extreme passions destroy themselves.
To what does the Friar compare the lovers' passion?
Fire and gunpowder ("fire and powder"), which destroy each other at the moment they meet ("as they kiss, consume").
What does the Friar say about "the sweetest honey"?
He says the sweetest honey becomes loathsome (disgusting) in its own excess — too much of a good thing ruins it.
What advice does Friar Laurence give Romeo about love?
"Love moderately: long love doth so; / Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow." He counsels moderation for lasting love.
How does the Friar describe Juliet's entrance?
He says her foot is so light it would never wear out the everlasting flint, and that a lover could walk on gossamer without falling.
What does Juliet call Friar Laurence when she arrives?
She calls him her "ghostly confessor" (spiritual advisor/priest who hears confessions).
What does Romeo ask Juliet to do?
He asks her to express ("blazon") her joy in words, to sweeten the air with rich music of her happiness.
How does Juliet respond to Romeo's request?
She says true love is "more rich in matter than in words" — real feeling is too deep for elaborate language. "They are but beggars that can count their worth."
What does "Conceit, more rich in matter than in words" mean?
True understanding (conceit = conception/thought) is richer in substance than in words — genuine love cannot be adequately expressed through language.
How does the scene end?
Friar Laurence leads Romeo and Juliet offstage to marry them, saying "Holy Church incorporate two in one."
What is the primary literary device in this scene?
Foreshadowing — nearly every speech hints at the tragedy to come, from the Friar's warnings to Romeo's dare to "love-devouring death."
What is the dramatic irony of Romeo's dare to "love-devouring death"?
The audience knows from the Prologue that both lovers will die, making Romeo's casual defiance of death tragically ironic.
What oxymoron appears in the Friar's famous warning?
"Violent delights" — violence and delight are opposites, capturing the paradox of a love that is both ecstatic and destructive.
What theme does the Friar's counsel represent?
The theme of moderation versus passion — the Friar advocates restraint while all other characters follow their emotions to destructive ends.
Why is this scene significant to the overall plot?
It is the moment Romeo and Juliet officially marry, binding their fates together. The marriage drives all subsequent conflicts, including the banishment and the double suicide.
What does "Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow" mean?
Arriving too quickly is just as bad as arriving too late — rushing into love is as harmful as never acting on it. The Friar warns against haste.