ACT III - Scene III Practice Quiz — Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: ACT III - Scene III
Where does Act III, Scene III take place?
Friar Laurence's cell, where Romeo is hiding after killing Tybalt.
What is the Prince's sentence for Romeo?
Banishment from Verona, not death — a merciful judgment according to Friar Laurence.
Why does Romeo consider banishment worse than death?
Because banishment separates him from Juliet. He says there is no world outside Verona walls — only "purgatory, torture, hell itself."
What does Romeo mean by "Thou cut'st my head off with a golden axe"?
He means that calling banishment mercy is a cruel disguise — it kills him just as surely as death, but with a pretty name.
What comparison does Romeo draw between himself and flies?
Romeo says that carrion flies are more fortunate because they can land on Juliet's hand and steal kisses from her lips, while he cannot even see her.
What does the Friar offer as comfort against banishment?
"Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy" — but Romeo rejects it, saying philosophy cannot "make a Juliet" or reverse his banishment.
Who knocks on the Friar's door during the scene?
The Nurse, who has come from Juliet with a message and a ring.
What does the Nurse report about Juliet's condition?
Juliet is "blubb'ring and weeping, weeping and blubbering," falling on her bed and calling out for both Tybalt and Romeo.
Why does Romeo draw his dagger in the Friar's cell?
He wants to kill himself out of guilt, believing his name has become a weapon that harms Juliet. He asks where in his body his cursed name lodges so he can cut it out.
What does the Friar mean by "Art thou a man?"
He is rebuking Romeo for his excessive weeping and wild behavior, saying his tears are "womanish" and his acts show "the unreasonable fury of a beast" — neither manly nor rational.
What three blessings does Friar Laurence list for Romeo?
1) Juliet is alive. 2) Tybalt, who wanted to kill Romeo, is dead instead. 3) The law that threatened death has been reduced to banishment.
What is Friar Laurence's plan for Romeo at the end of the scene?
Go to Juliet tonight, leave Verona before the morning watch, flee to Mantua, and wait while the Friar announces the marriage, reconciles the families, and secures a pardon.
What does the Nurse give Romeo from Juliet?
A ring — a token of Juliet's love and forgiveness that revives Romeo's spirits.
How does the ring affect Romeo's emotional state?
It instantly revives his hope. He exclaims, "How well my comfort is reviv'd by this!" — shifting from suicidal despair to willingness to act on the Friar's plan.
What literary device dominates Romeo's speeches in this scene?
Repetition — the word "banished" appears over a dozen times, creating an incantatory, obsessive effect that mirrors his spiraling despair.
What is the dramatic irony in Friar Laurence's plan?
The audience knows (or senses from the Prologue) that the Friar's rational plan to reconcile the families and win a pardon will fail, and the lovers are destined for a tragic end.
What metaphor does the Friar use about a "skilless soldier's flask"?
He compares Romeo's wit to gunpowder in a careless soldier's flask — it explodes and destroys the person carrying it, meaning Romeo's own gifts are being destroyed by his misuse of them.
What does the Friar's tripartite "There art thou happy" structure accomplish?
It methodically counters Romeo's despair with logic, listing three concrete reasons for gratitude in a persuasive, cumulative rhythm.