ACT IV - Scene V Practice Quiz — Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: ACT IV - Scene V
Who is the first character to discover Juliet's apparent death?
The Nurse. She enters Juliet's chamber to wake her for the wedding and finds her cold and unresponsive.
Why does Juliet appear to be dead?
She has taken a sleeping potion given to her by Friar Laurence that simulates death, making her body cold, stiff, and seemingly lifeless.
What event was supposed to take place the morning Juliet is found?
Her wedding to Count Paris. The household was preparing to send her to church for the marriage ceremony.
What does the Nurse call for when she discovers Juliet is dead?
Aqua vitae (a strong alcoholic spirit) and help from Lord and Lady Capulet.
How does Lady Capulet describe her relationship to Juliet in her grief?
She calls Juliet "my child, my only life" and her "one poor and loving child," emphasizing that Juliet was her sole source of joy and comfort.
What extended metaphor does Lord Capulet use to describe what has happened?
He personifies Death as a rival bridegroom who has married and "deflowered" Juliet, calling Death his "son-in-law" and "heir."
How does Capulet describe the physical signs that Juliet is dead?
He says her blood is settled, her joints are stiff, and that "life and these lips have long been separated."
What simile does Capulet use for Juliet's death?
"Death lies on her like an untimely frost / Upon the sweetest flower of all the field," comparing her premature death to frost killing the most beautiful flower.
What four wedding-to-funeral reversals does Capulet list?
Instruments to melancholy bells, wedding cheer to burial feast, solemn hymns to sullen dirges, and bridal flowers to a burial corpse.
What argument does Friar Laurence use to console the grieving family?
He argues that heaven now has Juliet and she is better off, saying their love is selfish if they grieve when she is "advanced above the clouds, as high as heaven itself."
Why is Friar Laurence's consolation speech deeply ironic?
Because he knows Juliet is not actually dead—he devised the sleeping potion plan—so his spiritual counsel about accepting heaven's will is also a strategic deception.
What does Friar Laurence tell the family to do with Juliet's body?
He instructs them to dry their tears, place rosemary on her body, dress her in her best clothes, and bear her to church for burial.
What is the significance of rosemary in this scene?
Rosemary was a traditional symbol of remembrance used at both weddings and funerals, reinforcing the scene's theme of celebration turning into mourning.
Who is Peter and what does he ask the musicians to play?
Peter is a Capulet servant. He asks the musicians to play "Heart's Ease" to comfort him, saying his own heart plays "My heart is full of woe."
What is a "dump" as Peter uses the term?
A slow, mournful piece of music or song. Peter asks for a "merry dump," which is an oxymoron—a cheerful sad song—to ease his grief.
What does "the gleek" mean when Peter threatens to give it to the musicians?
A gleek is a jest, taunt, or mocking trick. Peter threatens the musicians with mockery rather than money for their refusal to play.
What are the names of the three musicians, and what do their names signify?
Simon Catling (catgut string), Hugh Rebeck (a bowed instrument), and James Soundpost (a structural piece inside a stringed instrument). Each name refers to a musical component.
What musical wordplay does Peter use to threaten the musicians?
He says "I'll re you, I'll fa you. Do you note me?" using the musical notes re and fa as verbs meaning to punish, while "note" puns on musical notation and paying attention.
What is the central dramatic irony of Act 4, Scene 5?
The audience knows Juliet is alive (having taken a sleeping potion) while all characters on stage believe she is truly dead, making their grief genuine but misplaced.
What dramatic purpose does the musicians' scene serve?
It provides comic relief between the intense grief of Act 4 and the catastrophe of Act 5, while also contrasting the lower classes' pragmatic concerns with aristocratic mourning.
What does the Friar's final warning to the family suggest?
He says "The heavens do low'r upon you for some ill; / Move them no more by crossing their high will," hinting that the family's actions have provoked divine displeasure and foreshadowing the final tragedy.