ACT V - Scene I Practice Quiz — Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: ACT V - Scene I
Where is Romeo at the beginning of Act 5, Scene 1?
Romeo is in Mantua, where he has been living in exile after killing Tybalt.
What does Romeo dream about at the start of the scene?
He dreams that Juliet found him dead and revived him with kisses, making him an emperor.
Who brings Romeo the news of Juliet's death?
Balthasar, Romeo's servant, arrives from Verona with the news.
What is Balthasar's message to Romeo?
He tells Romeo that Juliet is dead and her body has been laid in the Capulet family tomb ("Capel's monument").
What is Romeo's famous reaction when he hears of Juliet's death?
He cries "Then I defy you, stars!" — a direct challenge to fate and destiny.
What does Romeo resolve to do after hearing the news?
He resolves to return to Verona immediately and die beside Juliet in her tomb.
Does Romeo receive any letters from Friar Lawrence in this scene?
No. When Romeo asks Balthasar if there are letters from the friar, Balthasar says there are none — a crucial missed communication.
Why is the missed letter from Friar Lawrence significant?
The letter would have explained that Juliet is only sleeping, not dead. Its failure to arrive is the key plot mechanism that leads to the double suicide.
Who is the Apothecary?
A desperately poor man in Mantua who sells Romeo an illegal poison despite the risk of execution for doing so.
How does Shakespeare describe the Apothecary's shop?
It contains a stuffed tortoise, a stuffed alligator, ill-shaped fish skins, empty boxes, musty seeds, and remnants of packthread — images of decay and poverty.
How much does Romeo pay for the poison?
Forty ducats — a large sum meant to tempt the impoverished Apothecary into breaking the law.
Why is selling poison illegal in Mantua?
Mantuan law makes it a capital offense ("Mantua's law / Is death to any he that utters them") — selling poison is punishable by death.
What does the Apothecary say when he agrees to sell the poison?
"My poverty but not my will consents" — meaning his desperate need forces his hand, not his moral judgment.
How does Romeo reply to the Apothecary's moral protest?
"I pay thy poverty and not thy will" — acknowledging that he is exploiting the man's financial desperation.
What does Romeo call gold after purchasing the poison?
He calls gold a "worse poison to men's souls" than the physical poison, saying it does more murder in the world.
What does Romeo call the poison as he leaves?
He calls it a "cordial" — a word meaning a restorative medicine — rather than a poison, because it will reunite him with Juliet.
What is the dramatic irony of this entire scene?
The audience knows Juliet is not really dead but has taken Friar Lawrence's sleeping potion. Romeo's desperate actions are tragically unnecessary.
How does Romeo's dream foreshadow events in the tomb?
In the dream, Juliet revives him with a kiss. In the tomb, Juliet will indeed find Romeo dead and kiss him — but it will be too late to save him.
What does "I defy you, stars" reveal about Romeo's character?
It shows his shift from passive acceptance to active defiance of fate, yet ironically his defiance is exactly what fulfills the tragic destiny foretold in the Prologue.
How does Balthasar describe Juliet's death?
"Her body sleeps in Capel's monument, / And her immortal part with angels lives" — using religious language to soften the devastating news.
What warning does Balthasar give Romeo?
He begs Romeo to "have patience," noting that Romeo's looks are "pale and wild" and seem to "import some misadventure."
What theme about wealth and poverty does the Apothecary scene explore?
Romeo argues that the world's laws do not serve the poor ("The world affords no law to make thee rich"), and that material wealth is more destructive than physical poison.