Notes 5 for Romeo and Juliet

Act 5 Scene 1

Summary: Wednesday morning, Romeo dreams about Juliet in the house of Mantua, he describes that was a wonderful dream he had the night before: He says Juliet find him lying dead, but she kissed him, and then, he wakes up from dying. Just then, Balthasar enters, and Romeo greets him happily. He thinks that Balthasar will bring some news from Juliet or his father.  He continuously asks how is Juliet, and how is his father. Juliet must be good in her home. However, Balthasar replies that nothing can be ill, then, he says Juliet is well, she is in heaven; found in death in her house. Romeo cries and orders him to get some ink and paper, Balthasar says that Romeo seems so distraught that he is afraid to leave him, but Romeo insists. Romeo suddenly stops and asks if Balthasar is carrying a letter from Friar Lawrence. Balthasar says he is not, and Romeo sends his servant on his way. Once Balthasar is gone, he decides to go back to Verona today. Romeo mutters, that he will lie with Juliet in the tomb. He couldn’t see Juliet is being alone herself. Then, he starts to remember that there is a pharmacist who lives right beside here, so he goes out to him. After telling the man in the shop that he looks poor, Romeo offers to pay him well for having a poison. The Apothecary tells Romeo that he has such thing, but it’s going to cause him to dead. Romeo replies that the Apothecary is too poor to refuse the sale, so then, the apothecary finally sells Romeo the poison. Afterward, Romeo speaks to the poison that he will go to Juliet’s tomb and kill himself.

Thinking: Romeo is so anxious and worried about Juliet at this point. When he hears that Juliet is died, he couldn’t afford it, and decides to die with Juliet as well. I think Romeo might already falls in love with Juliet, so he is so anxious and cannot decide anything. Even he didn’t receive any letter from Friar, he decides to go and check Juliet in her tomb.

Act 5 Scene 2

At his cell, Friar Lawrence sees Friar John which he let Friar went to Mantua and sent the letter to Romeo. Friar Lawrence then asks John how Romeo responded to his letter. Friar John answers that he couldn’t deliver the letter because he was shut up in a house because of the dispensing of the plague. Friar Lawrence becomes upset, and he realizes that if Romeo does not know about Juliet’s ‘death’, nobody is going to be there and save her from the tomb. Friar Lawrence declares that he will rescue Juliet from the tomb on his own. So he decides to send another letter to Romeo to warn him about what has happened, and plans to keep Juliet in his cell after Romeo had arrived.

Thinking: Everything is so at the pace that lead Romeo and Juliet kill themselves. Everything went wrong. At first, Romeo should wait until the letter comes, and decides what to do, but he couldn’t let her be alone, he goes to Verona. Then, The plague leads the other Friar couldn’t send any message to Romeo and tells him about the plan. If they told Romeo, they two young people would come together at the end, but the truth is they couldn’t get anything right, so it leads them died, as a tragedy at the end.