Romeo and Juliet: Act IV

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

In Act III, you see Romeo and Juliet's tragic first day as a married couple.

Only hours after secretly marrying Juliet, Romeo kills Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, in a duel after Tybalt kills Romeo's relative, Mercutio. As a result, the Prince of Verona banished Romeo from the city.

Romeo was able to sneak onto the Capulet's property to spend the night with Juliet, his new wife, but he had to leave before dawn to flee to Mantua, a nearby city, to begin exile.

Meanwhile, Juliet's parents informed her that she would marry Paris on Thursday.

• Why then does Juliet say she can only trust Friar Lawrence, the man who is going to perform the wedding ceremony to Paris?

What a mess!

Before reading Act IV, it is necessary to define some vocabulary from the scene because Shakespeare was known for using a wide vocabulary in his plays.

Look up and record the definitions for the words listed below using Dictionary.com or another dictionary of your choice. Then, write a sentence for each word, using it correctly within the sentence's context.

Act IV Vocabulary

• Are you ready to begin reading Act IV?

You may use your own copy or this revised version of Romeo and Juliet that normalizes the spelling of words and includes line numbers.

Remember to read the act aloud so you can hear the dialogue rather than just reading it silently.

After you read Act IV, Scene 3, watch the video below featuring a rendition. Consider following along with the text beginning with line 16.

Once you've finished reading Act IV, move to the Got It? section to check your comprehension of this act.