ROMEO & JULIET (Q/A)

 

 

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

 

1. What shape did the feud between the two families of Verona take?

Ans:    The conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues began with a long-standing dispute that escalated to the point where it affected both sides' supporters and adherents, including distant relatives. Fierce words, blood, and frequent fights broke the peaceful peace of Verona's streets between the two families.

2. What was Romeo's purpose in going to the masked ball?

Ans:    Romeo, the son of the old Lord Montague, was a sincere, passionate, and a kind of lover who was ready to lose his sleep for love. Even at the risk of his own life, he attended the Old Lord Capulet's masquerade ball in order to meet his beloved Rosaline.

3. What mention is made of swans, doves and crows in the early part of the tale? In what way do they serve to illustrate a point?

Ans: Romeo was convinced to go to the ball wearing a mask so that he could see his beloved Rosaline, but Benvolio wanted Romeo to compare her to some of Verona's most attractive women so that he would believe his swan is actually a crow. Benvolio wanted to cure Romeo of his love, therefore he made sure that if Romeo could attend the ball, he would find Rosaline an ordinary one (crow) in comparison to other beauties (swan). Romeo was the type of person who would lose sleep over love.

Romeo was dancing with his pals when all of a sudden, he was overcome by the exceptional beauty of a woman, whose beauty and perfections overshadowed those of her companions. He compared the woman to a snowy dove marching among crows. The crows are her friends, while the dove represents the lady whom Romeo saw there.

4. How did Romeo come to be banished from Verona?

Ans: Benvolio and Mercutio, two of Romeo's friends, were strolling through Verona's streets, and bantering with each other when the Capulets, led by Tybalt, soon arrived and began provoking the two because they were Romeo's companions. This claim was met with some fury by Mercutio, who shared Tybalt's passion, and a fight ensued. Romeo shows in as they are still hurling insults at one another, which causes Tybalt to turn away from Mercutio and start challenging him to a duel. Romeo does not want to participate in the duel because he is now related to Tybalt through marriage and he wants to display his love for Juliet and the Capulet family. Romeo attempted to reason with Tybalt, and Mercutio, who is unaware of Romeo's hidden motives for wanting peace, is horrified by his actions. He accepted Tybalt's challenge, and the two engaged in combat until Mercutio was fatally wounded. Romeo's wrath led him to start a fight to the death till Tybalt was killed after he saw Mercutio dead. When word of this terrible broil spread, a crowd, including the Prince of Verona, gathered there.

The prince ordered Benvolio to explain what had occurred, which he did while being as truthful as he could be without harming Romeo. After learning the truth, the Prince believed that since Tybalt had killed Mercutio, Romeo had effectively upheld the law by executing Tybalt. However, the Prince decided to banish Romeo from Verona since he could not let the murders and street fights go unpunished.

5. How did Friar Lawrence’s plan go wrong?

Ans: The Friar suggests a plan in which Juliet must agree to wed Paris and then consume a sleeping potion that would make her appear dead the night before the wedding ceremony. The Friar will inform Romeo in Mantua to help him in retrieving her when she awakes. She will be buried in the Capulet tomb. The Friar's scheme, however, did not work out as expected because Romeo was not informed of his plan until it was too late. The messenger could not reach Romeo on time. Romeo, by then, was already aware of Juliet's death before the Friar's letter arrived. Romeo was so shocked by the news that he went out and bought poison. After reaching the tomb, the Friar discovers Romeo has died.

6. What role does Paris play in the story?

Ans: Paris was a kinsman to the king. Juliet, Lord Capulet's daughter, was to be married to Paris. But when he learned that she died away before their wedding night, he visited her grave to express his condolences. Romeo and Paris first met in the Capulet vault, when Paris challenged Romeo to a duel. In the fight between Romeo and Paris, the latter was killed by Romeo.

7. Why did Juliet take her own life?

Ans: When Juliet awoke from her trance, she asked the Friar where Romeo was but got no response because the latter had already fled. She did, however, see Romeo and the cup in his closed fists. She had surmised that poison had been the cause of his demise and, if any dregs had remained, she would have swallowed them. She quickly pulled a dagger out of the sheath, stabbed herself in the heart, and lay dead by Romeo's side after realising that living without him would be like breathing without air.

8. Do you think the Capulets and Montagues had to pay too heavy a price for their enmity?

Ans: Yes, the Capulets and Montagues paid a heavy price for their rivalry that was far too high. They only realised their errors when their children died. The prince rebuked them for their senseless enmity and showed to them the severity of the punishment that heaven had meted out for such sins, even using the love of their children to make amends for their unnatural hatred. Finally, the Capulets and Montagues decided to bury their long feud in the graves of their kids.

 

 

Reference To The Context:

1.     A. And he stormed and raged, and would have struck young Romeo dead. But his uncle, the Capulet, would not allow him to do any injury at that time.

Ans: These lines are an extract from the story ‘Romeo and Juliet’, written by William Shakespeare.

  a. When does this incident take place, and who stormed and raged at this time?

Ans. The incident took place during the ball thrown by Lord Capulet.

Tybalt, nephew of Lord Capulet stormed and raged at this time.

b. What gave the old Lord Capulet the authority to control the situation?

Ans: The prince had given Lord Capulet fair warning not to stir up trouble or cause commotion in Verona's streets, and he does not want the Prince, who was present at the ball, to witness a fight there. Lord Capulet, therefore, had the power to control the situation because the Prince would be angry.

        c. Was the person who stormed and raged restrained for long?

Ans: No, the person who stormed and raged for long, could not restrain for long, as he duly took his revenge on Romeo later.

 2.       …she called him a beautiful tyrant, a ravenous dove, a lamb with a wolf's nature, and other like contradictory names...

Ans:  These lines are an extract from the story, 'Romeo and Juliet', written by William Shakespeare. The lines have been spoken by Juliet.

a.      Who called whom these names and when?

Ans: Juliet called Romeo by these names after she learnt that he had killed her cousin, Tybalt.

b.     What prompted the speaker to use such terms?

Ans: The speaker was compelled to use such terms because, in her mind, she was torn between her love and anger for Romeo. She immediately gave in to fury at Romeo for killing her cousin, Tybalt.

c.      How did the speaker reconcile her feelings shortly after this?

Ans: As soon as Juliet realized that Romeo would have perished if he had not fought Tybalt, love took control and her tears of sorrow turned to tears of delight. Then more tears of sorrow for Romeo's exile followed.

3.     Before he could conjecture how these fatal accidents had fallen out, Juliet awoke out of her trance...

a.      Who was trying to work out how these accidents had taken place?

Ans: Friar Lawrence was trying to work out how these accidents had taken place.

 b.   What were the accidents?

Ans: The Friar, on reaching the Capulet vault, found Romeo and Paris lying dead by Juliet's vault.

           c. What did Juliet do immediately afterwards, and what did the man do?

Ans: When Juliet woke up from her trance, she saw Romeo's dead body and took her own life as well. As for the Friar, he tried to convince Juliet to flee but on hearing the noise of people coming, the Friar fled.

 

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