Act 5

Q: Key Quote - Act 5, Scene 1

In Act 5, Scene 1, Romeo says: 'Nothing can be ill, if she be well.' Here's an analysis of this key quote:

Q: Key Quote - Act 5, Scene 3

The Prince says the final line of the play: 'Never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.' Here's an analysis of this key quote:

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Key Quote - Act 5, Scene 1

In Act 5, Scene 1, Romeo says: 'Nothing can be ill, if she be well.' Here's an analysis of this key quote:

Obsession

Even while exiled, Romeo is completely obsessed with his love for Juliet.
He feels that everything in life will eventually be alright as long as Juliet is ok.

Key Quote - Act 5, Scene 3

The Prince says the final line of the play: 'Never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.' Here's an analysis of this key quote:

Summarises tragedy

The final line of the play summarises the tragedy of the story.
- The Prince highlights how the constant fighting between the Montagues and Capulets has caused the untimely (happening at the wrong time) deaths of two characters who just wanted to love one another.

Role of fate

Their story is also 'full of woe' because fate kept conspiring (plotting) against them.
- If we link back to the prologue, Romeo and Juliet were fated to fall in love and be together (Juliet was destined to love 'her Romeo' and be loved in return).
- But they were also fated to die because of the feud (argument) between their families.
This story is tragic because they had no control over their 'death-mark’d' fates.

Key Quotes - Act 5, Scene 3

Here are key quotes from Romeo, Juliet, and Paris in Act 5, Scene 3:

Paris

'Stop thy unhallow’d toil, vile Montague! / Can vengeance be pursued further than death?'
- When Paris sees Romeo breaking into the Capulet tomb, he thinks that Romeo is trying to desecrate (disrespect) Juliet’s body.
- He also thinks that Romeo hates the Capulets so much that he wants 'vengeance' after she is already dead.
- He also thinks that Romeo is the overall cause of Juliet’s death (he thinks she died of grief because Romeo killed Tybalt) and uses the adjective 'vile' to describe him.

Romeo

'Wilt thou provoke me? Then have at thee, boy!'
- Romeo tried to avoid fighting Paris but Paris refuses to back down.
- This shows that Romeo’s personality has changed since Act 1. Romeo rises to the challenge and agrees to fight Paris.
- Romeo uses the insulting noun 'boy' to disrespect Paris.

Juliet

'O happy dagger! This is thy sheath.'
- Juliet grabs Romeo’s dagger after she wakes up.
- She uses the adjective 'happy' to describe it, as she believes that the dagger will ultimately bring her happiness (because it will reunite her with Romeo in the afterlife).
- She talks to the dagger. She says that her body is its sheath.
- This suggests that she must drive it into her body, where it belongs, to end her own life.