Act I, scenes 3 & 4

ACT 1 SCENE 3

In this scene Lady Capulet is informing Juliet and her nurse of Paris’ proposal of marriage.

1. What is the nurse’s relationship with Juliet?  What is she talking about in her first long speech?
2. How would you describe the nurse’s personality?
3. Highlight lines 66-67.  What is the nurse’s one wish for Juliet and why?
4. When Lady Capulet asks Juliet how she feels about being married, what is Juliet’s answer (line 71), and what does it reveal about her character?
5. The nurse and Lady Capulet are both excited and pleased by Paris’ proposal but for different reasons.  The nurse says Paris is “a man of wax” and at the end of the scene encourages Juliet to “Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.”  What does she mean?  What does the nurse see in Paris, and what does it reveal about her attitude toward love and marriage?
6. Lady Capulet’s lines 85-100 compose an extended metaphor comparing Paris and a book that needs to be bound.  What does Lady Capulet see in Paris that would make him a good match for Juliet?  Based off of this metaphor, what is Lady Capulet’s attitude toward love and marriage?
7. Highlight lines 103-105.  Explain Juliet’s answer to her mother when asked if she can love Paris.  What does it reveal about her knowledge of being in love?  What is her attitude toward love and marriage?

ACT 1 SCENE 4

1. What does Romeo mean in line 51 when he says, “But ‘tis not wit to go”?  What reason does he give when Mercutio asks him why?
2. Highlight lines 113-120.  Why does Romeo feel uneasy about going to the party?  What dream-like premonition has he had?
3. Comment on this speech in terms of the Elizabethan attitude toward the stars and astrology.
4. What decision does Romeo make in lines 119-120, and what is the thematic importance of this decision?