Question

Use the following excerpt from, “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare to answer the following question:

Excerpt from Romeo and Juliet, Act IV, Scene I:

Juliet:
"O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of yonder tower;
Or walk in thievish ways; or bid me lurk
Where serpents are; chain me with roaring bears;
Or shut me nightly in a charnel house,
O’ercovered quite with dead men’s rattling bones,
With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls;
Or bid me go into a new-made grave
And hide me with a dead man in his shroud—
Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble—
And I will do it without fear or doubt,
To live an unstained wife to my sweet love."



In this excerpt, Juliet is speaking with Friar Laurence about her desperation to avoid marrying Paris.

In 3-5 sentences, identify an example of dramatic irony in this scene and explain how it contributes to the tension in the play.

Remember to use ACES when constructing your answer! Be sure to answer ALL parts of the question.

Answer 1

Answer: A clear example of dramatic irony is Juliet’s insistence that she would rather "leap" or "go into a new-made grave" than marry Paris, and her vow "To live an unstained wife to my sweet love," because the audience already knows she is secretly married to Romeo while the Capulets and Paris do not.
Cite: Juliet’s catalog of extremes—"O, bid me leap...Or bid me go into a new-made grave" and the line about living "an unstained wife"—makes her desperate refusal explicit.
Explain: This irony heightens tension by letting the audience foresee that Juliet’s desperation will lead her to accept Friar Laurence’s dangerous scheme (the sleeping potion) and that the deception is likely to produce tragic misunderstandings.
Significance: Knowing more than the other characters creates suspense and a growing sense of impending disaster as the plot moves toward its fatal resolution.