Romeo and Juliet: Exam questions on Romeo and Juliet for revision

Comments

5 responses to “Romeo and Juliet: Exam questions on Romeo and Juliet for revision”

1. ---

   1.i think that mercutio was lying to his friends because he was just saying that is just a scrach but it wasnt a scrach it was bleeding very bad, and then afterwards mercutio was running away and romeo runs after him mercutio falls on the floor and just say’s a word to him and dies.
   This is a sad and terrible ending :((((((((((.

   berish

   May 8, 2011

2. ---

   At some of the ending are tragedy because they have a horrible ending.

   berischhhh………………

   May 8, 2011

3. ---

   tutti story maannnn. how coincidental was it that at the time romeo had sent balthzar to see how juliet was she was ‘dead’ baaaad ending. also its coincidental that the guy giving romeo the note wasnt looking out for them

   shamoun

   November 23, 2011

4. ---

   Please give feedback 🙂

   Mercutio is a comedic and loyal friend of Romeo’s, who ensures the hope and light heartedness of the play. Once killing him off, the audience is awakened to reality that all hope is lost and tragedy is all that remains in the rest of the play. He says “A plague a’both your houses” to curse both families but it also foreshadows/reminds the audience of the tragic ending. But what may have ensured the tragedy at the end of the play could’ve been due to Romeo’s sensitive emotions. Romeo is a impulsive character who tends to act upon emotions instead of thinking through, this can be seen when Juliet says “I gave thee mine before thou requested it”. Proving she was the one to bring up the idea of marriage before Romeo even thought about it. Romeo retaliated by killing Tybalt out of rage thereby sentencing him to banishment from Verona thereby causing problems to see Juliet. This can be inferred when Romeo says “There is no world without Verona’s walls”. The passion between both lovers and the extent each other would go, just to see each other, leads to making the plot complex and leaving room for mistakes to occur. This can be seen when Juliet says “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo, I drink to thee” and when Romeo says “To Juliets grave, for there must I use thee”. For both characters are so far apart that the communication between both characters end up sabotaging the Friar’s plan. But if it Mercutio was not killed, then maybe Romeo wouldn’t have killed Tybalt and be banished.

   Charmaine Chan

   November 28, 2011

5. ---

   In Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”, Tybalt kills Mercutio. This comment will examine how far the death of Mercutio is to blame for the tragedy which follows.

   At the beining of the play, the Capulet family and the Montagues are engaged in a feud. In the Prologue, we learn that the two households have an “ancient grudge”. The Prologue also tells us that the feud has caused new eruptions of violence; there is “new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean”. All the hatred between the Capulets and the Montagues eventually causes the tragedy. We learn that Romeo and Juliet “doth with their death bury their parents strife”. So we see that all the fights which make the situationworse, help to lead to the play’s tragic ending.

   The fight between Mercutio and Tybalt makes the feud worse becuaseone of the Montagues. Romeo is very angry and upset by Mercutio’s murder, so in his rage he kills Tybalt to get revenge. This causes more problems for the lovers, because he has killed Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt’s death will anger the Capulet further, making Romeo and Juliet’s relationship even more unacceptable to their families. Romeo is caught between his loyalty to his family and his love for Juliet. In Act 3, scene 1, Romeo says “I am fortune fool!” This shows that Mercutio’s death puts Romeo in a very difficult position. Therefore, Mercutio’s death is not wholly responsible for the tragedy but it is a contributing factor.

   There are many reasons why the play has the ends the way it does with Romeo and Juliet both committing suicide. The misunderstanding which happens because Romeo is not informed that Juliet has drunk the potion is a key factor in the tragedy. It’s the feud itself, rather than Mercutio’s death which brings about the tragedy. Juliet’s engagement to Paris is also crucial in bringing about the tragic ending to the play.

   Overall, as I have demonstrated, Mercutio’s death is just one of a number of reasons why “Romeo and Juliet” ends in tragedy.

   Jason Chan

   April 12, 2012