Shakespeare announces in the sixth line of the play that Romeo and Juliet will kill themselves:
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life
With that said, it would also be helpful to look at Act V, Scene 3 and examine the evidence. Friar Lawrence briefly pleads with Juliet to "come away" but does not urge her for very long. He is obviously afraid he will be caught in the tomb and associated with the deaths of Romeo and Paris. He must have considered that his entire career and maybe his life would be forfeited if caught in the tomb.
The Friar's suggestion that Juliet go with him to a nunnery probably didn't appeal much to the girl. She displays both a stubborn streak and her loyalty to Romeo as she tells him,
Go, get thee hence, for I will not away.
The following stage directions simply state that he exited. Juliet is relatively quick in her suicide as she first tries the vial of poison, which is empty, and then takes Romeo's dagger and stabs herself, dying just as the Page and Watchman enter the tomb. When questioned, the Friar basically admits he could do nothing and that he is guilty. He says,
I am the greatest, able to do least,
Yet most suspected, as the time and place
Doth make against me, of this direful murder.
And here I stand, both to impeach and purge
Myself condemnèd and myself excused.
The Prince, however, pardons him, the families reconcile and the play ends.
No comments:
Post a Comment