Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Act 5 Scene 2 PDF

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Summary

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare line by line analysis of Act 5 Scene 2. Summary of the entire chapter broken down into sectors to ensure greater understanding. An analysis of the summary is provided to ensure complete depth of understanding of the scene as a whole...

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Romeo and Juliet Act 5 Scene 2

Line by line

Friar Laurence “This same should be the voice… give me his letter.” -

Direct translation: “That’s the voice of Friar John. Welcome from Mantua! What did Romeo say? Or if he wrote a letter, show it to me.”

Friar John “Going to find a barefood brother (Franciscan friar) out… Mantua there was stayed (canceled)” -

Direct translation: I went to find a brother of our order to accompany me. He was visiting the sick, and when I met him, the coroner suspected that we were both in a house where someone with a contagious plague had died. They sealed the doors, established quarantine, and kept us there for a while, so I was very late going to Mantua.

Friar John “I could not send it …So fearful were they of infection” -

Direct translation: I have it here. I couldn’t send it--or even get a messenger to bring it back to you--because the city authorities were so concerned about exposure to infection.

Friar Laurence “Unhappy fortune. But my brotherhood … Unto my cell” -

Direct translation: Oh, what misfortune! By our order, this wasn’t just a pleasant letter, but crucial one with an important message. Romeo not receiving it may cause a disaster. Friar John, go quickly to get an iron crowbar and bring it to my cell right away.

Friar Laurence “She will beshrew (curse) me much that Romeo… Poor living corpse, closed in a dead man’s tomb” -

Direct translation: She will be very angry with me that Romeo hasn’t been informed about all that’s happened. I’ll send a letter to Mantua again, and shelter Juliet in my cell until Romeo comes. Poor living body shut in a dead man’s tomb!

Summary and Notes

✓ Another friar, Friar John, enters Friar Laurence’s chambers and greets him. ✓ Friar Laurence happily welcomes the man, who has come from Mantua. ✓ Laurence asks if John has any news from Romeo—it is clear that Laurence sent John to Mantua to inform Romeo of Juliet’s plan. ✓ Friar John, however, states that he was held up and unable to complete the mission because he was quarantined after coming into contact with the plague. ✓ Romeo has not received Friar Laurence’s letter, and knows nothing of Juliet’s plan. ✓ Friar Laurence orders Friar John to bring him a crowbar—he is going to rush to the Capulet crypt and break in, so that he can be there when Juliet awakes. ✓ He plans to keep Juliet hidden in his monastery and write to Romeo of the new plan. Notes -

Fate seems to be conspiring against not just Romeo and Juliet, but all involved in their orbit.

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Unlikely obstacles and dramatic twists are cropping up at every turn, confirming that Romeo and Juliet’s “star-crossed” love was never meant to be actualized—they are only pawns in a larger scheme....