Name: _________________________

Romeo and Juliet: Act III Summary

Act III scene i Word Bank

a. Romeo d. The Prince ac. Benvolio bc. grave cd. Tybalt
abc. temper
b. Juliet e. sword ad. Mercutio bd. effeminate ce. Capulets
c. executed ab. Verona ae. The Prince be. Montagues de. Lady
Capulet

As they walk in the street under the boiling sun, ___1____ suggests to Mercutio that they go
indoors, fearing that a brawl will be unavoidable should they encounter Capulet men. ___2____
replies that Benvolio has as quick a ___3____ as any man in Italy, and should not criticize others
for their short fuses (in other words, he’s the pot to Tybalt’s kettle). ___4____ enters with a group of
cronies. He approaches our Montague friends and asks to speak with one of them (something tells me
he might not just want to talk). Annoyed, ___5____ begins to taunt and provoke him (and with his
long fuse, it takes much to provoke him). ___6____ enters. ___7____ turns his attention from
Mercutio to ___8____, and calls him a villain. Our protagonist, now secretly married to ___9____
and thus Tybalt’s kinsman, refuses to be angered by Tybalt’s verbal attack (awfully sensible and
mature reaction for a young man who just married a girl who knew for less time than those
uncrustables have been sitting in the caf). ___10____ o’ cats commands our lover-boy to draw his
___11____ . ___12____ protests that he has good reason to love Tybalt, and does not wish to fight
him. He asks that until Tybalt knows the reason for this love, he put aside his sword. Sadly,
___13____ angrily draws his sword and declares with biting wit that if his friend will not fight, he
will. The hot-headed duo fights. ___14____, attempting to restore peace, throws himself between the
combatants (good move – when I see someone who hates me brandishing a sword and fighting
another armed person, I, too, quickly jump between them, unarmed, and hope for the best).
___15____ stabs ___16____ under ___17____’s arm, and as Mercutio falls, Tybalt and his men
hurry away (way to go, moron – your brilliant plan seems not to have work, shocking). ___18____
dies, cursing both the Montagues and the ___19____: “A plague o’ both your houses” (III.i.87)
(because getting into a riot in the street and finding the wrong end of the sword had nothing to do
with the fact that he was trying to show Tybalt the business end of his weapon). He pours forth his
Name: _________________________

wild witticisms: “Ask for me tomorrow, and / you shall find me a ___20____ man” (III.i.93–94)
(haha – gotta love death-bed humor, huh?). Enraged, ___21____ declares that his love for ___22___
has made him ___23____, and that he should have fought in his friend’s place. When Tybalt, still
angry, storms back onto the scene, Romeo draws his sword. They fight, and ___24____ kills
___25____. ___26____ urges Romeo to run; a group of citizens outraged at the recurring street
fights is approaching. Romeo, shocked at what has happened, cries “O, I am fortune’s fool!” (the
number of times I’ve said that…) and flees (III.i.131).

___27____ enters, accompanied by many citizens, and the Montagues and Capulets. ___28____
tells the Prince the story of the brawl, emphasizing Romeo’s attempt to keep the peace (“He was
trying to be all Zen and non-violent, a real Gandhi, but somehow, out of nowhere, his sword wound
up in Tybalt’s heart – I think Tybalt did it”), but ___29____ Tybalt’s aunt, cries that Benvolio is
lying to protect the Montagues. She demands ___30___’s life (what’s she going to do with that?).
___31___chooses instead to exile Romeo from ___32___. He declares that should Romeo be found
within the city, he will be ___33___ (I’ve been trying to get this power for years – if only I had
known I needed to be a prince instead of a teacher!).

Act III scene ii Word Bank

a. Romeo c. Capulet e. Juliet ac. Tybalt ae. ring
b. slain d. flesh ab. banishment ad. The Nurse

At the Capulet house, ___34___longs for night to fall so that ___35___will come to her “untalked
of and unseen” (III.ii.7). Suddenly the Nurse rushes in with news of the fight between ___36___ (her
cousin) and ___37___ (her husband). But she is so distraught, she stumbles over the words, making
it sound as if ___38___is dead (oops). Our young bride assumes her bridegroom has killed himself,
and she resigns to die herself. ___39___then begins to moan about Tybalt’s death, and our naive
newlywed (awesome alliteration, huh?) briefly fears that both ___40___and Tybalt are dead. When
the story is at last straight and ___41___understands that ___42___has killed the “fiery” Capulet and
been sentenced to ___43___, she curses nature that it should put “the spirit of a fiend” in Romeo’s
“sweet ___44___” (III.ii.81–82) (in other words, she’s angry that someone who looks that good
could be that bad – sort of like how many women would feel if I were to commit a misdeed). The
Name: _________________________

Nurse echoes Juliet and curses Romeo’s name, but Juliet denounces her for criticizing her husband,
and adds that she regrets faulting him herself (14-year-olds are emotional roller coasters, aren’t
they?). Juliet claims that Romeo’s ___45___is worse than ten thousand ___46___Tybalts (not from
Tybalt’s point of view…). She laments that she will die without a wedding night, a maiden-widow.
The Nurse assures her, however, that she knows where ___47___ is hiding, and will see to it that he
comes to her for their wedding night (they’ll probably even get to compound-complex sentences!).
Juliet gives the Nurse a ___48___ to give to Romeo as a token of her love.

Act III scene iii Word Bank

a.Juliet c. Friar Lawrence e. Romeo ac. The Prince
b. The Nurse d. Verona ab. Mantua ad. ring

In ___49___’s cell, __ 50__is overcome with grief, and wonders what sentence ___51___has
decreed. Friar tells him he is lucky: the prince has only banished him. Our whiney hero claims that
banishment is a penalty far worse than death, since he will have to live, but without ___52___ (I bet
Tybalt would trade!). The Friar tries to consol him, but the youth is so unhappy that he will have
none of it. Romeo falls to the floor. ___53___arrives, and Romeo desperately asks her for news of
Juliet. He assumes that ___54___now thinks of him as a murderer and threatens to stab himself.
___55___stops him and scolds him for being unmanly (pretty gutsy coming from an unmarried man
who spends his time picking flowers). He explains that Romeo has much to be grateful for: he and
Juliet are both alive, and after matters have calmed down, ___56___ might change his mind. The
friar sets forth a plan: ___57___will visit ___58___that night, but make sure to leave her chamber,
and ___59___, before the morning. He will then reside in ___60___until news of their marriage can
be spread (bet he’s regretting having skimped on the invitations). The Nurse hands Romeo the
___61___ from Juliet, and this physical symbol of their love revives his spirits (a hunk of gold
would certainly lift my spirits). The Nurse departs, and Romeo bids Friar Lawrence farewell. He
must prepare to visit ___62___and then flee to ___63___ (that’s right…get up off the floor and be a
man…run away!).

Act III scene iv Word Bank

a. Monday c. Wednesday e. Thursday
b. Lady Capulet d. Paris ab. Lord Capulet
Name: _________________________

Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet and ___64___walk together. ___65___says that because of the terrible
recent events, he has had no time to ask his daughter about her feelings for ___66___.
___67___states that she will know her daughter’s thoughts by the morning. ___68___is about to
leave when ___69___calls him back and makes what he calls “a desperate tender of my child’s love”
(III.iv.12–13). ___70___says he thinks his daughter will listen to him, then corrects himself and
states that he is sure Juliet will abide by his decision (you know, just how many 10th graders listen to
their parents). He promises ___71___that the wedding will be held on ___72___, then stops
suddenly and asks what day it is. Paris responds that it is __73___; Capulet decides that ___74___is
too soon, and that the wedding should instead be held on ___75___ (because that extra day is what’s
going to make the wedding go smoothly).

Act III scene v Word Bank

a.Romeo e.Juliet ae. Paris cd. The Nurse

b. lark ab. meteor bc. love ce. death

c. Lady Capulet ac. tomb bd. sorrow de. Lord Capulet
d. denies ad. Friar Lawrence be. Tybalt

Just before dawn, Romeo prepares to lower himself from Juliet’s window to begin his exile (Papa
Capulet would not be happy if he saw that!). ___76___tries to convince ___77___that the birdcalls
they hear are from the nightingale, a night bird, rather than from the lark, a morning bird. Romeo
cannot entertain her claims; he must leave before the morning comes or be put to ___78___.
___79___declares that the light outside comes not from the sun, but from some ___80___.
Overcome by ___81___, Romeo responds that he will stay with ___82___, and that he does not care
whether the Prince’s men kill him. Faced with this turnaround, ___83__declares that the bird they
heard was the ___84___; that it is dawn and he must flee (a teenage girl who constantly changes her
mind? Come on Willie, make it believable!). ___85___enters to warn Juliet that ___86___ is
approaching (and mommy would be none too pleased to walk into that seen of unbridled sentence
diagramming). Romeo and Juliet tearfully part (once again, I admire their stoicism). Romeo climbs
out the window. Standing in the orchard below her window, Romeo promises Juliet that they will see
one another again, but Juliet responds that he appears pale, as one dead in the bottom of a ___87___
(It’s like someone challenged Willie to write a play with a million examples of foreshadowing.).
Romeo answers that, to him, she appears the same way, and that it is only ___88__that makes them
Name: _________________________

both look pale (or foreshadowing glasses). Romeo hurries away as Juliet pulls in the ladder and begs
fate to bring him back to her quickly (be careful what you wish for!).

Lady Capulet calls to her daughter. Juliet wonders why her mother would come to speak to her so
early in the morning. Unaware that Juliet is married to Romeo (who is now banished),
___89__enters the room and mistakes Juliet’s tears as continued grief for ___90__. Lady Capulet
tells Juliet of her deep desire to see “the villain ___91__” dead (III.v.80) (wow, talk about in-law
problems). In a complicated bit of punning, Juliet leads her mother to believe that she also wishes
Romeo’s death, when in fact she is firmly stating her love for him (wait…did a parent just not
understand what a teenager was saying? If only Shakespeare could be updated to still ring true for
modern audiences.). Lady Capulet tells Juliet about Capulet’s plan for her to marry ___92__ on
Thursday, explaining that he wishes to make her happy. Juliet is appalled. She rejects the match,
saying “I will not marry yet; and when I do, I swear / It shall be Romeo—whom you know I hate— /
Rather than Paris” (III.v.121–123) (I suppose it’s not really a threat if you’ve already done it…).
___93__enters the chamber. When he learns of Juliet’s determination to defy him, he becomes
enraged and threatens to disown Juliet if she refuses to obey him (good thing he’s not prone to
overreacting). When Juliet entreats her mother to intercede, her mother ___94__ her help.

After her parents storm away, Juliet asks ___95__how she might escape her predicament. She
advises her to go through with the marriage to ___96__ - he is a better match, she says, and
___97__is as good as dead anyhow (sentimental, huh?). Though disgusted by ___98__’s disloyalty,
Juliet pretends to agree, and tells The Nurse that she is going to make confession at ___99__’s (lying
about confession again? Better hope there’s no three-strikes rule). Juliet hurries to Friar’s cell,
vowing that she will never again trust ___100__’s counsel. If the Friar is unable to help her, Juliet
comments to herself, she still has the power to take her own life.