Act 5, Scene 1 Summary

Having had a dream involving Juliet’s death, Romeo is seen wandering the streets of Mantua when Balthasar breaks the news of Juliet’s suicide to Romeo. He immediately prepares to go to Verona to see Juliet’s body. Before leaving for Verona, he writes Montague a letter describing the situation. He then buys poison to kill himself.

Act 5, Scene 2 Summary

Friar John who, at the behest of Friar Lawrence, is supposed to deliver a letter to Romeo about Juliet’s fake death fails to do so. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Friar Lawrence orders a crowbar and prepares to visit Juliet’s tomb to rescue her when she wakes up.

Act 5, Scene 1–2 Analysis

The two scenes reinforce the characters’ tendency to consider themselves powerless against fate. Though Friar Lawrence’s plan seemed foolproof, Friar John, who was suspected to be a carrier of the plague and locked up by the people of Verona, could not deliver the letter to Romeo. Although these events eventually led to the tragic end of Romeo and Juliet’s love affair, it must be noted that poor decisions on the characters’ part played an equally important role. In other words, the scenes also shed light on the characters’ inability or refusal to acknowledge the consequences of their own poor behavior.

Act 5, Scene 3 Summary

Paris thinks that Juliet, his fiancée, has died. Accompanied by his page, Paris guards Juliet’s tomb to foil any attempt at robbing her from the enclosure. Romeo arrives at the tomb with Balthasar (though the latter does not enter the tomb; only Romeo does), and is promptly and expectedly stopped by Paris.

Paris is only able to see Romeo as Tybalt’s killer, which, in turn, convinces him that Romeo intends to vandalize the Capulets’ tomb. Paris, unaware of Romeo and Juliet’s marriage, is in fact quite sure that Romeo intends to desecrate Tybalt’s body in particular. The ensuing quarrel quickly escalates, and Romeo kills Paris. As Paris’s page rushes out to call the city watchman, Romeo learns that Paris would like to be placed next to Juliet’s body in the tomb. Feeling compassionate, Romeo complies, but when he opens Juliet’s tomb he does notice that she does not look dead. However, Romeo is unaware of Friar Lawrence’s plan and consumes the poison he was carrying. Meanwhile, Friar Lawrence arrives at the tomb only to find both Paris and Romeo dead. Juliet wakes up and guesses what might have happened. Friar Lawrence tries to convince Juliet to run away, but Juliet stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger as soon as the Friar leaves. The Prince enters, accompanied by Montague and Capulet. Montague informs everyone that Lady Montague has passed away due to the grief caused by Romeo’s banishment. Friar Lawrence then tells them what has transpired, and Balthasar hands over Romeo’s letter to the Prince. Lord Montague then promises to erect a monument for Juliet, whereas Capulet promises to do the same for Romeo. The play ends with the families calling off the feud.

Act 5, Scene 3 Analysis

Death and fate are prominent themes in this scene. Although social constraints also led to the demise of the “star-crossed lovers,” it is worth noting that both Romeo and Juliet believed in a possibly untenable notion of romantic love. It remains unclear if their affair would have benefited had they come clean about their marriage. After all, there isn’t enough indication in the play to suggest that the feuding families would have been unhappy about Romeo and Juliet’s union. Even though the play was written centuries ago, it remains universal and relevant.