Discussion Topic
Capulet's change of plans and its impact on Friar Laurence's arrangements for Juliet in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
Summary:
Capulet’s change of plans, moving Juliet’s wedding to Paris up a day, critically impacts Friar Laurence’s arrangements. This unexpected shift forces Juliet to take the potion earlier than planned, complicating the timing of Friar Laurence’s rescue plan and ultimately contributing to the tragic outcome.
What impact might Capulet's plan change in act 4 have on Friar Laurence's arrangements?
Although Lord Capulet moves the wedding a day forward, it would not have any effect on Friar Laurence's original plan. The plan was that Juliet would take the potion, which would induce a death-like sleep that same night (Tuesday) and she would awaken forty-two hours later. This would happen irrespective of whether the wedding to Paris was held on Wednesday or Thursday. Friar Laurence had sent word about this plan to Romeo, in exile at Mantua, via Friar John.
The plan was that Juliet, believed dead, would be interred in the family's burial-vault. Romeo would have gotten word of this plan and he and Friar Laurence would be in the vault the next morning, waiting for her to awaken. She would then accompany Romeo to Mantua.
"Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift
And hither shall he come: and he and I
Will watch thy waking, and that very night
Shall...
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Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua."
Unfortunately, this was not to be. Friar John had been delayed since he and another Friar had been locked up in a house overnight by "searchers of the town" to prevent the spread of a suspected pestilence and he could not deliver the message to Romeo. He also could not find someone else to deliver the message and returned the letter to Friar Laurence.
It was this unfortunate and unforeseen event which led to the tragic denouement of the play: the suicides of both Romeo and Juliet. Romeo had received news of Juliet's 'death' and her burial. He then purchased a deadly poison from a poor apothecary which he drank on seeing Juliet's lifeless body in the vault. This happened after he had gotten into an altercation with Paris, killing him in a sword-fight. When Juliet awakens later and finds Romeo lying dead beside her, she takes his dagger and commits suicide, thus lending credence to the Prince's observation:
"For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
Lord Capulet, Juliet's father, sets the wedding up from Thursday to Wednesday after Juliet consents to marry Paris. He gets excited that she is "finally" coming around to what he wants that he isn't going to waste any more time and risk the chance that Juliet might change her mind again; so, he exclaims, "Send for the County; (Paris) go tell him of this. I'll have thise knot knit up tomorrow morning (IV.iii.23-24). This could upset the Friar's arrangements with Juliet because of two major things: first, there's not enough time to let the Friar know that the faking of her death is happening right away; and second, because of that lack of time, the Friar's time to get a letter to Romeo about the new plan is limited by 24 fewer hours.
In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, what effect might Capulet's Act IV change of plans have on Friar's plan for Juliet?
I give you a fair amount of background. Direct answer in bold at bottom. Enjoy!
Friar Laurence begins ACT IV with a visit from Paris. Paris is in the Friar's cell in order to tell him of Capulet's consent of the marriage between Paris and Juliet.
Poor poor pitiful (dense?) Paris never sees or refuses to see or doesn't care to see how Juliet never returns his love. However, when Juliet arrives to Friar Laurence's cell, Paris shovels his admiration towards her and Juliet coldly shields herself from it.
Once Paris leaves, Juliet is frantically emotional (surprise surprise) and is once again threatening suicide if things don't go her way (a violent temper tantrum). Friar comes up with a plan....
Friar's plan is this: Juliet will take an herbal concoction he knows how to mix that makes her appear stone cold dead for two and forty hours (42 hours boys and girls). She will take the potion and wake up dead (....) so her family will place her sheet wrapped body in the Capulet tomb. Meanwhile, Friar will send a message to Romeo to let him in on it, and eventually she will be reunited with Romeo and they will somehow live happily ever after.
My students typically ask at this point, "Why don't they just run off to Mantua together if they aren't going to be with their families?" A ha! I have no idea--the story would not be as tragic or intriguing.
Capulet changes his plan however! He moves the wedding from Thursday (two days away) to Wednesday (tomorrow!). This means that Juliet must take the potion that night and that it is unlikely that Friar's message will reach Romeo in time!