The scene opens with the song of the lark announcing the coming of dawn, but Juliet, hoping to hold her husband a while longer, insists that it was the nightingale “It was the nightingale and not the lark”. The audience is also unsure of what has been heard but like Juliet hope it was the nightingale so the couple may spend a while longer together. As it becomes clear, it was the lark the audience realises that this symbolises how out of tune Juliet’s feelings are at this point.
Juliet experiences a premonition of Romeo’s death. “Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb” Shakespeare does this to remind the audience that Romeo and Juliet have no idea of what is going to happen and this foreshadows the already destined event that these two lovers will soon face death.
Romeo and Juliet find it difficult to say goodbye, as they do not know when they will see each other again. The tragedy is that they will never again see each other alive. The audience understands this and feel for Juliet and what she is going through knowing when the lovers meet next it will be in a tomb, and Romeo will be dead.
Shakespeare includes the audience in Juliet’s thoughts by using a soliloquy to let them know what she thinks. This helps to involve the audience in her circumstances. In this soliloquy she says “Be fickle, Fortune” Juliet wants fate to be fickle so that she may see her Romeo again soon.
The next part of the scene is in sharp contrast to this quiet anxious farewell between the two lovers. Both Capulets are furious and fail to understand her disobedience. Capulet explodes into a violent rage and denounces his daughter for her ingratitude. This rage shocks the audience as in previous scenes Capulet has been calm and relaxed, for that reason the unusualness
of Juliet’s behaviour and response is emphasised in this rage.
The audience knows why she doesn’t want to marry Paris and sympathise with her. Capulet calls her “young baggage” and a “disobedient wretch” and threatens to disinherit her if she does not obey his commands. The irony is that in her own mind she has already been exiled from her family when Romeo left Verona. The audience understand this situation and express sympathy to Juliet.
Lady Capulet also shows unexpected cruelty. She makes no attempt to sympathise with her daughter or to understand her feelings. Her wicked nature is seen by the audience when she plans to poison Romeo and in her preference to see “Juliet marked to her grave” rather than endure the disobedience to herself and her husband.
Juliet’s next hope of comfort lies with the Nurse. This counsellor also fails to give Juliet the reassurance she needs. The Nurse’s treacherous advice to the young bride is to forget Romeo and marry Paris. “I think it best you married with the county” This comes as a shock to the audience who expected the Nurse to do something to help Juliet.
Juliet’s last hope for comfort is with Friar Lawrence. She plans to go to him for confession and advice. She declares that if the Friar does not help her to avoid the marriage to Paris, she will kill herself, a foreshadow of what is to soon happen.
In Act 3 Scene 5 Juliet is the only character present in the entire scene. Shakespeare does this to fully involve the audience in her situation. This is because by allowing, the audience to see everything that Juliet is going through the audience is put in the same position as Juliet and it is encouraged to think like Juliet whilst receiving hints of her thoughts through the soliloquies.
In this scene, Shakespeare is preparing the audience for the worst as Juliet is left with no alternative but to take the poison that friar Lawrence offers her to escape this situation.
