Read the excerpt from Act IV, scene i of Romeo and Juliet . Friar Laurence : On Thursday, sir? the time is very short. Paris : My father Capulet will have it so; And I am nothing slow to slack his haste. (5) Friar Laurence : You say you do not know the lady’s mind: Uneven is the course, I like it not. Paris : Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death, And therefore have I little talk’d of love; For Venus smiles not in a house of tears. (10) Why does Paris’s request create dramatic irony in this scene?
Answer
A
because Paris has not expressed his love to Juliet
B
because Friar Laurence has already married Juliet to Romeo
C
because Capulet has already welcomed Romeo into the family
D
because Juliet is still mourning the death of her cousin Tybalt
Explanation
The dramatic irony comes from the audience knowing something Paris does not: Friar Laurence has already secretly married Juliet to Romeo. Paris’s request to marry Juliet therefore creates tension, since he believes she may still become his bride while the audience knows she is already married.
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