Romeo and Juliet

Analyze what Juliet’s closing soliloquy reveals about her feelings on her marriage is it an example of foreshadowing.

Act 3 scene 5

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In Act V, Scene III, Juliet says, "O happy dagger, / This is thy sheath! There rust, and let me die" (5.3.169). The dagger she speaks of is Romeo's, thus highlighting the sexual overtones of her proclamation. Additionally, Shakespeare uses the word "die" ambiguously. In Shakespeare's time, "To die" could either refer to real death or sexual intercourse. Thus, even at the very end of the play, the audience could interpret Juliet's final statement as her intention to commit suicide or her desire to engage with Romeo sexually. The sexual nature of their relationship stands in stark contrast to Juliet's arranged marriage to Paris, which is based on politics and greed, not love. For the most part, readers infer that her words foreshadow her suicide.

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Romeo and Juliet, GradeSaver