Romeo and Juliet, Act 4, Scene 3 summary

What happens

1. Juliet asks the Nurse and Lady Capulet to leave, saying she needs privacy for prayer.
2. Alone and frightened, Juliet sets down a dagger to prevent the marriage if the mixture fails.
3. She suspects the Friar might poison her to conceal his role in her marriage to Romeo, but recalls his holiness.
4. She imagines waking inside the family tomb before Romeo arrives, then suffocating or becoming mad among the bones.
5. Juliet thinks she sees Tybalt's ghost pursuing Romeo, drinks to Romeo, and throws herself onto the bed.

In this scene

What to notice

Juliet recognizes that neither the Nurse nor her mother can carry out this act for her. The line marks her acceptance of isolation before she drinks.

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