Question

class read: analyze the text
identify the choice that best answers the question.

in this passage from the tragedy of romeo and juliet, act iv, scene iii, what fear is juliet expressing?

what if it be a poison which the friar
subtly hath ministered to have me dead,
lest in this marriage he should be dishonored
because he married me before to romeo?

a. friar lawrence has accidentally given her a poison that will kill her.
b. friar lawrence has intentionally given her a poison that will kill her.
c. her marriage was poisoned because friar lawrence performed it secretly.
d. friar lawrence will reveal her secret marriage, and romeo will be dishonored.

Explanation:

Juliet's lines explicitly worry that Friar Lawrence gave her poison on purpose to kill her, to avoid being disgraced for marrying her to Romeo first. Option A is incorrect because she suspects intentional, not accidental, poisoning. Option C misinterprets the text—she fears poison, not that the marriage itself is "poisoned". Option D is wrong because she fears her own death from poison, not Romeo being dishonored by the secret's reveal.

Answer:

B. Friar Lawrence has intentionally given her a poison that will kill her.