Question

reread line 97:

romeo: and deaths pale flag is not advanced there.

how does the discrepancy between the audiences awareness and romeos awareness impact how the description of juliet in this line is interpreted?

• romeos description of juliet is so heartfelt that the audience cant help but feel sympathy for his grief and pain.
• when romeo, believing juliet is dead, describes her at great length, the audience begins to believe she is dead after all.
• while romeo believes he is describing beauty that transcends death, the audience knows he is describing juliet merely sleeping.
• as romeo describes how juliet looks in death, he begins to realize what the audience already knows, that she is not dead but asleep.

Explanation:

Identify the dramatic irony

The discrepancy between the audience's knowledge (that Juliet is alive and merely sleeping under the influence of Friar Laurence's potion) and Romeo's knowledge (believing she is truly dead) is a classic example of dramatic irony.

Analyze Romeo's line

Romeo observes that "death's pale flag is not advanced there" in Juliet's face, meaning she still has color in her cheeks and lips. Romeo interprets this as her beauty defying or transcending death itself.

Evaluate the options

The audience knows the physical reason her color is returning: the sleeping potion is wearing off, and she is about to wake up. Therefore, while Romeo thinks he is describing a beauty that conquers death, the audience understands he is actually describing a living, sleeping Juliet. This matches the third option.

Answer:

• Romeo's description of Juliet is so heartfelt that the audience can't help but feel sympathy for his grief and pain.
• When Romeo, believing Juliet is dead, describes her at great length, the audience begins to believe she is dead after all.
• While Romeo believes he is describing beauty that transcends death, the audience knows he is describing Juliet merely sleeping. (Correct answer)
• As Romeo describes how Juliet looks in death, he begins to realize what the audience already knows, that she is not dead but asleep.