Question

Reread the passage from Romeo and Juliet below.

Friar Laurence: These violent delights have violent ends,

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which, as they kiss consume: the sweetest honey

Is loathsome in his own deliciousness

And in the taste confounds the appetite:

Therefore love moderately; long love doth so;

Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

How does Friar Laurence provide foreshadowing? Support your answer with at least TWO details from the text.

Answer 1

Friar Laurence provides foreshadowing in the passage from Romeo and Juliet by warning the lovers about the dangerous and potentially destructive nature of their intense passion.

"These violent delights have violent ends" - This line foreshadows the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet's relationship, as their love will eventually lead to violence and death.
"And in their triumph die, like fire and powder" - The comparison of their love to fire and powder highlights the explosive and unstable nature of their passion, suggesting that it may ultimately lead to their downfall.
Together, these two lines foreshadow the tragedy that will befall Romeo and Juliet, and suggest that their intense love will not have a happy ending.