This scene parallels the previous scene where Juliet reacted to the news of Romeo's banishment with forceful emotion, yet controlled expressions of grief. In contrast, Romeo responds to his banishment with wailing hysteria and a failed suicide attempt. Their reactions show the clear differences between Romeo and Juliet's respective emotional maturity levels. Whereas grief-stricken Juliet lamented her fate, her marriage, and her life, Romeo falls to the floor grappling for a dagger with which to end his suffering. As when he attacked and killed Tybalt, he has little concern for the effect his actions will have on Juliet.
Romeo again rages against the tyranny his name has inflicted on his life. He angrily blames his name for the interfering with his romance with Juliet and wishes to cut from his body that part that houses his name. He distinguishes himself from his identity as a Montague by saying that it was "that name's cursed hand / Murdered her kinsman." The audience, however, readily observes that the effects of fate are amplified by Romeo's own impulsive behavior.
The Friar instantly links Romeo and Juliet's marriage with death when he says that Romeo is "wedded to calamity." The Friar's words echo Juliet's thoughts at the end of the previous scene when she says that Romeo's banishment will be a form of living death. Likewise, Romeo declares "Then banishéd' / Is death, misterm'd." Indeed, throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet are described as being wedded to death — these descriptions not only foreshadow the play's conclusion but also underscore fate as an omnipotent, controlling power that draws the characters inextricably toward their doom.
