Foreshadowing

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a play that relies heavily on foreshadowing. This means that many actions or lines hint at something that will happen later on – typically pointing to the lovers’ deaths. 

We know right from the start that the play will end in tragedy because the first prologue tells us that these lovers are “star-crossed” (l. 6) and “death-marked” (l. 9). In spite of this, the play keeps reminding us of the coming tragedy through numerous examples of foreshadowing. This has the effect of building tension and suspense.

One example of foreshadowing is in Act 2, Scene 3 as Friar Lawrence is gathering herbs. He talks about the healing or fatal power of plants, which foreshadows how Juliet will later drink a sleeping potion and Romeo kill hi...