Dreams in Romeo & Juliet
Stuart MacGillivray							May 13, 2002

	In the play Romeo & Juliet, dreams are often referred to by the characters as a form of foreshadowing; for the most part, these are ominous dreams that portend some dramatic event to come.  The only dreams that could be called cheerful here are those of the joyous Mercutio.

	To expand upon this concept, several examples from the piece shall be given.  The first dream referenced in the play is in Act One, Scene Four; here, Romeo starts to explain his dream to Mercutio, but this kinsman to the Prince scoffs at Romeo’s beliefs, and launches into the prominent “Queen Mab” set piece, telling of the queen of the faeries, and how she toys with those who dream, altering what they see in their sleep.  His main point is to jest at Romeo’s faith in dreams, and to try to cheer the gloomy Montague up a bit.  All in all, a bit of comic relief to balance out Romeo’s feeling of deep foreboding.

	A better example of a foreboding dream is that of Romeo while he is in Mantua.  While there, he has a dream that he was dead, and that his lady awoke him with a kiss; most of this dream is fated to come to pass in due time.  It is ironic, however, that before Romeo’s dream comes true, he will reverse the roles, with he alive and Juliet supposedly dead.

	Though not quite a dream, in Act Three, Scene Five, Juliet has a premonition like that of Romeo, seeing her lover as in a tomb; in sense, foretelling the death of Romeo.  Likewise, as she prepares to drink Friar Lawrence’s potion, she dreams of what it will be like to awaken in a tomb, with very dramatic imagery; the screeches of mandrakes, the howls of lost souls, and so on.

	While following the strain of foreboding dreams, one cannot forget Balthazar.  After going with Romeo to the tomb of the Capulets, he is sent away, and near forgotten; when he meets up with Friar Lawrence, it is revealed that he fell asleep under a yew tree.  However, like many in this dramatic piece, those who sleep dream dreams of premonitions; in this case, Balthazar dreams that Romeo is involved in a fight with another, having slept through Romeo’s clash with Paris.  Of course, it may not be wholly foreboding; it is possible that Balthazar, while asleep, heard the sounds of the battle.

	It should be noted that like many Shakespearean tragic protagonists, by the end of the play, Romeo has started to doubt his own sanity.  He starts to get confused between that which is reality, and that which is only in dreams; the fact that Paris was to be betrothed to Juliet is one example, as Romeo is not sure whether Balthazar told him of this, or whether the idea was only a dream.  At this point, it is too late to ask Paris, as the Prince’s kinsman is dead.