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All Site ContentRomeo and JulietAct 4Scene 5
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"best married that dies married young"
Language
Act 4,
Scene 5
Lines 77-78

Analysis of a line describing Juliet's marriage to Romeo and her early death in myShakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act 4, Scene 5.

Friar Laurence

She's not well married that lives married long;
But she's best married that dies married young.

These two lines sound like a proverb that the friar has come up with to appease the feelings of the Capulets, but they contain a hidden truth. Juliet is best married (to Romeo already), and it’s best that she would appear to die young.