At the end of Act III of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet , Juliet decides to go to Friar Laurence to seek his advice, and if he cannot help her, she is prepared to kill herself rather than marry Paris.

Direct answer

In the final moments of Act III, left alone after her parents and the Nurse push her toward marrying Paris, Juliet:

  • Resolves to go to Friar Laurence for help and guidance.
  • Secretly decides that if he cannot give her a way out of the forced marriage, she can always take her own life as a last resort.

So the key choice is: she will visit Friar Laurence to seek his advice and a solution.

Mini recap: what leads to this decision?

  • Romeo has been banished for killing Tybalt, leaving Juliet devastated and alone in Verona.
  • Lord and Lady Capulet arrange for her to marry Paris , expecting her to obey.
  • When Juliet refuses, her father threatens to disown her, and her mother withdraws support.
  • The Nurse, who once supported Romeo, now tells Juliet to forget Romeo and marry Paris , which Juliet experiences as a deep betrayal.

This emotional pressure pushes Juliet to turn away from the Nurse and toward Friar Laurence as her last hope.

Why this moment matters

Juliet’s decision shows:

  • Her loyalty to Romeo: she would rather die than betray their marriage.
  • Her growing independence : she stops confiding in the Nurse and makes her own plan.
  • A shift toward tragedy : the choice to seek a desperate solution from Friar Laurence sets up the dangerous sleeping-potion plan in Act IV.

In many study guides and test questions, the standard answer is that Juliet decides to visit Friar Laurence to seek his advice at the end of Act III.

TL;DR: She decides to go to Friar Laurence for help, and inwardly resolves that if he cannot save her from marrying Paris, she will kill herself rather than break faith with Romeo.