Do Romeo and Juliet have sex?

In Act III, Scene V of Romeo and Juliet, the couple is together in Juliet's bed just before dawn, and though it's commonly inferred they may have been intimate, the text doesn't explicitly confirm it. The focus is on their reluctance to part ways after spending the night together.

In Catholic doctrine, a marriage is typically considered fully valid after consummation, involving the potential for conceiving children. The uncertainty of whether Romeo and Juliet consummated their marriage adds a layer of complexity, as an unconsummated marriage could be annulled by their parents.

The dialogue between the lovers revolves around the intensity of their feelings in the moment, with Juliet longing for more time together and Romeo expressing a willingness to face death rather than leave. This scene is reminiscent of an aubade, a poetic form where lovers lament the necessity of parting before dawn, even though their situation is not adulterous, unlike the traditional context of an aubade.