Capulet then turns his speech back to the fact that Juliet is still immature by using the words ‘ere we may think her ripe to be a bride’. This demonstrates that Juliet is not yet fully-grown – physically or mentally – and too young to marry. He does this by using the word ‘ripe’. This word is usually related to fruit; when we say a fruit is ‘ripe’, it means the fruit is fully-grown and ready to eat. By using the word Capulet is saying Juliet is like a fruit and she will not be married until she is physiologically and physically mature. The phrase can be seen as a metaphor saying Juliet is an unripe fruit and that when she is ready she will be married.
Capulet tells the viewer why he cares about Juliet so much when he says ‘the Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she’, this explains that Capulet has had other children but all of them have died at a young age except for Juliet, so she is all that he has left in life. The phrase uses personification by saying death is the Earth swallowing some one.
Capulet seems to care that Juliet marries some one who is rich and loving but is allowing her to choose who she wants to marry. I believe this is shown when he says ‘woo her gentle Paris, get her heart’. Paris is rich and young. Capulet knows Paris would be a god husband for Juliet but wants her to decide and marry someone that she loves.
Capulet continues to show that he wants Juliet to make her own decision when he says ‘If she agreed within her scope of choice, there lies my consent.’ I feel that this tells the viewer that Capulet has to believe that Juliet has been unhindered in her decision if she fell for Paris and that the marriage is what she truly want and only then will he agree to the marriage.
At the start of Act One Scene Three Shakespeare portrays Juliet’s relationship with her mother as a very formal one. I think this is demonstrated when Juliet is called to her mother and says ‘Madam what is your will?’ By coming to her mother immediately shows that Juliet respects Lady Capulet at a high level and will do whatever her mother wants. This is also represented by the fact that Juliet does not question her mother about why she has been called to the room, she simply comes straight away. The use of the word ‘madam’ gives the impression that Juliet is not close to her parent and addresses her in an extremely formal way. The word ‘will’ implies that Juliet is prepared or willing to comply with whatever her mother asks.
Lady Capulet seems to be nervous around Juliet but wishes she was closer to her daughters. By using the phrase ‘Nurse, give leave’ I think Lady Capulet shows she wants to be alone with Juliet and talk to her privately, but as soon as the Nurse leaves, nerves strike and Lady Capulet loses her words as she is not used to being alone with her daughter and they are not close enough to talk alone. So she says ‘Nurse, come back again’ this shows that Lady Capulet knows Juliet is closer to the Nurse and decides the Nurse should be there for what she should say. Lady Capulet’s relationship with Juliet seems very distant,
The distance in the relationship between Lady Capulet and Juliet is exposed greatly when Lady Capulet asks ‘How stands your disposition on marriage?’ In my opinion this phrase shows that Lady Capulet doesn’t care about Juliet and wants her to leave and marry as soon as possible. This is the opposite of Capulet’s view and he was keen to keep Juliet at home rather and make sure she married someone she loved not the first man she saw. The word ‘disposition’ presents the formality in Juliet’s and Lady Capulet’s relationship. In the modern world if someone used this word they would be seen as a posh, formal and probably rich. The choice of word suits the relationship because if a word such as ‘view’ had been used the relationship would seem much more informal and relaxed.
After hearing that Juliet isn’t interested in marriage Lady Capulet says ‘I was your mother upon these years’ I feel that this is Lady Capulet’s way of stopping Juliet from arguing and trying to convince Juliet to marry. Juliet respects Lady Capulet greatly so doesn’t want to argue with her, so doesn’t reply. I see this as a kind of blackmail. Lady Capulet is trying to force Juliet into thinking about marriage. Lady Capulet obviously has power over Juliet, so Juliet respects the decisions Lady Capulet has made in her life and wants to be like her.
Between Act One Scene Three and Act Three Scene Four. Juliet and Romeo meet and fall in love. They get married with the help of Friar and the Nurse. Romeo goes out with Mercutio and Benvolio when Tybalt turns up. Tybalt kills Mercutio so Romeo kills Tybalt. When the Prince finds out what has happens he banishes Romeo from Verona. Romeo then sees Juliet before leaving.
In Act Three Scene Four Shakespeare shows how Capulet’s attitude towards Juliet changes dramatically. When Capulet says ‘she loved her kinsman Tybalt dearly’, I believe that he is illustrating that he does not understand Juliet. He thinks Juliet is upset by Tybalt’s death when actually she is upset about Romeo being banished. By telling the Nurse about Romeo but not her parents Juliet demonstrates the lack of trust and distance between them. She also shows the audience that she sees the Nurse as a parent figure that she can trust and talk too about everything. I think the phrase also shows that although Capulet is distant from his daughter he has convinced himself they are close and that he knows everything about her when he doesn’t.
Capulet seems to care about his daughter in the scene when he declares ‘I will make a desperate tender of my child’s love’ In my opinion this shows that he wants her to be happy and thinks that marriage will do this. This is another example of Capulet misunderstanding Juliet and presuming he knows everything about her. In the phrase Capulet also shows that he sees Juliet as an object, an important object, but an object nevertheless. I think this is shown when he refers to Juliet’s love as if it is a business deal. This shows clearly how little power women of Juliet’s class had in society at the time and that girls were the property of their fathers until marriage. Women were treated as objects and a bachelor would often pay dowry to the father.
Capulet appears to be blaming Juliet for Tybalt’s death, even though he knows she has nothing to do with it, this is shown with the words ‘you shall be married on Thursday’. I feel that this shows that Capulet is upset over Tybalt’s death so is trying to find some-one to blame and Juliet is the first person that came to his head. He knows Juliet has nothing to do with Tybalt’s murder but can’t help but blame her. I think that Capulet realises that the only way to stop him from doing something he regrets is to get rid of Juliet, and marriage is the easiest option. So he talks to Paris and chooses a date just a few days away so he can get rid of Juliet as soon as possible.
Shakespeare then seems to impound the fact men had more power than women and that society was a patriarchal one. This is shown when Capulet says ‘wife, go ere’ and ‘prepare her wife against this wedding day’. I see this as demonstrating just how much authority Capulet – and other men – had in society at the time. Nowadays men don’t call their wives ‘wife’, they call them by their names. Also men don’t boss wives around much anymore, whereas in Shakespearean Times wives had to agree with whatever men said and if they didn’t men were allowed to punish them in any way they saw fit. Also by ordering his wife around Capulet shows that women’s opinions didn’t count and that men weren’t interested in them.
Shakespeare then turns back to the relationship between Juliet and her Mother in Act 3 Scene 5. When Lady Capulet comes to see Juliet about marrying Paris. Juliet asks ‘What unaccustomed cause procedures hither?’ I think this shows how distant they are as Juliet is surprised to see her mother in the morning. Nowadays most people expect to see their mothers in the morning and it would seem strange if their mother wasn’t there for them to talk to. I feel the phrase also creates an atmosphere of tension. When Juliet sees her mother it is normally to talk about something important and at this time Juliet is not sure she can cope with anything.
Juliet and Lady Capulet’s conversation turns to the subject or Romeo killing Tybalt. Juliet says ‘Ay madam from the reach of these my hands’. In this phrase Shakespeare used dramatic irony. The audience knows that Juliet means she wants to touch Romeo again, whereas Lady Capulet thinks Juliet is talking about killing Romeo. I think the phrase shows how Juliet’s attitude towards her mother has changed. At the start of the play Juliet wouldn’t dream of lying to Lady Capulet but now she is doing it without a second thought. Juliet’s respect for Lady Capulet seems to have vanished.
Juliet argues with her mother for the first time in her life. ‘He shall not make me there a joyful bride.’ I believe that this demonstrates the fact that Juliet no longer cares about her mother and that all she cares for is Romeo. By using the word ‘joyful’ Juliet emphasises the fact that even if she were forced to marry Paris she would not be happy about it.
In Act 4 Scene 2 Capulet finds out the Juliet is at confession with Friar Laurence and says ‘he may chance to do some good on her’, I believe this shows that he cares about Juliet and hates the fact that she is arguing with him. But he is also saying that he will not back down and knows that he is right in making her marry Paris.
When Juliet returns she begs her father not to make her marry Paris ‘to beg your pardon, pardon I beseech you.’ Although she is begging she is still being very formal to her father. Nowadays people instead of the word ‘beseech’ people would use a word like ‘plead’ by using this word I feel that Juliet is showing that she respects her father.
Shakespeare continues to show how desperate Juliet is to not Paris when he writes ‘Henceforward I am ever rul’d by you,’ by this I think Juliet means two thing. One that she has always been good and will remain good for longer if she doesn’t marry Paris. Two that if she didn’t have to marry Paris she would do whatever her dad asked, whenever he asked her to do it.
Capulet replies to Juliet’s pleading with a simple phrase ‘I’ll have this knot knit up tomorrow morning’. By this he is basically saying this will all be over and done with by the morning and telling Juliet she is still marrying Paris. I think this phrase would have re-instated Capulet’s power over Juliet, and shown the audience how little women’s opinions were listened to and that men always got the last word.
Juliet shows that she is much closer when she asked the nurse to come and help her choose her clothes for the wedding. ‘Nurse will you come with me into my closet’. I see this as a double meaning. On one hand and to Capulet’s eyes Juliet is accepting the fact that she is going to marry Paris and she has no say on the matter. But on the other hand Juliet is asking the nurse to come and talk to her and help her think of a way to get out of marrying Paris.
At the end of the play Juliet fakes her death so that she can run away with Romeo, unfortunately Romeo doesn’t receive the letter saying Juliet is actually alive so he poisons himself. When Juliet sees that Romeo is dead she stabs herself. I think Shakespeare ended the play with death because it was a very effective way of getting across the message that it shouldn’t take something like death to stop people fighting. I think death could have been avoided if Juliet was closer to her parents and therefore hadn’t lied about loving and marrying Romeo, the ending to Romeo & Juliet is very similar to all of Shakespeare’s other tragedies as all off them end in death.
I have learnt that in Shakespearean times women had very little authority and were treated like objects by husbands and men. In the play Juliet is very distant from her parents, this makes me feel sorry for her as I am very close to my parents and cannot imagine being distant from them. Juliet fills the emotional gap where her parents should be with the nurse, this makes me feel slightly better because she has someone but the nurse is still not her mother.
I think this play is fantastic as most films, books and TV programmes, incorporate a romance plot similar to that of Romeo & Juliet. This is true with some of Shakespeare’s other plays i.e. the revenge plot in Macbeth is also found in many films. The play was is a brilliant work of art and deserves all the praise it did. Shakespeare is one of the best writers to walk this Earth and that is why his work should be and is performed all over the world.
