When Lady Capulet enters, she sees Juliet crying, and her mother thinks she is mourning the death of Tybalt, when in fact she is crying for Romeo. Lady Capulet seems to become a little suspicious of why she has been crying for so long, “Some grief shows much of love, but much grief shows still some want of wit”. Juliet uses ambiguous language when talking to her mother to make her think that she is in fact crying for Tybalt. “Indeed I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him -dead- is my poor heart so for a kinsman vexed.” This kind of language keeps the play on edge. It shows she is not completely lying, almost tricking her mother. It also engages the sympathy of the audience who know the full story.
Throughout the play this is one of the only conversations Juliet and her mother have alone, usually if there is any news the Nurse would tell Juliet. I believe that Lady Capulet wanted to use this news to bring her closer to her daughter. She thought that Juliet would be pleased with her for doing this. However, she could not have been more wrong. The tension rises dramatically as Lady Capulet says: “Marry my child, next Thursday morn the gallant, young, and noble gentlemen, the county Paris, at St Peter's church, shall happily make thee there a joyful bride.” For the first time in her life, Juliet defies her mother by refusing to marry Paris however she still remains polite, as is evident from her polite form of address calling her mother 'Madam' and 'Lady'. This shows how she has matured during the play, and particularly in this scene. There is not much time for an argument between Juliet and Lady Capulet as Lord Capulet soon arrives on the scene. Once again Lady Capulet shows herself as very insensitive. Juliet begs Lady Capulet to reason with Lord Capulet pleading that she at least delays the marriage. Lady Capulet however, does not show any sympathy for Juliet as she says, “here comes your father tell him so yourself”.
When Lord Capulet enters, Juliet's tragedy intensifies further. At first, he shows consideration for Juliet, as he thinks that she is crying for Tybalt. Shakespeare uses metaphors effectively during Capulet's speech by connecting the imagery of boats and sea with Juliet's tears, "It rains downright…thy tempest-tossed body". However, as Lady Capulet informs Lord Capulet about Juliet not wanting to marry Paris Lord Capulet’s mood instantly changes and he becomes angry and outraged. The first time Paris proposed to Juliet, Capulet refused him permission and appreciated the fact that Juliet should have a say in the matter. In Act 1 Capulet tells Paris "Let two more summers wither in their pride / lest her ready to be a bride". However, Shakespeare shows a great contrast between Lord Capulet's attitude then and now. Capulet now shows no appreciation for Juliet's needs, and tries to control her life for her, insisting that she does marry his "friend", and demands that she "fettle your fine joints 'gainst Thursday next”.
Lady Capulet and lord Capulet are both confused and furious over her disobedience. Capulet, whose temper has been shown before, explodes into a violent rage and shouts at his daughter for her ingratitude. He attacks her physically and rages at her. He use many offensive words to describe her, such as: young “baggage” and “a disobedient wretch” and also threatens to disinherit her if she does not obey his commands. An audience in Elizabethan times would have different feelings to a modern audience at this stage. This is because of different beliefs and social meanings. During Elizabethan times it was normal for a parent to choose a husband for their daughter to marry. It was considered very offensive to disagree to marry the person that the parent had picked, therefore the audience of the Elizabethan era would have sympathised with Juliet, but also understood the anger of Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet better than a modern audience would.
Shakespeare seems to successfully intensify the tension and deepen the tragedy with the entrance and exit of each character in relation to Juliet. Abandoned by both her parents, Juliet now turns to the one person she has always relied on. The Nurse has always been Juliet's companion so when she disowns Juliet, like her parents did, it is a shock for both Juliet and the audience. Juliet is now in a very grave situation; she cannot marry Paris, as she will be breaking the law by marrying two people at the same time. When Juliet turns to the nurse for help, she expects her to offer her some words of comfort and to help her reunite with Romeo. However, the nurse contradicts herself by advising Juliet to marry Paris, "I think it best you married with the County". She has now very suddenly changed her views, as previously in the play, she praised Romeo declaring that he is "a fine and an honourable and a courteous gentleman". However she now refers to him as a "dishclout". This comes as a shock to Juliet, as the nurse had already arranged her and Romeo's marriage, which was a huge risk for her. If Lord Capulet caught her then she would be in serious trouble, which shows that she wouldn't have done it if she didn't think it was the best thing to do.
The nurse's response further develops the tragedy, as all of Juliet's closest companions have totally disowned her, and none of them respect her wishes. This means she must now act on her own decisions without any help from anyone. Shakespeare now develops Juliet's character by having her act in ways she never has before. For the first time, Juliet treats the nurse like the servant she is by commanding her, " Go in; and tell my lady I am gone." She tells the nurse that she is visiting Friar Lawrence to confess her sins, when in fact she is going to find out how she can see Romeo. This shows the audience that Juliet feels she can no longer trust the nurse.
All of her life, Juliet has felt very close to the nurse, however when she leaves, she calls her a "most wicked fiend" declaring that she will never love her again, "thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain". This shows that Juliet is already starting to live her life independently. At the end of the scene, Shakespeare emphasises how desperate Juliet is feeling by having her swear to kill herself, "If all else fail, myself have power to die". Her attitude contrasts greatly to her attitude at the beginning of the scene where she was a happy young bride, making the most of her time with her husband. Now the audience sees her as a young, mature woman who has lost everything and is prepared to die, and for this despite her tragic situation I believe the audience would respect her enormously.
From the beginning of the scene to the end, Shakespeare rapidly shifts the mood as he develops the tragedy. The audience now view Juliet differently than they did at the beginning of the scene. They now feel great sympathy for her, whereas at the beginning of the scene, they saw her as a young woman with good prospects who could be admired. Her attitude has also changed from naive and innocent to determined and independent. They can see Juliet's situation decline as she uncontrollably spins into a desolate situation, which they know will only get worse from listening to the chorus in the opening prologue.
Rehan Karodia
