“I will not marry yet;”
This means Paris has to woo her and win over her heart yet this is not impossible as she is already deeply in love with her husband Romeo. Lady Capulet adds tension to the scene because Juliet has no idea that her parents have come up with this proposal and Juliet has to try and hide her sorrow from her mother and hide the fact that she is married to Romeo already. The audience then shows empathy for Juliet because her relationship with her mother is not one where she can confide in her, as it is so formal as if she is not her daughter at all, just a servant child. Lady Capulet calls Juliet a “child” and “girl” showing she has no respect for her only daughter. This is classic example of Elizabethan times and yet Lady Capulet seems far crueler than a conventional mother. When Juliet tells her mother she is still mourning for Tybalt;
“But much of grief shows still some want of wit.”
Lady Capulet does care for Juliet, but she herself believes that grieving is a pointless process. This may be because she doesn’t truly love Lord Capulet as she is happy to hear the proposal of Paris to Juliet. This may be because Lady Capulet was not allowed to marry for love so she therefore believes Juliet shouldn’t be given that choice either. This goes back to women in Elizabethan times being treated like property and possessions so their fathers chose who they deemed suitable in terms of their wealth and social status to marry. This would then allow lord Capulet and lady Capulet to climb the social hierarchy.
Lady Capulet is a cold mean hearted woman and has a resentful attitude because she wasn’t allowed to marry for love she thinks Juliet shouldn’t be allowed to either. This allows the audience to feel pity and sorrow for Juliet because she is a completely different character to her mother. Lady Capulet seems as if she’s setting out to ruin things deliberately. In my opinion Lady Capulet may care more for Tybalt more than she is letting on and this is why it is harder and far more complicated for Juliet to hide her feelings for Romeo. This then causes Juliet to worry because her Mother thinks that she wants to kill Romeo for murdering tybalt and she tells Juliet that she will kill Romeo as settling of scores.
“Shall give him such an unaccustom’d dram
That he shall soon keep tybalt company;
And then, I hope, thou wilt be satisfied.”
Juliet then fears that Lady Capulet will do as she says and kill him. This puts Juliet in an even more aqua position because she cannot say anything to try and protect Romeo because this will only cause scepticism and Lady Capulet may question Juliet’s trust. There is lots of tension here because Juliet fears for Romeo yet cannot tell her mother. This is also dramatic irony because the audience know that at the end of the play, Romeo buys some poison and drinks it thinking Juliet is dead, not due to Lady Capulet like she is threatening to poison him here.
Juliet then is trying to avoid lying about settling the score with Romeo and has to try and avoid arousing suspicion in doing this. She uses words with double meanings to put her mother off the track and is truthful. Juliet tells lady Capulet that she wishes only she could get revenge for tybalts death. This then eludes Romeo from being the culprit and she escapes bringing Romeo into the revenge.
“Ay, madam, from the reach of these my hands.
Would none but I might venge my cousin’s death!”
Juliet says this meaning only she would kill the person that killed Tybalt, however she knows that she would never kill Romeo so uses this as a double meaning. This then fools Lady Capulet because she thinks that Juliet wants no on other than herself to kill Romeo as a sign of respect to Tybalt, as it was Romeo who killed tybalt. However we, as the audience know that this would never happen and after she says;
“Indeed, I never shall be satisfied.
With Romeo, till I behold him –dead-
Is my poor heart so for a kinsman vex’d.”
To lady Capulet, this means that Juliet will not be content until she is sure Romeo is dead by killing him herself and then she can see him dead. However there is a double meaning here. There is a pause before the word dead which is symbolised by the “-”which means that she will not be content until she beholds him and her poor heart is dead in her grief for Tybalt.
Lady Capulet doesn’t tell Juliet the reason why she has come to see her straight away. She puts it off and gradually builds up to the news by talking about ‘joy’. As Lady Capulet takes her time to tell Juliet the real reason why she has come to see her, she is also building up tension as the audience wait to see how Juliet will react to an arranged marriage. Lady Capulet gives several hints at to what she may be trying to say. She advocate what the news is by saying:
“Well, well, thou hast a careful father, child;
One who, to put thee from thy heaviness,
Hath sorted out a sudden day of joy
That tho expect’st not, nor I look’d not for,”
Juliet should show a look of hope and faith here, because with tybalts death, she wants something positive to look forward to.This increases the audiences sympathy with her as a girl shouldn’t have to go through the amount of negative things Juliet has been through. The audience believe that Lord Capulet cares deeply for his only surviving child, as he organised party to see if paris was truly loyal to being juliets wife buy resisting temptation from all other girls that approached him. However this is ironic in view of the way he reacts later in this scene when Juliet refuses.
On hearing this comment, juliets panics and realises that she must marry paris. This shocks the audience as it shows how much she loves Romeo and it would be extremely rare when Shakespeare wrote the play to have a situation occurring like this one. Juliet then realises that she must buy herself time and suggest to her mother that Paris should try and impress her first and she “will not marry yet”. Her mother thinks she does not want to marry at all as she tells her mother that she would marry Romeo before marrying paris. However the audience already know she is married and telling the truth, not exaggerating.
In Elizabethan times, children had to obey their parent and females were thought to be substandard to males. Therefore they defiantly did not dare defy their fathers. Lady Capulet then warns Juliet that her father is coming and she should tell him herself;
“Here comes your father; tell him so yourself.”
Lady Capulet seems to be a cold hearted mother but she may believe that Juliet is being deliberately difficult and ungrateful that her father has gone to the trouble of finding her such a good match. She wants Juliet to tell her father this herself because Lord Capulet has a bad temper and she doesn’t want to be the messenger. This shows the audience that he has a big ego and is the ruler of the household being the only male. However lord Capulet may sympathise with Juliet as her cousin has just died and she is his only child, therefore he wants the best for her.
More tension is added when Capulet and the nurse enters, as the audience worry about his reaction to Juliet’s refusal. As he is the only male on the stage, he is domineering and controlling. The audience have probably guessed that it will be an angry argument as he wants the best for Juliet. This is shown at the start of his speech;
“When the sun sets, the air doth drizzle dew
But for the sunset of my brother’s sun
It rains downright.
How now! A conduit, girl? What, still in tears?”
His speech is well thought out and he shows he does have some concern for his daughter. He has imagery and alliteration in his speech which his main focus is on, rather than the main focus being Juliet. This allows the audience to have more sympathy for Juliet as it shows Lord Capulet isn’t really too bothered about her. He express his disapproval of her crying by saying “evermore showering?” He then moves on to talk about juliets grief which contrasts with the first part. He shows he disapproves of the crying. He has no sympathy or understanding for why Juliet is so upset and this therefore allows the audience to have even more sympathy for Juliet. He compares her to a ship “sailing in this salt flood”; he warns her she will also sink and be wrecked like a ship.
Once Capulet has finished he rant, he leaves and Juliet is in a state of despair and worry. She begs her mother to help and she would rather die than marry. However Lady Capulet still offers no sympathy and this only makes the audience feel even more sympathy for Juliet as both her parents have abandoned her.
Lady Capulet agrees with Lord Capulet, she isn’t angry with Juliet just naturally cold hearted. The audience may then doubt that Lady Capulet could be as cruel to her only child as her reaction is shocking.
Lady Capulet tells Lord Capulet that Juliet doesn’t want to marry parish but is thankful to him, therefore demonstrating that she feels he shouldn’t be too harsh with Juliet because she is grateful. Lord Capulet asks lots of quick sharp questions without waiting for an answer which shows his anger adding more tension. Juliet proceeds to try and stand up for herself as well as showing respect for her father but isn’t best please that she is being forced to marry a man that she does not love. He tells her that if she doesn’t show up at the church h he will drag her “on a hurdle” to the church himself. Capulet then verbally abuses Juliet and because she was very pale after all the crying he calls her “tallow-face”. He claims he wants to hit Juliet “My fingers itch.” Juliet is his only child so his anger must be increasingly violent for him to want to hit her.
Capulet final speech shows his anger towards Juliet. He uses words containing only one syllable showing his is irritated with Juliet because she doesn’t want to marry Paris. He shows that he respects Paris far more than Juliet and tells her she will either be thrown out or she must marry Paris.
“but, and you will not wed, Ill pardon you:
Graze where you will. You shall not house with me.
Look to ‘t, think on ‘t; I do not use to jest.
Thursday is near. Lay hand on hear; advise.
And you be mind, Ill give you to my friend;
And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets,”
Capulet says he will give Juliet to his friend. This is cruel seeing as she is his only child and is as if he owns her. She is treated awfully creating even more sympathy for her. She doesn’t have a fair chance at life because of Capulet.
Juliet then turns to the next person for help, the nurse. Juliet looks up to her like she is a second mother. She hopes that the nurse will know what to do as she helped Juliet marry Romeo to start off with.
“My husband is on earth, my faith in heaven;
How shall that faith return again to earth,
Unless that husband sent it me from heaven
By leaving earth?”
The nurses reply to Juliet as she cries out for heal shows how she is so different to Juliet’s mother being the complete opposite personality, yet she contrasts with Juliet’s loving nature. She shows how she is impressed that Juliet is so loyal to Romeo even though they have only been married for a matter of days. Her solution is however practical and clever. She believes Juliet should go ahead and marry Paris as Romeo has been banished after him murdering Tybalt. She tells Juliet “Romeo’s a dishclout to him”. This is humour to convince Juliet it would be better to marry Paris and move on.
Once Juliet finds there is no real solution to her problem, Juliet gives in. She goes to Friar Laurence cell to “make confession and to be asolv’d” this means there may still be hope if Friar Laurence can help her and support her.
Juliet is left alone onstage as the nurse leaves, she has been abandoned by the people who have claimed to love her and support her. Juliet uses this opportunity to express he feelings in a soliloquy. This then shows the audience that she is a mature young adult and she can’t rely on anyone to help her. She will no longer confide in the nurse as she spoke badly about Romeo whereas she had praised him in the past. She decides she will go and see the Friar and ask him for help. The soliloquy gives the audience a chance to sympathise with Juliet, as she finds herself realising the harsh difference in being young and growing up.
