With reference to the text how does a modern day audience respond to the portrayal of parent/child relationships in Shakespeare(TM)s Romeo and Juliet?

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Kate Palmer

“With reference to the text how does a modern day audience respond to the portrayal of parent/child relationships in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?”

Romeo and Juliet is a play containing two main themes. The first is love; Romeo and Juliet love each, enough to die to stay together. The other is hate; the Montagues and Capulets hate each enough to fight and kill one another.

In the play the two main families in Verona are constantly at war, when Romeo and Juliet fall in love at the Capulet ball, they fall in love “at first sight.” The two are soon married but Tybalt –Juliet’s cousin - subsequently murders Mercutio – Romeo’s best friend – and Romeo is exiled to Mantua.

While Romeo is away, Juliet is told she must marry Paris; she refuses and is told by Capulet that if she does not appear at the church on the wedding day, he will disown her. On hearing this Juliet runs to seek advice from Friar Laurence. The friar hatches a plan, which entails Juliet taking a sleeping potion, which will make her appear dead for longer than twenty-four hours, so she and Romeo can run away together and live in peace.

 When Romeo hears the news of Juliet’s supposed death, he comes to see her “dead” body. Romeo murders Paris in the church and on seeing Juliet one last time, takes a deadly poison. Juliet wakes, and on seeing her husband dead, stabs herself.

Family relationships are very different today than at the time the play was set. Firstly the marriage age was a lot younger, people married at the age of as young as thirteen or fourteen, now the legal age of consent is sixteen, but the age many marry is a great deal older than this. Due to this modern day audiences respond in a shocked manner at finding out this information whereas at the time the play was set, the audience would not take any surprise at finding out the that Juliet was being wed at only 14 yrs old.

This can be seen in this quotation by Lady Capulet;

Well, think of marriage now; younger than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
Are made already mothers: by my count

                                                (Act one: Scene three)

This quote shows that women in Verona of any class and status start having their family when they are still quite young. It shows that it is socially accepted and that it is expected of them. I think that this surprises Juliet as she still views herself as a child, and I think that the audience sympathise with her as she is portrayed in a child-like manner. I imagine Juliet feels she must marry quickly to please her parents and family traditions.

In this scene (Act 1: Scene 3) the nurse plays a major role, we can tell that Juliet and the nurse are very close as they have been together since the nurses own daughter Susan died.

Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen.
Susan and [Juliet]…                                (Act one: Scene three)

This quote shows that Susan was born around the same time as Juliet and this is why the Nurse came into caring for Juliet. The nurse was a wet nurse, this meant that Juliet was breast fed by her instead of her mother; this shows how strong the bond between them must be. I think the nurse loves Juliet as her own daughter as she has watched her grow up ever since she was born and the nurse asks God for only one thing, to be alive to see Juliet be wed.

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This astonishes modern day audiences, as nowadays a full time nurse would leave when the child is about the age of 5 or 6. At that time, the child would start school and would be in full time education until the age of between 16 or 21. Therefore a close bond doesn’t usually occur as the carer has left by the time the child has matured enough to view the carer as more of a friend than a figure of authority.

The following quotation shows how close Juliet and the nurse actually from act two: scene five. This scene is ...

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