Lord Capulet and Lord Montague are the highest bodies of each of their families and obtain this power by wealth and age. The families have been bitter enemies since before they were born, due to an ‘ancient grudge.’ I believe that they despise each other because they are so much a like, in the way they wish to protect their families and to be one ahead of each other in the idea of power and respect and honour.
We can also see hierarchy in the theme youth and age. Youth is usually depicted as erratic and immature and age as wise, old and cautious, however we see the man at the top of the Capulet family drunk at the party, outbursts of violence and mood swings, which is usually associated with teenagers and name calling. This way we see many sides to Lord Capulet, the friendly, the family man, the fighter and the unpredictable. From the text, we also see that Lady Capulet is scornful of Lord Capulet’s age and is never speaking to him in conversation, only when Juliet refuses to marry Paris. When he asks for his sword at the beginning in Act 1 Scene 1 so that he could join in the riots, she suggests a crutch instead. However, she does know when not to interrupt or question her husband’s intentions.
The Nurse plays an important role in the whole story. Without her warm character and good judgement the story could not flow properly in the way it does. Even thou she is very low in the Capulet family due to being a servant and women, Juliet has more respect for her than her own Mother and will do exactly what she says. In this servile position she has to remind herself of who she is, but risks her job and maybe her life on a girl she raised of whom is not her own. She is called fat and ugly, ‘for her fan’s a fairer face,’ and a prostitute, ‘a bawd, a bawd, a bawd’,’ by Romeo and Mercutio even thou they are of opposite families, she is older and is a lady that deserves respect. Even thou the Nurse is a servant and a lady she still has a servant of her own, named Peter. This would not have been known during the Elizabethan era and would only work for her as she is very close to the family and more of a family member. However, when Romeo and Mercutio mock her she asks him to stick up for her, ‘Peter,’ ‘Anon,’ ‘my fan, Peter.’ We see that even thou he is her employed by her, because of the fact that she is a woman it is as if he is embarrassed to be seen taking orders in front of other men.
Friar Lawrence is respected by everybody in Verona. He is on neither side and believes that the marriage of Romeo and Juliet will stop this ancient feud. He can be seen at the very top of the hierarchical chart for power and respect yet he is also at the bottom due to his lack of wealth and possessions. At no point during the play do we see anybody raise their voice to him. However, at the end of the play we see him as a weak man or a coward fleeing from the tomb, scared of what will happen to him.
We see this term hierarchy in the very first scene with the Servants of Capulet and Montague. It begins with the Capulet servants talking about how they are better than any Montague. They also talk of killing Montague men and thrusting their women up against the wall. We take in the image that this is not just a hated feud, but a bloodthirsty and malicious act of death and hate. When the Montagues arrive, we see an instant change in the behaviour of the Capulets. They become scared and panicky, ‘Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?’ ‘Is the law of our side if I say ay.’ This shows that the Capulets have immediately changed to being more scared about what will happen to them if they say, ay, when before they freely talked about killing and raping the people of Montague. However, when Lord Capulet and Lord Montague arrive to the scene we see them instantly wanting to grab their swords and join the squabbling, arguing and fighting. This time however, it is the wives who tell them not to. Of course, no man of power would allow his woman to tell him what not to do, but the Prince arrives enraged and furious. At once everyone stops fighting and drops their weapons because they know what power he has and that they should, ‘hear the sentence of your moved (angry) Prince. We see that these are no threats, or last chances as he calls both houses, ‘beasts’ and talks of, ‘pain of torture, from those bloody hands.’ After he has finished his speech and told Lord Capulet and Montague to come to him we hear no answering backs from any one, querying anything or blaming on the opposite family.
At the party scene in Act 1 Scene 5, we see the two sides of Capulet. Directly changing from the loud, bubbly large man at the centre of the party to the irate and quick-tempered animal that wishes no trouble to happen. When Tybalt tells Lord Capulet that Romeo is at the party, he asks to fight him of dispose of him, ‘I’ll not endure him.’ Capulet would not be disturbed by Romeo’s presence, as he is only a boy to him who is lower in status. This would only be one person to him who is only connected to the family of his enemy, rather than somebody who would effect him personally. When Tybalt goes on and on about fighting him, Lord Capulet snaps and slaps him to remind him to whom he is talking to and questioning. This would publicly humiliate Tybalt and ruin the dignity and place that he held in the family, placing him in an awkward situation with the leader of the family.
In Act 3 Scene 5 we see an astonishing procedure of five turning points in Lord Capulets words, emotions and thoughts. As Lord Capulet enters the room he is accompanied with the Fatherly concern between lines 126-138. He comforts Juliet with words relating to water, as he believes her tears are for the death of her cousin Tybalt. When he asks Lady Capulet whether she had told Juliet about the arranged marriage. Her answer was, ‘ay, sir; but she will none, she gives you thanks,’ which transforms him into a man that accuses somebody. He tells her that she is being ungrateful and cannot understand why she will not marry Paris between lines 141-145. He never talks to her face to face and refers to her as, ‘she,’ as if she is not there, because usually she would have no say in the matter. Lord Capulet then explodes calling her names and ridiculing her and orders her to go to Church on Thursday, brutally dragging her kicking and screaming if she refuses. He calls her a, ‘minion,’ a sick bag and a, ‘hilding,’ in his fury and violent temper. Capulet repeats his orders again, ‘speak not, reply not, do not answer me!’ and, ‘my fingers itch,’ showing the violent anger he is just managing to contain. When the Nurse interrupts to defend, Juliet Capulet insults her with words like, ‘gossip,’ and ‘lady wisdom.’ The Nurse immediately understands to herself that she has gone too far in helping Juliet with her forbidden love relationship and withdraws from the argument. Between lines 176-195 Capulet becomes calmer, gives his point of view, and has worked very hard in finding a good match for Juliet. Capulet clearly regards her as his property to do with and hand out as he wishes.
From this we can see that Capulet must take into consideration the feelings of others and show many faces to hold and keep his honour and integrity within the family and to sustain his place at the top of the family.
Overall, we can see that Shakespeare has taken into consideration of the importance of hierarchy. He shows this with the ideas of honour, age, authority, strength and resistance. Shakespeare is also aware of the power of free will within a family as we can see when characters disobey their elders or can move up the hierarchical chart or go down depending on their actions and respect towards the family.
