How does the character of Juliet develop and change during the course of the play? How does Juliet’s language reflect the changes in her character?
Romeo and Juliet is a play of love and hatred. In the centre of it all is Juliet, a thirteen year old girl, still relying on her nurse, but she is willing to take her own life than having to live without the one she loves. In the short four days, in which the play takes place, Juliet faces many things. She is forced into marriage, with Paris, when Lady Capulet tells her about Paris and their marriage; she responds that she will try to see if she can love him, a response that seems childish in its obedience and in its immature start of love. Juliet, an obedient, innocent and naïve young girl who is faithful to her family meets Romeo and falls in love with him, so she secretly marries him, although Romeo is an enemy of her house. The love she experiences with Romeo begins to change her. After Juliet meets Romeo, and marries him, many of her opinions and interests begin to change. Juliet is now fuller of love. This shows us how Juliet changed her opinion about love; at the beginning of the play Juliet seems to love anyone her mother wants to. Juliet’s character is the one that changes the most in the play; she changes from being an innocent and obedient girl to a disobedient and independent young woman. In Act 1 Scene 3 we can see how Juliet is with her parents and her obedience toward them, Juliet says that she will love, but only if it pleases her parents. “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move; but no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly.” Here Juliet is telling Lady Capulet that she will try to love Paris, but she won’t let herself fall for him any more than her permission allows. Juliet is telling her mother that she will not do it for love; she will do it because it makes her parents happy. She is being a very obedient girl, as small child, she is afraid to make her own decisions. We can see Juliet’s obedience towards her mother in Act 1 Scene 3, were she is willing to do anything her mother requires. “Madam what is your will”. Juliet is very obedient with her parents at the beginning, but when she meets Romeo, she becomes more and more self-confident about her future decisions of life. We can see that she changes in Act 3 Scene 5 where she is now confessing to her mother about how she feels, but not being as obedient as before, but at the same time trying to be polite. “Not proud you have, but thankful that you have: proud can I never be of what I hate, but thankful even for hate that is meant love”. Juliet is telling her mother that she is not proud of what she found for her but thankful she had. She is telling her that she hates Paris, she says she could never be proud of what she hates, referring to Paris, but at the same time she can be thankful for what she hates if it was meant with love. The language she uses here reflects a mass of contradiction. Juliet is being very disobedient with her mother, as she is finally confessing her that she hates Paris, and the idea of her being forced into marrying him, as it is no for love. In Act 4 scene 3, in her soliloquy Juliet shows a completely different type of character. In Act 4 scene 3 is set in her bedroom, where the Capulets are preparing for Juliet and Paris's wedding and Juliet and the Friar are preparing for her "death".
