How does Shakespeare explore the theme of there being a generation gap between the plays central characters - "Romeo and Juliet".
"How does Shakespeare explore the
theme of there being a generation gap between the
plays central characters
Throughout the play "Romeo and Juliet" the audience can tell that there is a generation gap between the older and younger generation. Both parents don't understand their children and don't take the time to see what they want and what is best for them. During the course of the play both children seem to get more rebellious as they try to fight to stay together. Both children have people that they go to for the guidance that should be provided by their parents.
The first main sign of there being a generation gap is where we meet the County Paris who want to arrange a marriage to Juliet but instead of actually wooing her she asks her father. Lord Capulet agrees about the marriage as he thinks Paris would be a good husband for Juliet. The arrangement between Paris and Lord Capulet is made like a business deal. It isn't a proper marriage where the two people fall in the love it has all been planned but love is something that can happen to you at any time. Juliet's parents seem thrilled with Paris and therefore Lord and Lady Capulet have to tell Juliet the news. This is the first sign of a generation gap because Juliet's parents aren't actually thinking about what Juliet wants, in a way they just want what is best for her but they are doing it the wrong way. Both Juliet's parents don't know how to talk to her properly.
The audience can see how Juliet's parents can't talk to her when Lady Capulet gives her the news about Paris and the marriage. Lady Capulet wants to try and have a one on one conversation with her but as Lady Capulet doesn't know her daughter well enough she calls upon the nurse:
"We must talk in secret. Nurse, come back again,"
These are the first signs that the audience can tell that Lady Capulet doesn't know her daughter and then the Nurse has a long speech about Juliet. This speech shows a lot of affection and this shows that the Nurse has more of a close relationship with her.
Unlike Juliet's parents, Romeo's parents don't take any interest in him at the entire audience see them at the beginning and then the audience doesn't see them again. This is another example of a generation gap, once again ...
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"We must talk in secret. Nurse, come back again,"
These are the first signs that the audience can tell that Lady Capulet doesn't know her daughter and then the Nurse has a long speech about Juliet. This speech shows a lot of affection and this shows that the Nurse has more of a close relationship with her.
Unlike Juliet's parents, Romeo's parents don't take any interest in him at the entire audience see them at the beginning and then the audience doesn't see them again. This is another example of a generation gap, once again the parents don't understand what is happening to their children even if they try to get involved like Juliet's parents and even if they don't at all like Romeo's parents.
Just like Juliet has the nurse, Romeo has the friar to go to. After meeting Juliet, Romeo goes to talk to the Friar about getting married to Juliet. The friar is mutual and therefore he is able to marry them in secret. You can tell the friar knows about Rosaline and is shocked when he finds out it is not Rosaline that Romeo wants to marry:
"God pardon sin! Wast thou with Rosaline"
Romeo doesn't waste much time and starts talking about Juliet instead of Rosaline. The friar is willing to listen to Romeo and knows what is good and bad for Romeo.
The play then progresses with Romeo and Juliet getting married without their parents, this is another sign of the generation gap. Romeo and Juliet's parents aren't even there for their wedding and can't understand that they want to be together because the love each other. On the other hand the friar and nurse both help to organise it and this shows that they truly care about them and want them to be happy. The audience also sees the death of Mercutio, Paris and the banishment of Romeo. There is a lot of dramatic irony, as the audience knows that if Romeo is banished then Romeo and Juliet can't be together. At this point in the play both Romeo and Juliet talk to both the friar and the nurse. Instead of Juliet's mother telling her about Tybalt's death the nurse is the one to tell her but Juliet is eager to find out about Romeo and as the nurse is the only person who knows about the couple she is the only one who can tell. If Juliet's mother was especially close to her then she would have known all of this but as the Nurse has been there more for Juliet she deserves the title of Juliet's mother. Romeo goes to see the friar as he goes to him for care, the word 'banished' is repeated several times, as they can't believe what has happened and the realisation to the situation hasn't sunk in. The nurse comes and tells Romeo to be a man and to think about his wife who has lost two people, her cousin and her husband.
Juliet doesn't realise that she is soon to have another husband, Paris comes again to discuss the wedding and decides the date. Once again Lord Capulet doesn't understand what is happening with his daughter especially at this time when she has lost her cousin and her secret husband. Lady Capulet comes to see her daughter but once again doesn't know what to say and doesn't grasp why she is so upset and assumes it is because of Tybalt:
"What, wilt thou wash him from his grave with tears?"
This is again dramatic irony, as the audience knows that the true reason why Juliet is crying is over her loss of Romeo. Lady Capulet does not show much commiseration, or sympathy for Juliet's grief as a mother should to. She acts very insensitive, and callous towards Juliet. This indicates the relationship between Juliet and her parents as being unloving and unrepentant. Another example of this is when Lady Capulet says:
"So shall you feel the loss, but not the friend which you weep for"
This is again very callous and uncaring, tactless and again this shows the relationship to be uncaring. Juliet responds with:
"Feeling so the loss, I cannot choose but ever weep the friend"
This is an ambiguous quote. It has two meanings to it, and can be interpreted in more ways than one, this creates a sense of dramatic irony within the audience. Juliet is not really lying at this point, as she is saying what she feels, which is the truth, but Lady Capulet is interpreting it in another way. This indicates the relationship between Juliet and her parents as being deceitful and fraudulent after meeting Romeo. Juliet then says:
'Indeed I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him - dead - Is my poor heart, so for a kinsman vexed'
This also creates a sense of dramatic irony, this speech also has a double meaning. Juliet is lying directly to Lady Capulet. Juliet has become dishonest and is being manipulative. The relationship between her and her parents has made a clear change from this point onward. The relationship started as being reverential, courteous, respectful, isolated, formal, secluded, outlying, and unfamiliar. Now the relationship has made a significant change to a manipulative, and deceitful.
Overall both Romeo and Juliet's personality has changed from the beginning due to the generation gap between them and their parents. It's the older generation's feud, which initially stops Romeo, and Juliet openly declaring their love, this then leads onto lots of complications. As they have to keep their marriage secret this means Juliet can't tell her father why she can't marry Paris. If it hadn't been for the feud in the families then Juliet and Romeo would have been able to get married properly and then Romeo wouldn't have been banished. The generation gap between the parents and children is all down to the fact that the two families are fighting, if the families weren't fighting then Romeo and Juliet wouldn't have rebelled and probably wouldn't have died in the end.
Ali Barker 11B
