How Far Does Juliet's Character Change And Develop In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet?
How Far Does Juliet's Character Change And Develop In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet?
Romeo and Juliet was written at the end of the 16th century. Shakespeare set the play in Verona, Italy during a period when women were treated as possessions and objects, not as equals to men. They were expected to be housewives when they were married and before that, their father's property. Italians were renowned for their short temperament and passionate behaviour, which is possibly the reason for Shakespeare choosing Italy for the setting of this play for they are the main traits of all the characters in this play, including one of the main characters, Juliet.
Juliet Capulet, a thirteen-year-old girl, is a main character of the play and although we are not introduced to her until Act I Scene 3, she features in the play before this point. She is first portrayed as a typical girl during this time period. When she is first mentioned to us, her father is talking to Paris who is asking him for Juliet's hand in marriage. Lord Capulet treats Juliet, during this conversation, as being a very independent girl with her own mind, her own free will and as if he cares very much about her.
"She's the hopeful lady of my earth."
Although Lord Capulet is the one who is typically meant to choose Juliet's husband, he tells Paris that it is partly Juliet's choice and says,
"But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
My will to her consent is but a part;
And she agreed, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent."
This shows that he values Juliet's opinion and thinks very highly of her as he talks about Paris needing consent from both of them. It seems quite strange that Lord Capulet would break away from the normal proceedings of marriage while in most other aspects he is a typical Italian man of the 16th Century. The fact that he is changing now and not in some other circumstance, it shows that he cares very deeply for his daughter and wants her to be very happy.
Even before the conversation between Paris and Lord Capulet, Juliet is mentioned. This happens in the prologue. She is described as one member of the,
"Pair of star-crossed lovers"
And as if she was involved in a,
"Death-marked love."
We are told what happens to Juliet even before we get the chance to meet her. This gives us opinions about her personality because we know that she dies. It would give the reader the feeling of sympathy towards her character and we would imagine her to be an innocent girl who has just been in an unfortunate situation. Although this is partly true, it is partially her own actions that have caused certain events to occur. This shows that during the play, Juliet has changed considerably in her personality.
When we first meet Juliet in person, she is about to have a conversation with her mother about marriage to Paris. We are also introduced to Juliet's nurse. During this conversation, it becomes exceedingly obvious that Juliet and her mother have an awkward relationship, very different to that with her father. We also conclude that she is very close to her Nurse. One would imagine that Lady Capulet would be happy to talk quite freely to¨ her daughter about the subject of marriage and she immediately asks the Nurse to,
"Give leave a while,
We must talk in secret."
She then asks the Nurse to return. From this we can conclude that Lady Capulet feels uncomfortable being with her daughter. This shows that they do not have a very strong relationship and there is not a bond between them, which most mothers and daughters have. It seems that the bond which should be there is actually between the Nurse and Juliet. From the very same conversation about marriage, the Nurse talks about her relationship with Juliet. It is obvious that she has been looking after Juliet since she was born and she breast-fed her.
"And she was weaned"
"When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple
Of my dug"
This shows that this is where the bond came from. She treated her as her own child and Juliet treated her as her mother. This is because during this period of time, rich families did not have time to look after their children so they would employ someone else to do the job.
Nurse also had a pet name for Juliet,
"Wilt thou not, Jule?"
This also proves that they were close because her ...
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"And she was weaned"
"When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple
Of my dug"
This shows that this is where the bond came from. She treated her as her own child and Juliet treated her as her mother. This is because during this period of time, rich families did not have time to look after their children so they would employ someone else to do the job.
Nurse also had a pet name for Juliet,
"Wilt thou not, Jule?"
This also proves that they were close because her mother called her Juliet or referred to her as her daughter.
Lady Capulet asks Juliet how she feels about marriage to Paris. To this question, Juliet answers very politely but with a hint of her own feelings included. Her mother asks her,
"Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?"
Lady Capulet does not ask Juliet to love Paris but it is quite obvious that this is what she wants Juliet to do. If Juliet were as she was described to be, a typical girl during this time who does exactly what she is told, then she would have answered that she will love Paris and will start getting to know him better as soon as she was given the chance. Instead of saying this she says to her,
"I will look to like, if looking liking move."
Already we are able to see that Juliet is not as obedient as first described. She is not openly disobeying her mother; instead, she is saying that she will decide for herself what she will do.
Juliet's behaviour rapidly changes during the next scenes when she is faced with new situations and it becomes clear that she is not as well behaved as we had imagined her to be. Juliet is next seen at the party, which her father has thrown in honour of Paris meeting with Juliet for the first time. Whilst dancing, she notices Romeo watching her quote and they eventually begin talking. Although Juliet is only thirteen years of age, she is very articulate. She has a great power with words and uses them to have hidden meanings during many of her conversations. During her first meeting with Romeo, Shakespeare uses a lot of religious imagery whilst Juliet talks with him. Romeo is in fact, the first to talk using religious imagery,
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this."
Shakespeare continues the technique in Juliets' response,
"For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers kiss."
By doing this, Shakespeare is showing that Juliet accepts him and his manner, therefore showing him that she likes him. Shakespeare is trying to show that Juliet is very clever and able to easily adapt to her surroundings. Her quick response to Romeos use of language is to emphasise their perfect relationship. This is not something that would be expected of a thirteen-year-old girl.
Once the party is almost over and Romeo has left Juliet, she plays a game with her nurse to find out his name. She begins to ask the names of others around the room and then asks Romeo's so that she does not show the Nurse what she is really asking. Once she finds out that he is a Montague she says out loud how upset she is,
"My only love sprung from my only hate,
That I must love a loathed enemy."
When her Nurse questions her about it, she replies,
"A rhyme I learnt even now
Of one I danced withal."
These acts show that Juliet can in fact be quite underhand about things so that she does not get into trouble. Although Juliet is not being outwardly disobedient, she is trying to hide things from her nurse because they are not things that her mother and father would approve of.
Once Juliet has discovered that Romeo is an enemy of her family, she becomes forlorn and in Act 2 Scene 3, she begins to think of ways to make the situation between her and Romeo easier to handle so that they can be together without it being a problem with their families.
"Deny thy father and refuse thy name."
She becomes quite forceful in the manner in which she speaks and brave in the ideas, which she suggests.
"Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I shall no longer be a Capulet."
This shows that she is very much in love with Romeo and cares so deeply for him, that she will stop being part of her family so that she can be with him.
Romeo comes to Juliet and they talk of their love for one another. Juliet's language becomes very bold as she talks more to him. She begins to forget that she is a girl talking to a boy and that she must not have strong feelings on any subjects and she tells him,
"Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,
I'll frown and be perverse and say thee nay
So thou wilt woo."
Although she has not known Romeo for a very long time, she feels able to talk to him with a certain amount of familiarity, which she would not use when talking to her father whom she has known all her life. This shows that she feels close to him for she does not worry about his opinion of her so much that she must behave politely towards him. Juliet is even so bold as to ask him to marry her.
"If that thy bent love is honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send word to me tomorrow."
That is a rarity in the twenty first century, let alone in the sixteenth century. This proves that she cares very deeply for him and does not want to lose him. She has already changed greatly from the (supposedly) shy and polite Juliet that we were first introduced to. Juliet is deeply in love as she feels as if not hearing from Romeo until early next morning is too long to bear.
"'Tis twenty years till then."
Juliet sends the nurse to find out about her marriage to Romeo. Whilst she is awaiting the Nurses return, she becomes very agitated and aggravated that it is taking the nurse such a long time to return.
"The clock struck nine when I did send the Nurse...
Oh she is lame...
Is three long hours, yet she is not come."
This shows a very different tempered Juliet to the one we first knew. She has turned from being a cordial and courteous girl to a frustrated one. This mannerism is not one that you would expect from a girl coming from a rich family who have brought her up according to the strict social rules, which were set during that particular period of time. The short sentences Shakespeare uses here are to show Juliet's desperation and frustration of having to wait for the news from her love.
Once the Nurse does return, Juliet throws questions at her and tells her to tell the news straight away. This shows her eagerness to receive the news.
"O honey Nurse! What news?
Hast thou met with him? Send thy man away."
The Nurse takes her time, teasing Juliet, complaining about being in pain from having to travel so far.
"I am aweary, give me leave awhile"
"Do you not see I am out of breath?"
At this, Juliet becomes intensely irritated and starts to get angry with the Nurse. Shakespeare does not usually present Juliet as an angry person. He does this to show how desperately Juliet wants the news. When the Nurse carries on complaining, Juliet changes her tactics of getting the nurse to talk, she starts to pity the Nurse and compliment her,
"I am sorry that thou art not well.
Sweet, sweet, sweet Nurse..."
This shows that Juliet is able to get what she wants by manipulating people by changing what she says or does to work in her favour.
Juliet goes to meet Romeo and Friar Laurence at the church and behaves very differently in their presence than she did with the Nurse. She becomes calm and does not show her excitement as she did when the Nurse was telling her. This could be because she feels more at ease with the Nurse because she has known her all her life than she does with Friar Laurence. She is also probably nervous as she is about to get married.
Once Juliet has got married, she must wait until the evening before she can see Romeo again. She becomes frustrated and desperate for the night to arrive.
"Bring in cloudy night immediately"
"Come, night! Come, Romeo! Come, thou day in night!"
From this we could conclude that Juliet loves Romeo deeply and is getting impatient for him to come to her. Juliet also talks using sexual images.
"I have bought the mansion of a love,
But not possess'd it, and though I am sold,
I am not yet enjoyed."
This shows that Juliet knows about sexual intercourse and feels comfortable talking about it or thinking about it. We presume that she gets the information about this from the Nurse because Juliet spends most of her time with her and we know that the nurse is quite a passionate person.
"Dost thou fall upon thy face?
Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit;
Wilt thou not Jule?"
The Nurse comes to Juliet later that day and tells her that Romeo has killed Tybalt. Juliets' initial response immediately demonstrates her conflicting feelings about the man who is her husband and the man whom he has killed:
"O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!...
...Dove-feathered raven! Wolvish-ravening lamb!...
...Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical!"
Shakespeare juxtaposes positive and negative images in order to demonstrate Juliets' split emotions. However, this division of feelings swiftly moves towards a bias for Romeo, her husband, in terms of her loyalty, and her love.
"O, what a beast was I to chide him!"
"Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?"
Juliet realises that if Romeo hadn't killed Tybalt, then he himself would have been killed:
"But wherefore, villain, didst kill my cousin?
That villain cousin would have killed my husband."
Juliets' undivided loyalty towards Romeo, demonstrates how much she loves him.
In the scene where Romeo comes to say goodbye to Juliet, Shakespeare uses confident language for Juliet as she talks to Romeo. Similar to that which is used in conversation between the Nurse and Juliet. This shows that Juliet feels very confident around Romeo and feels able to say what she means:
"I must hear from thee everyday within the hour,
For in a minute there are many days."
Juliet is telling Romeo how much she will miss him while she is gone and ordering him to write to her every day. In this period of time, women would not have ordered their husbands to do anything but Juliet feels that she can do this to Romeo. She shows strength as she goes against the rules of society.
In Act 3 Scene 5, Lady Capulet comes to have a conversation with Juliet. When Lady Capulet asks Juliet questions about how she feels towards Romeo now that Tybalt is dead, Juliet plays word games with her mother with hidden meanings.
"Indeed I shall never be satisfied
With Romeo till I behold him-dead-
Is my poor heart."
Her mother presumes that Juliet wants Romeo dead but Juliet is actually saying that her heart is dead until she is with Romeo. Juliets' purposeful use of double-entendre displays her intent at deceiving Lady Capulet in terms of her true feelings for Romeo, and serves the purpose of explaining her seemingly excessive grief. Lady Capulet has already commented that the level of Juliets' grief is inappropriate:
"Therefore have done. Some grief shows much of love;
But much grief shows still some want of wit."
Lady Capulet then tells Juliet that she is to marry Paris. Juliet is furious. She tells her mother,
"Now by Saint Peter's Church, and Peter too,
He shall not make me there a joyful bride!"
Juliet has never been so openly defiant to her parents' wishes. The expectation at that time was one in which children were expected to comply with their parents. When Juliet was initially asked about marriage to Paris she had responded in a calmer manner believing that her wishes would be ultimately respected. When Capulet hears of Juliets' defiance, he becomes outraged.
"Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch!
....get thee to church a' Thursday
Or never look me in the face."
As Juliet becomes more desperate, she pleads first with her mother,
"O sweet mother, cast me not away."
Whose response is,
"Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee."
Juliet feels alone and rejected for even the Nurse could not take her side. She tells her parents she will marry Paris and goes to visit Friar Lawrence.
As she arrives at the church, Paris is there talking about wedding plans. She is evasive and somewhat dismissive towards his flattering approaches.
Paris "Happily met, my lady and my wife!"
Juliet "That may be, sir, when I may be a wife."
When she addresses Friar Laurence, she is very desperate for help. She sees him as her only way out and if he cannot help her, she will kill herself. This shows bravery on Juliets' part and also determination. She would do anything to be with Romeo.
"Things that....have made me tremble-
And I will do without fear or doubt,
To live an unstained wife to my sweet love."
As Juliet is alone in her room, she wonders about what will happen to her. Friar Lawrence has given her a poison to take the night before her wedding to give her the look of death. Although she trusts Friar Laurence, she still has doubts that the poison will work. She is scared about taking it but does for Romeo.
"Romeo, Romeo, Romeo.
Here's drink. I drink to thee."
Juliet wakes two days later in the Capulets tomb. She sees Friar Laurence standing where she expects Romeo to be but finds him dead next to her. Juliet is devastated by Romeos death and kills herself with her dagger so she mustn't live without him. This shows true love and bravery.
In conclusion, Juliet has displayed her individuality and strong sense of self throughout the play. Her determination to remain true to herself and to her feelings strengthened as she faced adversity. As her relationship with Romeo developed, her emotional maturity developed too, and became obvious. She became more single minded during the play and stopped trying to please everyone and started to please herself. Although this behaviour was always there, it was more evident as the play advanced. As situations arose, Juliet had to use new techniques to deal with them. In some cases, these techniques were ones that she already possessed but needed strength added to them.
