Juliet's Confrontation with her Parents in Act 3 Scene 5 is a Pivotal Scene and Begin the Sequence of Events that lead to the Final Tragedy. Analyse Juliet's state of mind here, using evidence from the text as a whole. Provide advice for someone direct

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Juliet’s Confrontation with her Parents in Act 3 Scene 5 is a Pivotal Scene and Begin the Sequence of Events that lead to the Final Tragedy.   Analyse Juliet’s state of mind here, using evidence from the text as a whole.  Provide advice for someone directing Juliet in the extract.

This play is a tragedy about two lovers from families with a long history of civil brawls between each other.  Act 3 scene 5 is a pivotal scene because from this scene onwards, Juliet’s life begins to change, as does her emotions and feelings.  These changes then lead to the final tragedy where both lovers take their own lives.  It is important to look at scenes previous to this one, because you cannot understand what her character is like before this pivotal scene without reading how she has reacted in other situations.  It is also important to look at how much her character changes in this scene.  Also, without reading the whole text, you will not know the dramatic irony, which Juliet has so often used.

In Verona society, men held their daughters in a very firm iron grip.  Although men would often go out, women had to stay at home.  It would be unheard of to have any form of relationship with a boy if they were not married.  Fathers would also give their daughters hand in marriage, and they would never make a fuss about it.  Verona women were often married to men sometimes 10 years older than themselves and be having children as soon as they could physically bare children.

We first meet Juliet in Act 1 Scene 3.  From this scene we can see that Juliet is not close to her mother at all.  An example of this is when Lady Capulet says “Nurse, give leave a while….Nurse come back again.”  Lines such as “she was weaned, I shall never forget it” shows that she is more of a mother to Juliet than her own mother is.  The nurse also has pet names for Juliet such as “Lamb” “Ladybird” and “Pretty fool” which shows us that she has obviously got to know what she is like throughout her life.  Juliet also has no friends to talk to, and so the nurse has become Juliet’s best friend.  However, the nurse has to do as Juliet and Lord and Lady Capulet say, because she is merely a servant.  This gets the nurse into several awkward positions, because although she may think that Paris is more of a match to Juliet than Romeo, the nurse still has to secretly arrange their wedding.  This is shown by the quote “I am the drudge and toil in your delight” – Act 2 Scene 5.  When Lady Capulet asks Juliet “How stands your disposition to be married” Juliet responds, “It is an honour I dream not of.”  This shows that at the beginning of the play, Juliet is still fairly immature.  Although Juliet is only 13 (“Come Lammas eve at night shall she be 14”) Juliet is now older than Lady Capulet was when she gave birth to Juliet.

In Act 1 Scene 5, Juliet and Romeo meet for the very first time.  Even as Romeo starts talking to Juliet, he begins using religious language to describe her such as “this holy shrine.”  As Romeo shouldn’t even be at the ball, he is very conscience of the fact that they are from rival families.  Juliet describes the fact that they are meeting and flirting together as a “gentle sin,” Juliet uses religious language such as “Ay, pilgrim, lips they must use in prayer” to tease Romeo as he tries (and later succeeds) to kiss her.  This use of religious language shows us that Juliet both understands the concept of religion and believes in it.  This religious state of mind is important in Act 3 Scene 5 because when Juliet is asked to marry Paris, although she has already secretly married Romeo.  If she went ahead with the marriage to keep the peace she would be committing bigamy, and although no-one else would know, she and God would both know that she was already married.

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Act 2 Scene two is the infamous balcony scene.  As Juliet is talking to herself, we hear her say “Deny they father and refuse thy name.  Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet.”  Juliet says here that she wishes that she wasn’t a Capulet, or Romeo wasn’t a Montague because she loves Romeo.  Here we can see that Juliet knows that she is in the wrong for being in love with Romeo because of the two families quarrels.  Juliet also says to Romeo “My ears have not yet drunk ...

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