In Act 3 Scene 5 dawn arrives and Romeo and Juliet are parted from their bed. This is the scene in which Lady Capulet comes to tell Juliet of the wedding to Paris expecting Juliet to be overjoyed. When Capulet comes in, his tone is light but he shows fatherly concern for Juliet’s tears. He thinks she is happy about this news deep down and assumes she is still crying for the death of Tybalt. This brings in a huge sense of dramatic irony as the audience know Juliet is married already and we wait to see what she will do to get out of this arrangement with Paris. At this moment Capulet uses fond, caring and comforting words like ‘How now…’but his sympathy for Juliet and his patience soon run out. The image of a storm Capulet conjured up earlier (in lines 126-38) is ironic as shortly a storm is about to erupt between Lady Capulet and Juliet. This suspense that has been brought into the play at this stage is a key moment that moves the plot forward, causing the audience to anticipate developments.
Lord and Lady Capulet are very surprised when Juliet flatly refuses to marry Paris, Verona’s most eligible bachelor. This is shown through the contrast in Capulet’s tone and use of words toward Juliet compared to his previous tone. It also shows the change of character in Lord Capulet and the dramatic change in relationship between himself and Juliet. He calls Juliet not by her name but by the repeated use of the word, ‘She,’ ‘Will she none?’ ‘Doth she not give us thanks?’ He says ‘Doth she not count her blest’ He calls her unworthy in comparison to Paris. ‘Unworthy she is that we have wrought so worthy a gentleman to be her bride?’ This use of the word, ‘she’ gives the effect of distance between Lord Capulet and Juliet and also of the deep seriousness felt by Juliet’s father at this time. His plan would have been good, had not Juliet matured earlier than her parents could have supposed, leaving her not only emotionally committed but legally bound, elsewhere.
Lord Capulet believed in his masculine logic and fatherly provision. He had no empathetic, imaginative, intuitive understanding or close relationship with Juliet. When Juliet tried to speak with him, he was simply annoyed that it was not compliance and protested against her attempted confidences, ‘how, how! chop –logic! -----mistress minion you? Thank me no thankings nor proud me no prouds, But fettle your fine joints---To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church.’ There is the threat of compulsion and physical force in Capulet’s words, ‘Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.’ The impossibility of finding a chink in his armour, whereby he might be approached with hope of a favourable outcome, left Juliet’s nurse powerless to intercede. Lord Capulet was the one with the power but his servant, Juliet’s nurse was the one who knew Juliet’s plight, but he never thought to enquire of her.
Juliet pleaded with her father on her knees to be heard but his overriding dominance made him deaf to his daughter’s plea. Instead, his anger ruled, ‘Hang thee, young baggage! disobedient wretch!’ He only reiterated the impossible command, that she, ‘get to church o’ Thursday,
Or never look me in the face.’ We have here the threat of banishment. He is pushing her further away from any resolution of the dilemma. He thinks everything can be resolved by force and power and this is the same streak that perpetuates the strife between his house and that of Montague. He was so angry he was to wanting to punish her physically, ‘My fingers itch.’ He effectively sealed her up in her silence, leaving her to her fate, ‘Speak not reply not, do not answer me!”
