In Act 1 scene 2 Paris and Lord Capulet are talking about Juliet’s arranged marriage. Lord Capulet comes across as reluctant for Juliet to marry Paris and believes at the moment she’s too young and innocent for marriage as he tells him,’ My child is yet a stranger in the world’ which shows he’s unsure that she is ready for marriage. ‘Let two more summers wither in their pride’ meaning that he wants Juliet to wait two more years. This is showing Lord Capulet is having second thoughts. Capulet advises ‘woo her gentle Paris, get her heart’ which suggests the point that he wants Juliet to make the choice about who she wants to fall in love with. Capulet is also trying to get his fears across to Paris about this marriage when he says ‘ Earth has swallowed all my hopes but she’ and is trying to tell him that Juliet is the only child he has left and he wants to be sure that she is happy and she wont come to any harm.
Paris can see that Capulet is having different feelings now towards him and tries his best to win over Juliet’s hand in marriage. We can see he’s interested in children as he says to Capulet ‘younger than she are happy mothers made’ which is basically saying that younger girls have had children and are really happy. This is trying to persuade Capulet that Juliet is at the right age for marriage and he’s keen to have heirs to the family fortune.
Juliet’s mother suggests that Paris is not the best looking man in Verona. But suggests that, ‘To beautify him, only lacks a cover’ meaning that if she marries him she will make him look good and his looks should hopefully grown on her.
‘Well, think of marriage now. Younger than you, there is Verona, ladies of esteem’ is saying Juliet should have children as soon as possible and girls younger than her have had children. Also ‘I was your mother much upon these years’ which is saying Lady Capulet wants her to marry him for the fact she shouldn’t still be a virgin. ‘So shall you share all that he doth posses’ is saying she can gain his wealth by marrying him so she will be rich and share his power, which at the time was a god thing because most women were not treated this nicely.
Despite not having a say in the marriage, Lady Capulet is very enthusiastic about it, and is very keen for Juliet to agree to the marriage and speak to Paris at the feast which is going to be held that night.
She is thinking along the same lines as Paris- that Juliet is old enough now to be having children. Juliet however, is not thinking of marriage, and shows this bluntly when asked about it- "It is an honour that I dream not of." But she tries to seem cooperative by vaguely saying at the end of the conversation, "I'll look to like, if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endard mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly." This shows that she isn't going to give in to her mother easily, but doesn't want to start an argument at the moment and wants to appear as the obedient daughter, and not, as the feisty young girl who has secretly married one of the children of the rival family in Verona.
