Romeo and Juliet/The Tempest

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How does Shakespeare present father/daughter relationships in Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest?

      Of all family relationships, the father/daughter relationship is one of the most prominently featured relationships in literature or movies. This is because the father/daughter relationship has much dramatic potential and so, it makes a great story. This is probably why Shakespeare chose to explore different aspects of this relationship in his plays, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest.

    In Romeo and Juliet, the relationship between Juliet and Lord Capulet is presented as somewhat distant and shows a weakness in the bond between the two. In Act 1 Scene 2, Lord Capulet often suggests that Juliet is not a mature teenager and perhaps underestimates her. He also suggests that she has not seen the real world. This becomes apparent when he says, ‘My child is yet a stranger in the world, she hath not seen the change of fourteen years.’ Furthermore, ‘stranger to the world’ implies the fact that she might be a stranger to him. It also displays a lack of trust in Juliet and possibly some hidden doubt about her loyalty to him as her father. However, it could also mean that Capulet cares for his young Juliet and wants to protect her innocence by not wanting her to marry at such a young age.

    Similarly, Prospero’s relationship with Miranda possibly has two interpretations to it, like Lord Capulet’s and Juliet’s relationship. Prospero, in the second scene of The Tempest, puts Miranda to sleep by magic before he puts on his magic robe and summons for Ariel to confer about the tempest he caused. This shows a weak connection between the father and daughter as we find out that Prospero does not share everything with his daughter even though she is the only other human on the island. On the other hand, Prospero could possibly be protecting her innocence by not letting her hear the conversation about the tempest he caused. From the very beginning of these two plays, the audience comes to know that Prospero and Lord Capulet are both very dominating fathers and like to have control over their daughters.

     The question that lies then is whether it is right for Prospero to use his magic on Miranda to put her to sleep or not. Throughout the play, Prospero is shown as quite an influential character who likes to have power over everyone. For example, when he is telling Miranda the story of how they ended up being on the island, he frequently asks her, ‘Dost thou attend me?’ and tells her, ‘thou attend’st not!’ which is an example of an imperative. This also makes him seem like a teacher as teachers usually use a lot of imperatives and are very commanding. This confirms the fact that he is a dominating father; however Miranda’s response to him is very loving. She always responds to him, calling him, ‘my dearest father’ and addresses him as ‘thee.’ This shows comfort, familiarity and intimacy between Prospero and Miranda which means that she is used to this kind of demanding behaviour from her father but nevertheless still loves him.

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     His characterization is later reinforced when he is shown spying on Miranda and Ferdinand’s encounter and eavesdropping on their conversation in Act 3 Scene 1. This emphasizes the fact that he is the authoritative father and likes to have control over his daughter because of the powerful man that he is or simply because he cares for his daughter and wishes well for her.

     In Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet is portrayed as a father who doesn’t really show his love for his daughter because he is not a person who likes to share his ...

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