Show how Shakespeare gradually isolates Juliet in Act 3 Scene 5. How would this be shown on stage?

The confrontation between parents and children, youth and old age, is further explored in Act 3 Scene 5, when Juliet’s father abruptly decided that she should marry Paris as soon as possible. Whereas Friar Lawrence tried to use the wisdom of his years to encourage the young, impetuous Romeo to have patience and bide his time until he could claim his bride, here Capulet makes rash plans for his daughters future. During the 16th century, when the play was written, affluent people such as the Capulet’s and Montague’s did not adhere to the notion that marriage was a ceremony dedicated to “love”. Their principle was that you had to marry someone who was influential and prosperous. This way families became more opulent if they unify with another household that is wealthy and powerful.

Late on Monday evening, Capulet and Paris discuss how Juliet’s grief over Tybalts death has prevented Paris from continuing his courtship of Juliet. Capulet states that due to the terrible recent events, he has had no time to ask his daughter about her feelings towards Paris. Paris is about to leave when Capulet beckons him back and makes what he calls “A desperate tender of my child’s love”. Capulets confidence that Juliet will obey his will and consent to marry Paris contrasts sharply with is demeanour in Act1, Scene2. At the masquerade ball, he told Paris he would agree to the match only if Juliet agreed. “My will to her consent is but a part, and she agreed within her scope of choice, lies my consent and fair according voice”. Now his assurances to Paris about his dutiful daughter’s compliance are dramatically ironic because Juliet has already defied her father’s authority, having married Romeo earlier that day. Indeed, the older generation is distinctly out of touch as Juliet is upstairs consummating her marriage to Romeo even as Capulet offers her hand to Paris.

Although Capulet’s sudden change of heart appears arbitrary, he doesn’t explain why the wedding must take place so hastily, the decision reflects his imperious and impetuous nature, which has undoubtedly kept the feud well-fuelled. He states that he desires to bring some joy into a sad time, and to want to cure Juliet of her deep mourning ( Of course ironically, she mourns her husband’s banishment and not Tybalts death).This is made clear when he says “Things have fall’n out sir, so unluckily, that we have had no time to move our daughter. Look you, she loved her kinsman Tybalt dearly, and so did I”. But it is also possible that in this escalating time of strife with the Montague’s, Capulet wants all the political help he can get. A marriage between his daughter and Paris, a close kinsman to the Prince, would go a long way in his regard. Regardless of Capulets motivation, his decision makes obvious the dominance that men have over the women of Verona. Juliet’s impotence in this situation is driven home by the irony of Capulet’s determination to push the wedding from Wednesday to Thursday, when a few days earlier he wanted to postpone the wedding by two years. His language also suggests a shift from parental concern for his daughter’s emotional maturity to consideration for her material comfort and social status. In this scene, Capulet conspicuously addresses Paris using a series of titles that indicate Paris’ social superiority, “Sir Paris”, “Noble earl”, and “My Lord” Paris is a relative of the Prince and as Capulet’s son- in –law , would bring Capulet’s family increased wealth and status. Capulet would never be able to understand, let alone agree to, a marriage for Juliet based solely on “love”.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Having not quite reached her fourteenth birthday, Juliet is of an age that stands on the border between immaturity and maturity. At the play’s beginning however she seems merely an obedient, sheltered, naïve child. Though many girls her age, including her mother, get married, Juliet has not given the subject any thought. When lady Capulet mentions Paris’s interest in marrying Juliet, Juliet dutifully responds that she will try to see if she can love him , a response that’s seems childish in its obedience and in its immature conception love. In addition, even in Juliet’s dutiful acquiescence to try to love Paris, there is some seed of steely determination. Juliet promises to consider Paris as a possible husband to the precise degree her mother desires.” I’ll look to like, if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye. Than your consent gives strength to make it fly”. In this quote Juliet states that she’ll look forward to liking him, if looking at him can lead her to like him. But she will only get involved with him as much as her mother would approve of.

While an outward show of obedience, such as a statement can also be read as a refusal through passivity. Juliet will accede to her mother’s wishes, but she will not go out of her way to fall in love with Paris.

Once Capulet confers with Paris that Juliet will obey his patriarchal wishes and marry Paris on Thursday. Paris eagerly agrees to the arrangements and lady Capulet is sent to convey the news to Juliet. Romeo has left Juliet’s room after spending the night together; Juliet is informed that Lady Capulet wishes to speak to her. Juliet is weeping at Romeo's departure, but tells her mother that she's not well. Her mother, however, jumps to the conclusion that Juliet is weeping over the death of Tybalt. Thus begins a dialogue in which Lady Capulet speaks of Tybalt but Juliet's replies, unknown to her mother, are about Romeo. Lady Capulet asks, . These are only rhetorical questions; Lady Capulet has an opinion, which she proceeds to deliver. She says that even if Juliet's tears could wash Tybalt out of his grave, she couldn't bring him back to life. Therefore Juliet should stop crying because, although her grief shows her love, too much grief is not wise. Juliet, thinking of the fact that Romeo has just left, replies, "Yet let me weep for such a feeling loss". "Feeling," like our "touching," means "emotionally affecting" but can also be used to indicate physical contact. Juliet is weeping because she is feeling the loss of feeling Romeo in her arms, but Lady Capulet again tells her that weeping will only make her "feel the loss, but not the friend / which you weep for". This is true of both Tybalt and Romeo, and Juliet answers that she can't help herself. Juliet on stage would be seen weeping on her own, although we get the impression that her mother shares the same grief, and is comforting her.

Lady Capulet, having assumed that Juliet is weeping for Tybalt, makes another mistaken assumption. She says, "Well, girl, thou weep'st not so much for his death, / As that the villain lives which slaughter'd him". Lady Capulet, as we will see, is more revengeful than sorrowful, and she assumes that her daughter feels the same way. Of course Juliet doesn't and says to herself, then says to her mother, "God pardon him! I do, with all my heart; / and yet no man like he doth grieve my heart". To herself, Juliet has said that Romeo is a very long way from being a villain; to her mother, she says "God pardon him," as though God were the only one who could pardon such a villain, but then almost gives herself away before she says that Romeo grieves her heart. We know that Romeo grieves her heart because he's not there with her, but Lady Capulet thinks that it is "because the traitor murderer lives". Juliet answers, "Ay, madam, from the reach of these my hands: / would none but I might venge my cousin's death!” Lady Capulet, thinking that Juliet means she would like to tear Romeo apart with her own hands, says, . A "dram" is a very small amount of liquid; medicine and strong liquor were measured in drams, so Lady Capulet calls the dram she has in mind "unaccustom'd" because it will kill Romeo, rather than making him feel better.

Lady Capulet says she hopes that her idea of poisoning Romeo satisfies Juliet, and Juliet replies, "Indeed, I never shall be satisfied / With Romeo, till I behold him dead / Is my poor heart so for a kinsman vex'd". The idea of Juliet seeing Romeo dead of poison foreshadows what actually happens, but at the moment what she really means is that her heart is so troubled for her closest kinsman (her husband) that she will never be satisfied until he is with her again. She goes on to say that if Lady Capulet could find someone to take poison to Romeo, she "would temper it, / That Romeo should, upon receipt thereof, / Soon sleep in quiet.". To "temper" a liquid is to mix it with something else; Lady Capulet is supposed to think that Juliet would make the poison more poisonous, but Juliet means the opposite. Then Juliet says she hates to hear Romeo's name when she the love I bore my cousin / Upon his body that slaughter'd him!" During this part of the play Juliet would be portrayed as being isolated on stage, if she stood alone, and was distance from everyone. This would reflect her emptiness and withdrawal from everyone.

Lady Capulet informs Juliet that she is to marry Paris. Lady Capulet tells her it's that early on Thursday Paris will make her a joyful bride at St. Peter's Church, but Juliet exclaims, "Now, by Saint Peter's Church and Peter too, / He shall not make me there a joyful bride". She complains that she's going to be married off before the man has even wooed her, and she tells her mother to tell her father that she will not marry. To show just how much she is opposed to the whole idea she declares that when she does marry, "It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, / Rather than Paris". Lady Capulet is not about to deliver any such message for her daughter. Besides that, it's too late, because Lady Capulet sees her husband approaching. Lady Capulet informs him that Juliet has refused to marry Paris. On stage there will be an air of tension arising due to the recent news, because Juliet is quite evidently opposed to the idea of marrying Paris, after all she is still married to Romeo.

Capulet thinks his daughter should count her blessings, but instead she tries to explain her feelings: "Not proud, you have; but thankful, that you have: / Proud can I never be of what I hate; / But thankful even for hate, that is meant love". Juliet means that she cannot be proud to be Paris' wife because she hates the very idea, but she is thankful to her father for arranging the wedding because she knows he did it because he loves her. Capulet, however, is not a man who can listen to explanations; first he stutters, then flies into a rage: "How, how, how, how, chopp'd logic! What is this? / "Proud," and "I thank you," and "I thank you not"; / And yet "not proud." Mistress minion, you, / Thank me no thankings, nor, proud me no prouds" . "Chopp'd logic" is an argument that is obviously stupid, an argument that would only be used by a child spoiled rotten--a "minion." Capulet orders this minion to "fettle your fine joints 'gainst Thursday next, / To go with Paris to Saint Peter's Church, / Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither". "Fettle" means "prepare," but it's a word used of a horse. Capulet follows this sarcasm with a threat to drag her to the wedding on a "hurdle," which is a kind of sledge on which prisoners took a very rough ride to the gallows while people jeered at them. Capulet follows this threat with name-calling: "Out, you green-sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! / You tallow-face!".”Out" is an expression of rage, like "Get out of my face" or "Go to hell." "Green-sickness carrion" is a double insult; it means she looks as green as something that's been dead a long time, and it means she is afflicted with the disgusting sickness that comes from being a girl, and not a married woman. A "baggage" is a good-for-nothing, someone who's just a burden, and "tallow" is animal fat used to make cheap candles. Poor Juliet weeping, gets no sympathy from her father. This whole conversation of anger and outrage reflects how out of touch Juliet’s parents are with her life. It is demonstrated that Capulet torments Juliet and he is wild with rage, Juliet is again seen as vulnerable, as she is not able to stand up for herself, and the situation is again out of her control. During this particular moment the audience will most likely feel a pang of sympathy for Juliet resulting in the audience seeing her as an isolated individual where no one understands and empathises with the way she feels. You would not expect a parent to refer so harshly to their children using words such as “baggage”, this only reflects Capulet’s uncontrollable rage towards his daughter.

Juliet is also rejected by her mother, she too thinks that Juliet is being ungrateful. After lady Capulet and Capulet exit, Juliet turns to her nurse, but she replies “Romeo's a dishclout to him: an eagle, madam, Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an eye As Paris hath. Beshrew my very heart, I think you are happy in this second match, For it excels your first: or if it did not, Your first is dead; or 'twere as good he were, As living here and you no use of him.” Juliet feels betrayed that her nurse has helped her s far and now she is advising her to forget Romeo and comply with her father’s wishes. This is the point where Juliet is most isolated from her family. Our feelings are complex towards Juliet at this time because we admire her fort he way she faces adversity, but we cannot bring ourselves to accept the already amending catastrophe. Juliet’s mother has disregarded her, and her father has disowned her, now the person she trusts is advising her to go with the choice she most despises. Shakespeare gradually works his way into making Juliet feel isolated, by leading up to the huge outburst of Capulet, where Juliet is portrayed as being a vulnerable child, she reaches the peak of her isolation, and is woken up to the realisation that she has to amend the situation. During most of the play Juliet would be seen as on her own and distanced from the other characters, possibly shown in the spotlight, to verify to the audience that the main focus is Juliet, although none of the other characters are taking her feelings into account. The main effect on stage would be that Juliet is seen on her own for the duration of the scene, so it is specifically focused on making Juliet feel isolated.