Lord Capulet believes that Juliet is still mourning for her cousin Tybalt. He show his mourning by talking about how even the weather mourns for him also, 'When the sun sets, the earth doth drizzle dew, But for the sunset of my brother's son. It rains downright.' He uses metaphors and imagery to show his emotions, basically saying that even the rain pours with sorrow for Tybalt as does Juliet sheds tears for Romeo though is masked for Tybalt to everyone's eyes excluding the nurse and Romeo's close friend Balthazar. Lady Capulet makes the situation worse by saying very bluntly and viciously that Juliet will not marry Paris, but she does give you thanks.
I feel Lord Capulet feels betrayed by his little girl refusing to marry Paris. He probably feels ashamed of his own daughter and family. Juliet brings disgrace into a good, proper family and does not want the community to know about his disobedient child. Even with best interests at heart, I think Lord Capulet bullies Juliet to make her feel ashamed about herself, I think this confuses Juliet even more to make her believe that they do not love nor care for her. This decision for Juliet to marry Paris next Thursday morning was not the original plan, Lord Capulet wanted Paris to wait to two more years, because she is still young and foolish at fourteen, but is mature and a lady at sixteen, evermore so he brings the wedding forward to cease Juliet's depression.
By repeating Juliet's words shows his anger ' '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', also using offence words to hurt his only child, 'out you green- sickness carrion' and 'tallow face' meaning she is anaemic as a corpse, pale, ugly and a dirty person that should be living out with lower society of people with no status. I truly believe that he is a warm, gentle and jolly man, who loves his only lasting child very dearly, but ...
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By repeating Juliet's words shows his anger ' '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', also using offence words to hurt his only child, 'out you green- sickness carrion' and 'tallow face' meaning she is anaemic as a corpse, pale, ugly and a dirty person that should be living out with lower society of people with no status. I truly believe that he is a warm, gentle and jolly man, who loves his only lasting child very dearly, but is also bitter and loses his temper when thing are out of his control.
Lady Capulet still believes in arrange marriage, I feel that she is more excited that her daughter in marrying into good status within the community for Paris is kinsman to the Prince. ' The gallant, young and noble gentleman, The County Paris', Paris is neither of these things he is boring and thinks Juliet and her father share one heart, that Juliet craves to love and know him, also she should be grateful that she marrying into his family of high importance, but Lord Capulet only loves him for the money and importance of being in high status.
Lady Capulet was brought up in a patriarchal society where her mother and generations before her their marriages arranged, so naturally she would want the same for her daughter. Lady Caplet is cold hearted, attention seeking, lonely and bitter person, who just
wants to feel loved; she finally finds love and security in her kinsman Tybalt, her nephew who is killed by Romeo in Act three Scene one. Juliet and Lord Capulet only show her affection because they are family and are expected to do so, but Tybalt is only I think that she will ever love, she talks about him with such pride, she talks with much hatred about Romeo after he killed Tybalt.
Before Act three, Lady Capulet is portrayed as strong-headed person, not as weak person she plays a small, but important role in this scene and has very little to say through out. I think she agrees with the marriage because she is finally free of having a child in her life, this is why she tells Juliet 'Talk not to me, for I'll shall not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have with thee', meaning ' Don't talk to me, I will not speak one word to help you, do as you please because I do not care for I'm done with you'. This shows how cruel and heartless Lady Capulet is, she unwilling to help her daughter. They have no mother- daughter relationship.
At the beginning the play, Juliet is captured as the star and flower of Lord Caplet's eye. Juliet is light and joy of his life; she is the only lasting child. I feel Juliet saw her father as kind, warm hearted and jolly man, who would do anything for her that she wanted. Paris did not woo Juliet, but Paris wooed her father. Juliet's father saw Paris, who afraid to take risks for love as kind, gentleman, high status and rich man, that was right for his little girl, but told him he would have to wait two more years when she is sixteen to marry. Juliet's reasons for refusing to marry Paris are she does not know him and that her heart and soul belongs to Romeo. I believe that Juliet has mixed emotions ranging from grief to confusion; she has no other choice, but refuses Paris's hand in marriage, but how would getting married would stop anyone's heartache?
Lord Capulet felt betrayed and that Juliet was an ungrateful person not to take kindly to the marriage proposal, his reaction to Juliet refusing cause his extreme behaviour to cry out to God saying that he thought Juliet was a blessing, but really God cursed them with her, ' That God sent us but this only child; But now I see this one is one too much, And that we have a curse in having her', he also says that 'My fingers itch', which leads me to believe that he is so anger that could hit her or harm her.
Juliet wishes that her mother could delay the marriage or she can prepare her deathbed, ' Delay this marriage for a month, a week, Or if not, make the bridal bed. In the dim monument where Tybalt lies'. She wishes so doesn't have to marry Paris and escape to Mantua to be with Romeo. Juliet eventually pleases her father by saying that she will marry Paris; she fools them all and takes a potion from Friar Lawrence, which makes her seem dead. Lord Capulet is pleased that Juliet has finally comes to her senses that he has choose the perfect man for her to marry. After Juliet commits suicide, I saw that Juliet does have a close and loving relationship with Lord Capulet, in the end he pushed her into suicide by bringing the wedding forward in thought that it would make her happy, this is tragic irony.
Shakespeare uses a lot of irony in Romeo and Juliet, to show the seriousness of their tragic love. Romeo and Juliet are a pair of star crossed lovers, whose destined journey of fatal and death marked love to is bound to go wrong and their deaths are the only thing that can restore the peace between Montagues and Capulets. Both families paid the cost of fighting by losing their only children, as the old saying goes 'Love's path doesn't run smoothly'. I believe that everyone wants to share the love that Juliet and Romeo had for each other; this play mirrors the truth of reality and people's real inner truths about love. Shakespeare is only showing the truth about love. The tragedy is that both lovers kill themselves, which brings great sadness to both families. I truly believe in the love of ' Juliet and her Romeo', for this sad tale of love is the base for any relationship today. My favourite line that ends the play beautiful and poetic 'For never was a story of more woe. Than this of Juliet and her Romeo'.
Kristina Robinson 10LP Tuesday 5th December 2006
