‘Marry, that ‘marry’ is the very theme I came to talk of.
Tell me, daughter Juliet, how stands your dispositions
to be married?’
Then Juliet replies
‘It is an honour I dream not of’
This is showing us that she is willing to be loyal and marry anyone who her parents say. But later in the play after she has met Romeo she say’s
‘No, No! But all this did I know before. What say’s of
marriage, what of that?’
She has now changed her mind and doesn’t want to marry who her parents chose (Paris) she wants to marry Romeo who she loves. Her parents react badly to this especially Juliet’s father who starts insulting Juliet and I believe this is because they don’t know the true feelings of love.
Throughout the play we can see that Lord Capulet loves his daughter and wants the best for her and believes getting married is the best option for Juliet and the family. I believe he can’t see through his anger to realise that if he wants his daughter to be happy he should let her marry Romeo but because she refused him he is so angry he can’t see through the anger till it is to late and Juliet kills herself.
Lady Capulet doesn’t appear to have much like a motherly relationship with Juliet as all Juliet’s problems and questions on life are conducted through the nurse who she treats as a mother like figure rather then a nurse. Lady Capulet appears to have a rather formal relationship with her daughter. She shows her little affection and quickly turns her back on her when she refuses to marry Paris.
‘I would the fool be married to her grave’
This appears a very harsh thing for a mother to say. It is also showing us that she can be just like Lord Capulet if she wants to.
We see Lady Capulet treat Juliet with disrespect when the two are arguing about Romeo and Juliet relationship. But Juliet responds by using Lady Capulet’s words and changing them to show her feelings without offending her mother.
‘He that should be husband and I swear it shall be Romeo…
Rather than Paris.’
This is Juliet talking to her mother, she is telling her that she doesn’t want to marry Paris but say’s it without offending her mother. I think this is Juliet talking at her best throughout the play.
Lord Capulet thinks his daughter will obey him and do anything he wants her to do. He treats Juliet as his property not as his daughter he tells her what to do and orders her about instead of asking her. Juliet responds to her father by saying.
‘Not proud you have, but thankful that you have, Proud can
I never be of what I hate, But thankful even for hate this is
meant love.’
In my opinion this speech is telling Lord Capulet Juliet doesn’t want to marry Paris and she doesn’t want o offend him so that is why she repeats proud, love and thankful. But Lord Capulet doesn’t take kindly to being refused and say’s
‘Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither. Out you green –
sickness carrion, out you baggage, You tallow – face.’
‘Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch.’
Lord Capulet is that angry that Juliet he is willing to offend Juliet. The quote is showing us that Lord Capulet is willing to do anything to get Juliet to marry Paris this includes insulting her which is really offensive around the time the play was written. I think Juliet is write to complain about this situation she is in because I think it is unfair that she is not allowed to marry Romeo. I also think that Lord Capulet has a point, he wants the best for Juliet and he believes Paris is the best. I also believe he is acting like this because he sees Romeo as the enemy because the two families are in the middle of a feud.
‘Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch.’
He sees his daughter as his property and can give her away to anyone he wants. This may appear cruel but was acceptable in Shakespeare’s time. When the play was written marriage was seen by many as a business arrangement. Unlike today ‘love’ didn’t come into it. Juliet doesn’t want a business arrangement she wants the man she is in love with. Her parents don’t seem to be able to understand this. Throughout the play I noticed Lord and Lady Capulet didn’t show any affection towards each other so it makes you wonder if their relationship was a business relationship.
Throughout the play we can tell different characters have different views on marriage. We can tell that Pairs believes marriage is a duty and you must marry.
‘Happily met, my lady and my wife’
This is the first thing Paris say’s to Juliet when they meet, this is showing us that even thought he doesn’t know Juliet he is willing to marry her.
We can also tell that Mercutio feels marriage or love and the opposite sex makes you look and feel weak.
‘And to sink in it, should you burden love; Too great, oppression
for a tender thing.’
‘If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for
pricking, and you beat love down. Give me a case to put my
visage in.’
I have the opinion that Mercutio doesn’t appreciate love or marriage and he is proud of it as he repeats it in is speech. He believes to have a wife is a mistake it will put you down, make you sad and he also believes you shouldn’t give your lover too much space and you should tell them when they are getting in too deep.
We can also tell that the Capulet's believe it is a duty to marry an honour to marry. Below is an extract from a speech Lord Capulet made
‘And too soon married are those so early made. Earth hath
swallowed all my hopes but she; She’s the hopeful lady of
my earth. But was her, gentle Paris, get her heart.’
This is telling us event though Paris hasn’t met Juliet yet he is still going to marry her and he will like her.
‘hath sorted a sudden day of joy’
‘Gallant, young and noble gentleman,
The above statements are telling us that the Capulet’s have waited for this day for a long time and they are not going to miss it. They are also describing Paris as a young, gallant man this is showing how proud and how much faith they have in him because they don’t know him yet they are describing him as a family member.
I believe Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is true love as when they both see each other they fall deeply in love and describe each other as sexy. Romeo say’s
‘O, She doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she
hangs upon the cheek of night As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s
ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a
snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady O’er her
fellows shows. The measure done, I’ll watch her place stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my
Heart love till now? Forswear it, sight for I ne’er saw true beauty
Till this night!’
Juliet say’s
‘Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly
devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands
do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss!’
They are both saying they like each other and are both deeply in love when they just look at each other. Even though they love each other they understand the dangers especially Romeo as he say’s
‘I must be gone and live, or stay and die.’
This phrase is telling us that Romeo wants to stay but if he stays and gets caught he will be killed. It is also seen in Juliet’s speech
‘O God, I have an ill-diving soul!’
This is said although Romeo is about to leave and Juliet doesn’t know about her proposed marriage to Paris but she still fears the worst. We can also tell they love each other in their choice of words such as ‘darling’ and ‘love’. These words mean far more then they do today as at the time it is written they actually meant ‘love’ but nowadays it is used as slang.
We can also see William Shakespeare's own views come into the play. His views on marriage are coming into the play as his marriage broke up and this is what is happening to Romeo and Juliet they are getting broken apart by Juliet’s family. We can also know that when Shakespeare broke up with his wife he had to move away we can see this being brought into the play as Romeo is banished so he is being forced to move away from Juliet just like Shakespeare. We can also see that Shakespeare believes if you are to get married it should be because you love each other and not because you are being forced to. In my opinion Shakespeare has written the play about himself as he had to move away from his wife just like Romeo got banished and couldn’t see Juliet. Also we can see Shakespeare’s marriage broke up and this is what is happening with Romeo and Juliet’s relationship as they are being broken up by their families.
In Act 4 Scene 2 we can see that Juliet has been married and can’t re-marry so she is being insincere and trying to re-assure her father even though she is going to be disobedient. She is deceiving her parents by saying she will marry Paris when she can’t marry Paris because she is already married. She is doing something she wouldn’t have done if it had happened five day’s earlier as she wouldn’t have met Romeo and therefore not been married so would have married Paris.
Juliet drinks the potion this is telling us that she is willing to do anything for Romeo and not to marry Paris. She is willing to fake her own death not to marry Paris and try and escape with Romeo but the letter she sent to Romeo didn’t reach him so he thinks she is dead and takes his own life.
The relationship between Juliet and her parents has changed considerably over the five days from being obedient, and doing anything her parents want her to do. To disobeying them and killing herself.
Her parents are obviously sad about Juliet’s death and are willing to change anything so she isn’t dead. They show there true feelings after she is dead which they didn’t show when they are alive. They show they love her and feel sad for her this is evident in their speech.
‘Flower as she was, deflowered by him.’
‘But one, poor one, one poor and loving child.’
This is showing they really love her and didn’t want her to die. I believe the relationship between Juliet and her parents broke up because they didn’t listen to her concerns or give her a correct up bringing. They should have taken more interest in her childhood instead of leaving her to the nurse and then they would have understood her problems. You can’t underestimate the true power of love and Juliet’s parents have done this, they haven’t shown Juliet enough love. Then Juliet was betrayed by her nurse as her nurse left her and told her to marry Paris so Juliet has turned to the one person that shows her love and this is Romeo she needs some security and marrying Romeo will give her this.
I think William Shakespeare is trying to teach us that you can’t force someone to love someone if they don’t love each other also he is trying to show us the true meaning of true love. He is also trying to show us that you should listen to each other or you will not make any progress. He is trying to set us with a good example of true love doomed to fail. He is also trying to show us that people shouldn’t be judged by there class even if they are poor or rich. He is also showing us that it isn’t just weeks, months or years that change your life it can be days.
