To what extent has Juliet grown since the start of the play?

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SHARIFA SABIR

ROMEO AND JULIET

To what extent has Juliet grown since the start of the play?

Romeo and Juliet is a play that was written by Shakespeare in 1595. William was born in 1564 and died in 1616 he was the third child of John and Mary Shakespeare. The first two were daughters and William was himself followed by Gilbert who died in 1612 and Richard who died in 1613. Other plays written by William are Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear. 

 

The prologue is used to summarise the events of the play. The first quote ‘Two households both alike in dignity’ tells us that both the Montagues and Capulets are both equal in wealth, social standing and status. We then find out that the play is set in Italy, Verona. The next quote ‘ancient grudge’ tells us that there is an old feud between both families and ‘new mutiny’ tells us that the conflict still exists.   Then ‘civil blood makes civil hands unclean’ tells us that the hands are unclean because of the blood, and civil meaning both families born in the same country fighting each other. An important quote is ‘fatal lions of these two foes’ fatal being an important word as is suggests that the death of Romeo and Juliet had been pre-determined. Then 'star crossed lovers’ which means that it was destiny, already written that death was Romeo and Juliet’s fate. Another important quote is ‘ Doth with their death bury their parents strife’, this is important because it tells us that Romeo and Juliet’s death has broken that ancient grudge that was between the Montagues and Capulets. And the quote ‘ death marked love’, which again tells us it was their destiny to die.    

In the play Romeo and Juliet we see how Juliet matures through out the play. There are many factors that affect how quickly she matures. These factors are Romeo, her relationship with her parents, fate and her parents’ perception of her.

In the beginning of the play we see that Juliet is the obedient girl who listens to her parents. What they say she must do.  In act 1 scene 3 we see the relationship between Juliet and Lady Capulet, her mother. Lady Capulet is asking Juliet how she feels about marrying Paris. She says ‘how stands your dispositions to be married?’ Lady Capulet is enquiry about Juliet’s inclination, which means finding out how she feels about marriage. Juliet replies by saying ‘It is an honour I dream not of’ here she has said she is not inclined to be married and hasn’t been thinking of it. Lady Capulet then goes onto say ‘think of marriage now; younger than you here in Verona, ladies of esteem, are made already mothers I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid’ here Lady Capulet reinforces Paris speech in Act 1 scene 2. Paris and Lady Capulet share the same prospective of marriage. She then quotes ‘can you love the gentleman’ here she is talking of Paris.  

In the next quote Lady Capulet makes an analogy, which means an comparison, she compares Paris to a book, ‘ Read o’er the volume of young Paris’s face, and find delight write there with beauty’s pen’.  She is trying to persuade Juliet to think of marriage, she’s saying imagine Paris as a book, he needs to be covered and is telling her to open this book and read it, take a look at what’s inside.  She reinforces this by saying ‘this precious book of love, this unbound love…only lacks a cover’ the cover again is Juliet. Juliet then replies by saying ‘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’, this is a very important quote as Juliet is saying she’ll go to the ball and look at Paris and if her mother doesn’t want her feelings to get stronger for him she wont let them. Juliet’s innocence, lack of understanding and naive position provokes her to accept her mothers will. She obeys the power of the parents.  

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In act 1 scene 5 we see a dramatic change in Juliet. From a dutiful, obedient girl she turns into a woman who feels emotions independently from her parents. In this scene it is the first time that Romeo meets Juliet he starts to compare her beauty to a bright torch ‘O she teach the torches to burn bright’. He then goes onto say ‘she hangs upon the cheek of night as a rich jewel in an ethiop’s ear’ here Romeo is saying if she was to be compared with something in the world it would be something rare ...

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