Is lord Capulet a good father?

The ideas of what makes a good father have changed somewhat since the days of Shakespeare. Then, a good father was someone who provide their daughter with as much luxury as they could afford whilst they were young and found them a good husband when they were of age. This was usually around 14-15 years old. Today however, a good father would be someone who is there when they are needed and provides well for his daughter until she is ready for the world and to make her own decisions. Lord Capulet clearly loves his daughter very much but this love is contrasted to his great temper. In my essay I am going to argue the good points of Lord Capulet as a father as well as the bad.

We can see that Capulet loves Juliet very much from the way he speaks about her to Paris in act 2 scene 2 ‘stranger in the world.’ This shows he is protective of her. He wants her to be happy and shows his affection, ‘she’s the hopeful lady of my earth.’ ‘Woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart.’ This shows that he wants her to be loved, as he loves her.

Caplulet is very able to provide for Juliet as he is the head of a very wealthy family and has an army of servants and holds impressive parties. ...

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Caplulet is very able to provide for Juliet as he is the head of a very wealthy family and has an army of servants and holds impressive parties. She is thought noble enough to marry Paris who is a relative of the prince who is very rich. ‘I tell you, he that can lay hold of her/shall have the chinks.’ This means whoever marries her will be very rich. This in Elizabethan times is thought to show a good father.

Up until act 3 scene 5 he is seen to treat Juliet very well. But his violent temper shows through when Juliet refuses to marry Paris. ‘I think she shall be ruled/in all respects by me,’ this shows he is dictational and strong. When she refuses to marry him, ‘he shall not make me there a joyful bride,’ Capulet flies into a furious rage, ‘baggage, disobedient wretch!’ He is no longer tolerant and angry Juliet will not marry Paris. ‘My fingers itch,’ ‘I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee, nor what is mine shall never do thee good.’ This lets Juliet know that if she disobeys him he will cut her off from his inheritance – cast her out of the house.

Juliet has no freedom or independence but that was typical for rich girls of the period. ‘The clock struck nine when I did send the nurse,’ she is not allowed to walk the streets of Verona. ‘Have you got leave to go to the shrift today?’ she must have permission to leave the house. Although Capulet is being protective of Juliet, today this would be seen as overprotective and would result in a rebellious child. But in the days of Shakespeare this was seen as normal.

The feud with Montague has a great affect on Juliet as it ultimately kills her. You can see that Capulet realizes this at the end of the play, ‘o brother Montague, give me thy hand.’ He is sorry and very guilty that the reason his favorite daughter is dead is mainly his fault.

In conclusion I would say that for the time he was a very good father to Juliet as he was able to provide her with everything she wanted and chose her an excellent husband. But in today’s world he would be a very poor father as he gave her no freedom or independence and made her choices for her.

By Ian Franklin

Peer Reviews

Here's what a star student thought of this essay

sydneyhopcroft

21st of Aug 2012

Quality of writing

The Quality of Written Communication (QWC) is very good. There is evidence this candidate has gone to lengths in order to ensure they have not made any errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar, hence there is no cause for concern with regard to these. There is one minor typing error - "Caplulet" - but it is obvious what the candidate intended to say and so no marks are missed in QWC.

Level of analysis

The Level of Analysis is fair but quite limited. I would argue that after the introductory paragraph, the essay isn't presented in quite such a confident way; it can come across as very prescriptive and detached, with a lot of time spent simply translating Shakespearean dialogue into modern day English. Whilst it is always good to show the examiner you can understand what Shakespeare is writing, there are no marks for doing this on it's own. While there is some analysis 'bolted-on' to these translations here, it almost always relates back to the transition between Shakespearean times and modern day times. I would recommend the candidate then concentrates more on effective analysis and less on translating Shakespeare. If you can form good analysis from the texts then there is absolutely no need to so explicitly translate Shakespeare - it's a common pitfall and it often creates uncomfortable breaks in the essay analysis, which then limits the marks awarded for cohesive structure and fluid analysis.

Response to question

This is a good essay, and one that tackles a deceptively hard question because it calls into play the understanding of Shakespearean morals, so a contextual appreciation of the social and historical factors that made Lord Capulet act in such a way is imperative to score highly. This candidate identifies this clear change in the societal view of paternal duties in the very first sentence of what then becomes a very strong introduction, which nicely outlines the premise and the purpose of the essay they're about to write. Obviously, no analytical marks are awarded here, but it gives the essay direction - it makes it easier to read and the candidate will be awarded marks for being able to structure a coherent essay that reads well.

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