This doth not so, for the divideth us”
Shakespeare from this quote is letting us think how she regrets thinking it was night by blaming it on the lark. . To make us feel more sympathy for Juliet Shakespeare is giving us the idea of how it was not Juliet’s fault thinking it was still night it was the lark because it was so out of tune, that it sounded like a nightingale. What I have realized is that if Romeo did not make her realize the truth in time she could have got him killed, the consequence for this little mistake could have been very painful for Juliet because Juliet could have lost Romeo her love of life which makes us even more sympathetic towards Juliet.
When Nurse enters and warns Juliet that her lady mother is coming, Romeo has to leave; Juliet asks if they will ever meet again she says
“O, think’st thou we shall ever meet again?”
Juliet then says she has an image of Romeo dead
“Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low,
As one dead in the bottom of a tomb.”
Shakespeare from this quote is making us feel the apprehension of Juliet’s feelings so we can feel and see the tension of that dream. He makes us feel even more pity for Juliet because not only Romeo is leaving her, she also had an image of Romeo dead which makes us feel worried and it makes us think how it would feel leaving the person you love and not sure of what fait will do next. It makes me think that if I was in this situation I would not be able to let him leave. I would say love is hard to find and hard to get but leaving the person that you can not live without is even harder.
As the dawn breaks, darkness descends on the two lovers
Romeo has just been banished from Verona for killing Tybalt his wife Juliet’s cousin. There are tensions in the scene already before lord Capulet talks of marriage to Juliet.
PARAGRAPH THREE
Lady Capulet tells Juliet that she will be marrying Paris on Thursday in Saint Peter’s Church. For Juliet, suffering begins immediately. Her parents who are organizing her into the marriage with Paris – even before she leaves the stage after her farewell to Romeo, besiege her. Reasonably enough, she remarks
“I wonder at this haste”
Though the irony in her words is strong, giving the haste with which both she and Romeo consummated their love.
Lord Capulet who then enters the room thinking that Juliet will be pleased that he found such a well respected rich man, to be her husband however Juliet is not. Lord Capulet asks Lady Capulet if she has delivered the message which was for Juliet to marry Paris he asks
“Have you delivered to her our decree?”
Lady Capulet answers
“Ay, sir; but she will none, she gives you thanks.
I would the fool were married to her grave!”
Lord Capulet gets in a stun. He expected her to agree with the decision because he thought she would love to marry a wealthy gentleman as girls would in Elizabethan times. He thought she will be delightful to hear the “good news”. He says
“Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought
So worthy a gentleman to be her bride groom?”
I think this is where lord Capulet is beginning to heat – up because he is traumatized by the devastating news. It seems like he is just waiting for Juliet to speak so he can burst his anger out on her. And Juliet does reply she remarks that she is not proud but she is thankful because she can not be proud of something she hates but is thankful for trying to think best for her. She says
“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.”
I presume that she must feel perplexed because she does not know what to do about this situation especially when Romeo has been banished from Verona. Lord Capulet now is aggravated from Juliet; he starts to shriek at Juliet he says
“How, how, how, how? Chop logic? What is this?
‘proud’, and ‘I thank you’, and ‘I thank you not’,
and yet ‘not proud’, mistress minion you?”
Not only he screams at her, he agitates her by telling her when and where and with who her marriage is
“Thank me no thankings nor proud me no prouds,
But fettle your fine joints ‘gainst Thursday next
To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church,”
This is where that I think that lord Capulet changes from reflecting on his daughter’s happiness to being possessed into a violent rage. Lord Capulet must be thinking at this time he did this to show her his love, that if he passes away then she will be looked after. And Paris is such a good match, as well as being related to the prince. With this lord Capulet then moves to insulting Juliet he says
“Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.
Out, you green – sickness carrion! Out, you baggage,
You tallow face!
These cruel words I think would have such a big effect on Juliet, her own father calling her names like that would show how much he does not know Juliet and how he does not care for what she wants. I think lord Capulet is being very critical to Juliet. I think it should be Juliet’s decision whether she wants to marry Paris or not, not Lord Capulet’s because he is not going to be the one spending his life with Paris.
Lady Capulet shouts
“Fie, fie; what, are you mad?
Juliet then bends down on her knees begging for her free will to choose what she wants
“Good father, I beseech you on my knees,
Hear me with patience but to speak a word.”
The irony in her words is very strong because it shows how much she does not want to marry Paris that she has to beg. This would have an immense effect on Juliet; she must feel so unwanted, betrayal and vertically tortured by lady Capulet and lord Capulet insulting her like that. And she must feel weak because there is no one to turn to. Lord Capulet still angry and muddle headed that he is still throwing nasty words and not only that he orders her to marry Paris or never look at him in the face again.
“I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday
Or never after look me in the face.”
Lord Capulet tells Juliet not to speak and he taunts her by saying how they have a curse in having her, he says
“And that we have a curse in having her.”
I think when Lord Capulet says this Juliet must feel rejected and abandoned, her own parents do not want to see her face till she does what they want her to do. She must feel like a solitary soul or maybe worse because she has a family but they act more like stepparents then biological parents.
Nurse in a way tries to take Juliet’s side, she says
“God in heaven bless her!
You are to blame, my lord, to rate her so.”
I think nurse really cares for Juliet; she grew her up like her own child and Always there for her. Lord Capulet then yells at the nurse, he tells her not to speak
“Peace you mumbling fool!”
At this point Juliet telling her father why she does not want to marry may be a bad idea. Due to the fact she’s married her father’s worst enemy’s son Romeo. This could even make Lord Capulet worse. Lord Capulet then tries to explain his temper with
“God’s bread! It makes me mad. Day, night, work, play,
Alone, in company, still my care hath been
To have her matched”
This tells me all he’s ever been thinking about is his daughter’s happiness, and it must seem like to him that Juliet has just chucked it back in his face. Lord Capulet has given his word to Paris that he will marry Juliet, He is now so ferocious that he does not want anyone to speak but him and he is turned so senseless that his rage has overcome him so he tries to blackmail Juliet with if she does not marry Paris then he will disown her. In those days girls without a husband or family were treated badly. In this case Juliet would not have any place or money to live on. This means she will suffer tragically. This will have a big effect on Juliet; her own father has never acted like this before with her and also because of what happened with Romeo her life had enough problems. Especially when you’re a 14 year old girl, problems that happen seem ten times worse, Lord Capulet does I think have a reason to get angry at Juliet. However not as angry as he did, she’s only 14 and in my opinion he should have respected his daughter’s wishes because it should be her choice to marry or not to marry, Lord Capulet is indeed a product of his time.
Juliet tries to defend herself and tries to make them feel empathy towards her she says
“Is there no pity sitting in the clouds
That sees into the bottom of my grief?
O sweet my mother, cast me not away:”
It seems like Juliet feels weak and powerless against Lord and Lady Capulet. She must feel and think that they will never change their mind they would not even give it a second thought of her getting married to Paris, so Juliet begs to delay the marriage
“Delay this marriage for a month, a week;
Or, if you do not, make the bridal bed
In that dim monument where tybalt lies.”
When Juliet says this sentence it shows how much she does not want to marry because she rather die then marry Paris. The language used by Juliet shows us how she is anguished by all of this. Lady Capulet tells Juliet not to speak to her, therefore she will not “speak a word”.
If there is a single moment when Juliet grows from girl to woman, it is surely at the end of this scene when she turns to the Nurse, her confident, for help, and is rewarded by astonishingly amoral and insensitive advice
“I think it best you married with the county.
O, he’s a lovely gentleman:
Romeo’s a dishclout to him.”
I think Juliet asks for comfort from Nurse because she has been turned down from her parents she is her only hope but nurse throws it back at her face. Nurse betrays Juliet, she should be the one who understands her, know how she feels and know what is best for her who is to live with Romeo but instead she says Paris is a better choice, as he is a good and noble man; I think she says this for Juliet’s sake so she will live a good wealthy life with a gentleman Paris not a life that is full of problems with Romeo. This shows even nurse is against her happiness. Juliet then tells nurse to tell Lord and Lady Capulet that she has agreed to marry Paris and that she is going to Friar Laurence’s cell to confess her sins and be absolved. Nurse leaves. Juliet is determined to seek help from the friar, and if he can not help her, she says she will die.
Juliet most probably in a shock because she has just found out that the only person she trusted, the Nurse, has even betrayed her, which I think will make her feel so abandoned , and feel like an outcast. She must think no – body cares for her and no – body cares for her happiness, but I think Juliet is brave because she still did not give up the battle, in a great act she told Nurse to give them the message that she has agreed with the decision, when she did not. The language that Shakespeare has used in this scene shows us the real feelings, emotions and thoughts that Juliet actually felt and how hard it is to coup with a situation like this.
PARAGRAPH SIX
What I have learnt from the characters of the play Romeo and Juliet is that they all play part of the act of love something you care for and hate something you disgust.
Lord Capulet’s character is vigorous. He likes people to do what he expects or wants them to do, regardless of who it is for example when he tells Juliet to marry Paris even when she is against the decision. This illustrates how stubborn, senseless and demanding he is, and shows that he does not care about his beloved daughter’s feeling but the same time in a way he shows he does by choosing a well-respected rich man Paris who is a perfect match for Juliet and the only reason he wanted her to get married is so that if he passes away then she will be looked after. I think Lord Capulet at this time I think is very nervous and thinking that because Tybalt’s death was so sudden he could easily be next, which is why I think he offers Juliet’s had in marriage to Paris, because he wants his daughter to be safe and looked after when he’s gone. Lord Capulet seems to be ill-natured man who gets enraged quickly and says very nasty words when he does, for example when he says these cruel words to Juliet
“You green sickness carrion! Out, you baggage,
You tallow-face!”
Lady Capulet is Juliet’s mother. What I noticed about her character is that she is not emotionally involved with her child Juliet which means she does not know her very well or spend time with her and that Lady Capulet communicates with Juliet only when she needs to for example when she needs to give Juliet the message from her father that Juliet will be marrying Paris, this means she is not very good at her job of being a mother. Lord Capulet has power over Lady Capulet; she agrees with all his decisions and does what he tells her to do which basically means she takes his orders. I think most or maybe all wives did take orders from there husbands in Elizabethan times. Lady Capulet is a
Nurse’s character is a mother-figure to Juliet. Her character shows that she has always reassured Juliet and always there for her. From this scene I have learnt that she is cherish, encouraging, supporting and a cultivate person, this is the way she is till at the end of this scene. Nurse sticks-up for Juliet in the beginning of the scene when Lord Capulet is shouting at Juliet but after they leave she changes from an encouraging and supporting character to a hypocritical person who is deceptive and deceitful by telling Juliet that Paris is a better match. This shows Nurse changes her mind pretty quick, first she told support Juliet to marry Romeo and when she did, she changes her mind and tells Juliet that Paris is a better match so she ill-advices her to marry Paris. In a way Nurse thinks the same way as Lord and Lady Capulet but from what I have learnt from her character is that she is even more unreliable, untrustworthy and crooked then Lord and Lady Capulet, in view of the fact that she knows how Juliet is feeling, therefore she should support and give confidence Juliet that there is a way but instead she tells her that it is better to just marry Paris and forget about Romeo. This means Nurse thinks that she thinks and does best for Juliet just like the way Lord and Lady Capulet thinks.
From what I have learnt from Juliet’s character is that she is kind, loving, caring and brave. In my opinion I feel the most sympathy for Juliet. She was being forced to marry someone that she did not want to marry. She was still young and naïve. She had much to learn. She became vulnerable after the threat of being disowned by her parents and after the betrayal of the nurse. Juliet was very close to the Nurse and assumed that she would stand by Juliet and support her actions. Obviously Juliet assumed wrong, and all of a sudden Juliet had no one to talk and turn to. She was very brave at this point, and should be admired greatly. She had no one to turn to and yet she had the courage to go through the plan, set by the Friar. At fourteen she’s seems years beyond her age, yet at the same time still seem very naïve. When her father tells her she’s marrying Paris, she would rather die than marry him. How many fourteen year olds today would do that?
PARAGRAPH 10
This scene has a very intimidating effect on me by making me feel remorseful towards the two star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. This scene makes me think how heartache it is to be leaving the person you cannot live without, how the problem that has been created by lord Capulet which is forcing Juliet to marry Paris is indestructible, and is hard to fight against, and most of all your own family against your happiness and verdict. In the first section of the scene when Romeo and Juliet say their last goodbyes the effect this has on me is that it makes me feel anxious for them, by this I mean it is very nerve-wracking to see that
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