“Go ask his name. –If he be marrièd,
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.”
By this Shakespeare meant that Juliet would not marry another, as Romeo was the one she wants. Juliet was saying that her heart belongs to one and only one. She is being stubborn here as she will not “look to like” another. When Juliet learns that Romeo is in fact a Montague, she uses antithetical language, “My only love sprung from my only hate”, to express the difficult dilemma she faces.
I think it is quite possible that Shakespeare deliberately put these two scenes very close together so that his audiences would be sure to notice the stunning effect Romeo has on Juliet. She makes up her mind that this is the man for her. Juliet has changed in a few hours from being a dutiful daughter, considering a marriage to a young man her parents have chosen, to a young woman who is prepared to defy her parents by not marrying Paris.
In Act 2 Scene 2 Shakespeare confirms our impressions that Juliet is in love. Shakespeare allows us to eavesdrop on Juliet as she reflects on her love for Romeo. At this point her strength of character is shown, as she talks of denying her name:
“O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet”
By saying this Juliet is showing that her love is so strong that she would risk being abandoned by her family. While Juliet believes she is alone she is incredibly honest and she has no chance to pretend she does not like Romeo when he appears. At the same time, the expression “the god of my idolatry” implies that she worships the ground he walks on. Juliet is practical, as the fussy, elaborate language of Romeo does not sway her. Juliet is very forward in asking if he loves her.
“Dost thou love me?”
Although Juliet mentions the moon, which in itself is an image of love and romance, she wants Romeo to be as honest with her as she is being with him. She does not want him to swear on the moon, as she does not trust all the usual images of romance. Juliet appears more genuine because her language is simpler:
“If that thy bent of love be honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow…”
Shakespeare has very cleverly put Juliet in the more dominant role and here he implies that she has more or less proposed to him. There is a rapid yet convincing movement from initial words of love to a marriage proposal. Romeo and Juliet both show a great capacity for commitment to each other and for passionate love. This is going to bring about their marriage despite its risks because neither of them could betray the love they share. The huge risk they are both taking here is: Romeo could be killed for trespassing on Capulet property in order to woo the daughter of the house; Juliet could be disowned by her family for encouraging him. So we see that they are rebellious and daring because of love.
By the following day Juliet’s behaviour has changed further. Shakespeare develops her, in Act 2 Scene 5, as an impatient but determined young woman. Juliet, in this scene, is awaiting the return of her nurse with the news of Romeo and their possible wedding. From Act 1 Scene 5 everything Juliet does has to be in secret. She is always aware that her possible marriage to Romeo would never be acceptable to her family, yet she is prepared to risk everything in this desperate attempt for happiness. Shakespeare portrays Juliet as a strong willed young woman. However she is now being led by overwhelming love for Romeo. Her nurse arrives and Juliet’s impatience shows as she continually asks the Nurse to share the news. Juliet is impatient because this is a sort of test of Romeo’s love to see if he will deceive his family, by marrying her. The Nurse leaves Juliet in suspense for a moment longer while she finds out if Juliet is going to confession:
“Have you got leave to go to shrift today?”
When Juliet replies, “I have.” The Nurse puts Juliet out of her misery and fulfils her happiness when she finally tells her that she will wed Romeo later that day.
“Then hie you hence to Friar Lawrence’ cell,
There stays a husband to make you a wife.”
At this, the scene comes to a close and we don’t actually see the wedding but we lead to the wedding night.
Once again Juliet is being impatient, in Act 3 Scene 2, but this time it is for their wedding night. She has promised herself to Romeo in marriage and now she wants to give everything to him. In Juliet’s soliloquy she reveals the passion, which she feels for Romeo and the eager anticipation of the night of love she will share with him. She also speaks of speed implying that she wants the evening to come sooner so that she and Romeo can be together. Juliet uses imagery of horses pulling across the sun more quickly. I believe she is using horses as a sign of, once again, speed because she mentions, “gallop”. She cannot wait to fulfil her duties as a wife; we know this when she says “Come, night, come, Romeo”. She appears driven by the desire to make love to Romeo. Shakespeare is, again, implying how Juliet has changed from a girl to a woman as he says that her physical interest in Romeo is more mature than child like.
However, Juliet soon finds herself in a state of confusion when she is informed of her cousin Tybalt’s death, murdered by her husband Romeo. Her confusion of feelings is conveyed through her use of oxymorons: “damned saint”, and “honourable villain”-where she is showing how her conscious is wrestling with who to stand by. Should it be Tybalt her cousin or her husband Romeo? Juliet is confused by Romeo’s ability to seem honourable but act like a villain. It takes the Nurse to say something bad about her husband to make her comes to her conclusion of who to support. She immediately responds “blistered be thy tongue // for such a wish”. Therefore we see that it takes the Nurse to bad mouth Romeo for her to bring herself to his defence. She shows that she has forgiven him when she says:
“Villain and he be many miles asunder-
God pardon him, I do with all my heart.”
Shakespeare powerfully demonstrates Juliet’s resolution of this conflict of loyalties by using chiasmus: “My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain; and Tybalt’s dead that would have slain my husband”. This not only proves Juliet’s unchanging love for Romeo, but also that she is quite capable of making important decisions by herself. Juliet’s maturity is developed strongly in this scene as we see she realises the magnitude of this problem. Juliet is devastated at the thought of Romeo’s banishment and threatens to kill herself.
Act 3 Scene 5 is a key scene in the development of Juliet’s character as the focus of the plot shifts solely on to her as Romeo leaves, exiled from Verona. The equal exchange of words between the two lovers in their final scene together, demonstrates their equal love. For a moment, Juliet refuses to believe that Romeo has to leave and tells him that it is not yet day so he has no need to leave, “Yond light is not day light”. However, she soon realises that she must face up to reality and admits that it is in fact day, “O, now be gone! More light and light it grows”. This again shows her level of maturity as she recognises she must do the right thing, even if she secretly longs for the opposite.
Juliet next argues with her mother over Romeo and the forthcoming marriage to Paris. Shakespeare conveys the dilemma that Juliet faces by giving her parallel meanings so her mother does not discover her true feelings for Romeo. For example when she says, “Yet let me weep for such a feeling loss”, she is referring to Romeo but her mother assumes she is crying over the death of her cousin Tybalt. Juliet does this a lot and her mother believes she is against what Romeo has done when she is actually supporting him. This manipulation of Lady Capulet confirms that Juliet would much rather be with Romeo than please her family. When Juliet tells her parents that she will not marry Paris- “He shall not make me there a joyful bride.” they threaten to disown her: “Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch!” Here Juliet’s parents finally get to see what she is truly like. They are shocked that she will not listen to them or accept this marriage. Juliet, in spite of her father’s rage, is still driven by her intense love for Romeo.
Finally, Juliet has to turn to the Nurse for advice as she is the only one Juliet thinks she can rely on but, when the Nurse abandons Juliet's feelings and says, “I think it best you marry with the county” and “Romeo’s a dishclout to him”, Juliet is incredulous at her response and declares their friendship at an end: “Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend”. As Juliet is becoming increasingly desperate and alone, she decides her last hope is Friar Lawrence. She arrives at Friar Lawrence’s cell and asks the “holy father” if she can speak with him. They go into a separate room and she begs him for help “love gives me strength// and strength shall help afford.” Juliet’s courage is derived from love, she persuades Friar Laurence that she is capable of following this desperate plan by threatening to kill herself several times, “I long to die if what thou speakest, speak not of remedy” and by listing all of the horrors she is willing to face, rather than marry Paris, “Or hide me nightly in a charnel house, O’ercovered quite with dead men’s rattling bones”. She is once again showing the growth of her independence because she is taking matters into her own hands and has matured a lot over the play.
Juliet is ever growing in maturity and resourcefulness and uses this to win her parents back. Juliet manages to convince them that she has changed her mind and is now ready to marry Paris.
“I have learnt me to repent the sin
Of disobedient opposition”
By using the word “disobedient” Shakespeare is linking it in with our first impressions of Juliet. This contrasts the change that we see from the beginning of the play to Act 4 Scene 2. She kneels down to beg her Father’s “pardon”. She does this as a sign of respect and to show her parents that she is sorry and misleads them into thinking she will do everything they say from now on: “Henceforward I am ever ruled by you” she is here deceiving her parents once again but in their eyes Juliet has gone back to becoming the perfect, innocent and obedient daughter she was before.
In the next scene we see Juliet deceive her Mother again. Juliet gets the Nurse to go with her mother to help her plan the wedding while Juliet plans to drink the potion. When they have left Juliet reveals some of her fears of the potion: “God knows when we shall meet again // I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins.” This links in with the next scene where she speaks of all her fears.
Juliet’s soliloquy in Act 4 Scene 3 reveals horror and trepidation. Shakespeare leads the character through a variety of emotions before she takes her final action. She has many fears about the plan including doubts if the potion will work and if she wakes up too soon; “How if, when I am laid into the tomb,// I wake before the time that Romeo comes?” In this section Juliet’s behaviour shows she is willing to do anything, even die, in order to be with Romeo. Everything else in her life has become unimportant, as she is totally consumed with finding a way to be with her love so she drinks the poison. This final speech shows her courage and strength of purpose as she contemplates the horrors she may face.
Juliet then awakes and discovers Romeo’s dead body beside her and the Friar standing over her. The Friar tries to make Juliet run away but here is when her true independence is shown. She will not leave Romeo and decides that, at this climax of tragedy, to chooses death in order to be with him. Her certainty over her decision is made clear when she says, “Yea noise? Then I’ll be brief, O happy dagger!”. Juliet’s feelings are made clear that she has to be with Romeo because so completely has she embraced his love.
Overall Shakespeare has presented a convincing portrait of Juliet, maturing from girlhood to womanhood, in the space of only five days but he still left a lot for the audience to judge. Juliet, in the end, is seen as brave young woman for defying her parents just for her love of Romeo. Her isolation from her friends and family and her overpowering love for Romeo has fuelled her determination, and instead of following orders from people she has made her own decisions and ultimately chose to end her own life.
