Juliet appears to be rather perceptive. In Act One, Scene three, when Lady Capulet is talking to her daughter about the near future, she seems to be lacking directness. Juliet’s mother is passionate about her daughter marrying yet she avoids the suggestion at first. Before she asserts her wishes, the young Capulet states, “It is an honour I dream not of” when asked about marriage. Juliet seems to second guess her mother’s intentions – she realises the true purpose of Lady Capulet’s ‘visit’. And so she explains her point of view, discreetly, by seeming quite unmoved by wedlock.
In this scene, Juliet and Lady Capulet do not seem to be very close. This is showed incredibly well. Juliet is in her room, when she is called upon by her mother. Lady Capulet comes to see her daughter to ask her about the social status of matrimony. Juliet curiously says “How now, who calls”this suggests that Juliet doesn’t get much“visits”. Juliet has a very diverse relationship with her mother to that of the Nurse; they have no maternal bonding or connection that a normal mother and daughter would usually have. We know this because when the Nurse says “Your mother” Juliet responds very formally and replied: “Madam, I am here, what is your will?” This response shows Juliet feels she has to put on a mask to cover any impolite or inaccurate gestures in speaking to her mother; and from this line we are given the indication that there is no affection between the two relatives. The relationship is very distant because when the Nurse asks Lady Capulet how old Juliet is she does not know. Even though they are not very close, Juliet respects and values the views of her mother, because she is open minded when she is asked about nuptials.
A sense of fairness, along with a polite approach, is demonstrated by Juliet. As a way of Juliet meeting her suitor, Paris, Lady Capulet has organised a ball for this to happen. The young Capulet has a duty to introduce herself to the bachelor. Juliet responds by saying, “I’ll look to like, if looking liking more…” Firstly, Juliet is following her mother’s will. In agreeing to do this, she is respectful of her parents. Secondly, Juliet is fair because she is not closed to the opportunity provided, in other words, she is an open minded young lady.
Throughout Act One Scene Three, Juliet is seen to be both clever and deceitful. When the Nurse is talking too much Juliet shoes a completely different side to her polite, well-mannered usual profile. While the nurse is showing her enthusiasm on the topic, she is interrupted when Juliet says “And stint thou too, I pray thee, Nurse, say I”. Juliet shows how intelligent she can be by disguising the disrespectful way she spoke to her Nurse – to spare her feelings by saying “I pray thee…” This also shows how deceitful young Juliet can be because she successfully manages to alter the perception of her impolite behaviour towards her guardian.
The way Juliet reacts to different situations changes repeatedly right through this scene. At this time and moment Juliet is demonstrating her respect and loyalty towards her mother. Lady Capulet is sceptical until Juliet says, “Your consent gives strength to make it fly” when asked about meeting Paris. Juliet does not make her own decisions and is dependant on her parents. I know this because she says she will only try and like him because her parents want her to. She doesn’t argue with her mother, she immediately says yes, without hesitating, this shows that Juliet can be easily manipulated.
Juliet can be seen to be both immature and open minded. When Juliet is questioned about getting married to a man she has never met, she is open to the suggestion. She says “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move.” In other words, she will look at him and see if she likes him and if she admires his appearance, she might give Paris a chance. She is amateur because she is going to judge Paris on his physical appearance. The way in which Juliet is open minded is because she says to her mother that she is willing to participate in the party and see if the bachelor lives up to the expectations that the Nurse described to her.
The party begins, but soon enough gate crashers arrive, the Montague’s, Juliet sees Romeo and he catches her attention. She falls for him because he is wearing a mask, and she is intrigued.
When Juliet converses in chatter with Romeo for the first time, she seems to be pious, quick-witted and loyal. Romeo and Juliet are in the Capulet’s hall in the mansion and they meet for the first time. When Romeo suggests, “O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do: They pray grant thou, lest faith turn to despair”. Juliet reacts quickly with an excellent alibi, saying: “Saints do not move though for prayers’ sake”. She defends herself with religion – showing she does not want to take her infatuation any further, staying faithful to her parent’s wishes’. Clever Juliet uses excuses rapidly as a barrier separating herself from Romeo, whereas in Act One Scene Three, she was slow understanding things. Now, she knows she must listen to Romeo and reply quickly; to ensure nothing happens between them and to continue to be true to her mother’s “dream”; thus explaining her fast, well-informed justifications.
Juliet reveals the inconsiderate, doubtful part of her nature. Romeo and Juliet show their fondness of each other by kissing. Romeo kisses Juliet after Juliet was protesting why they should not kiss. After they share their first kiss, Juliet says, “Then have my lips, the sin that they have taken”. The kiss between the two lovers is described by Juliet as a “sin”. Significantly, this shows Juliet thinks the kiss stole a portion of her purity, making her less holy. Calling the kiss a “sin” makes Juliet appear inconsiderate of other peoples’ feelings. Romeo could have been hurt by the way Juliet expressed the kiss. The young Capulet feels guilty about what she has done. She believes she has made mistake by choosing to kiss Romeo. Yet she still kisses him again. The challenging character can be very doubtful at times, but still goes ahead with any problems she has to face.
In Act one Scene five, Lady Capulet’s outgoing daughter, Juliet, is seen to be demanding –like her mother- disloyal and immature. The Nurse and Juliet are standing by the door watching the eager guests’ departing as the party is over. The gathering that was supposed to being Paris and Juliet together, but was the ending of the possibility, as Juliet met her “star cross’d lover”. Juliet eagerly states “Go ask his name. If he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed”. She inherited her bossy, demanding behaviour from her mother. She sends the Nurse away, as if it is the Nurse’s duty to carry out all the jobs Juliet wants to be done. Juliet tries to act like her mother, although she unsuccessfully mirrors her mother’s personality. The immaturity of her frame of mind shines through as she explains that she will die unmarried. This shows Juliet is desperate to find a partner so that she will not ‘die unmarried’. Whereas in Act one Scene three Juliet exclaimed marriage as ‘an honour I dream not of’. She has changed her mind again, and is also being disloyal to her mother’s wishes by instructing the Nurse to “ask his name”. Again she is acting in the opposite way that she carried herself in Act one Scene three. In Act one Scene three, Juliet was respectful of her mother’s wishes’ and was open minded to “look to like, if looking liking move”.
You begin to recognise that Juliet is naïve and desperate throughout this scene. Juliet is standing by the door with the Nurse; the Nurse tells Juliet finds out that her true love is a Montague, her worst enemy. When Juliet finds out that Romeo is the son of her greatest enemy, she is saddened by the horrific idea and says, “My only love sprung from my only hate. Too early seen unknown, and known too late.” This gives me the impression that Juliet can be very naïve, because her family enforce the idea that she should hate the Montague’s, and that is the only reason she hates them. Showing she is just a follower of what the majority of people are doing. She looks like she is desperate at the fact that she feels fooled and devastated for Romeo’s true identity. Without questioning the Nurse she believes what has come out of her mouth straight away. Juliet now believes that she does not stand a chose of being with her soul mate.
During the whole of Act One Scene three Juliet was loyal to her parentage, respectful and was very dependant on her parent. When she had to make decisions she turned to her parents to help her decide. She acted her age, thirteen. Her upbringing was by the Nurse so she was more close to her Nurse than her mother. In Act One Scene Five, we begin to see a more mature Juliet that made her own decisions. In this Scene Juliet had changed incredibly, she made her own choices and did not rely on her parents for anything. She is more demanding towards to the Nurse and others around her. In Act One Scene Three Juliet winces at the word marriage, now she is ready to have a relationship and even get married. I believe Juliet shows her real personality in Act One Scene Five because she is not relying on anyone anymore so she can express her views freely, whereas in Act One Scene three Juliet kept her self to her self and was depended on her Mother and Father.