How is Juliet treated by Lady Capulet

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In the beginning of the play Paris asks lord Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage. Lord Capulet, being protective and sensitive, replies ‘my child is yet a stranger in the world’. This shows us that lord Capulet did not agree to Paris and Juliet’s marriage at that time, he has proven this to the audience by describing Juliet as a ‘stranger in the world’. By using the word ‘child’ and ‘stranger’, Lord Capulet is implying that his daughter is not mature enough and that she still hasn’t seen the world properly. He is more interested in ensuring that she marries well and soon rather than her personal happiness. He tells Paris that although she is "free to choose" her own companion, it must be from a narrow pool that he has permitted. He sees no reason why his daughter would demur marrying Paris. Even so, Lord Capulet is not very ardent on having his daughter married to Paris at such a young age. This shows us how protective he is of Juliet, which is why he invites Paris to his feast the following night, so he can ‘win her heart’. Shakespeare wrote his plays in the Elizabethan age, so naturally he based most of his plays on the ethics and social standards of the time. During the Elizabethan period noble women were expected to be married off to rich, and prosperous men. Fathers choose the men they considered “suitable” for their daughters, aiming to marry them in rich families so their wealth is not propagated. Men were considered the bread winners of the family and women inferior to them. If a woman disagrees to her father's wishes, then she could be banished or disowned from the house. Juliet’s repudiation to marry Paris affects her father in a variety of ways. On his first encounter with Juliet, Lord Capulet asks why she is “evermo... ... middle of paper ... ... is stilted and genteel, whereas the Nurse is very open with her opinions, advice, and feelings with Juliet. In act 3 scene 2, when the Nurse informs Juliet about Romeo’s banishment and Tybalt's death, Juliet gets despondent. Juliet laments that she will “die” without a wedding night, as a “maiden-widowed”. The nurse tries to up her mood by assuring her that “Romeo will be here at night”. The nurse also knows that Romeo “is hid at Lawrence’ cell” This tells us that although the Nurse knows where Romeo is hiding, she still doesn’t tell that to Lord Capulet, who at that time would be looking to take revenge of Tybalt's death. And on the other hand the nurse promises Juliet that she will bring Romeo to her tonight to “comfort” her, and bringing a Montague to a Capulets mansion is against the rules, so the nurse is going against Lord Capulets authority just for Juliet.

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