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Themes present in Romeo and Juliet
Themes present in Romeo and Juliet
Themes of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
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In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a recurring theme is the power struggle between parent and child for control over the child’s future. The term “parent” not only includes the biological mother and father, but also parental figures in the young lovers’ lives. These roles vary from supportive and loving, like the Montagues, Friar Lawrence and the Nurse, to cruel and controlling, like Lord and Lady Capulet.
At the beginning of the play, Lord and Lady Capulet have conflicting views about Juliet’s future. Juliet’s father initially believes she is too young to consider marriage. He says to Paris, “My child is yet a stranger in the world./ She hath not seen the change at fourteen years./ Let two more summers wither in their pride/ Ere
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Lord Capulet says, “Sir Paris, I will make a desperate tender/ Of my child’s love. I think she will be ruled/ In all respects by me; nay, more, I doubt it not’’ (3.4.1214). Juliet is less than thrilled when Lord Capulet schedules an immediate wedding date, just a few days off, and communicates to him her refusal to marry Paris. In response, Lord Capulet says. “Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch!/ I tell thee what get thee to church a Thursday/ Or never after look me in the face” (3.5.160162). Whereas he seems concerned for his young daughter’s well being at the beginning of the play, his words become cruel in response to her disobedience. Having uttered these cold words, it is surprising at the end of the play that he seems upset when he learns of her death. …show more content…
When Lady Montague is first introduced, she is expressing relief that her son was not present to witness a fight. “O where is Romeo, saw you him today?/ Right glad I am he was not at this fray” (1.1.111112). Her love for Romeo is so strong, that upon learning of his exile, later in the play, Lady Montague dies of heartache. Lord Montague is similarly portrayed as a loving parent. He comes to Romeo’s defense when speaking to Prince Escalus. “Not Romeo, Prince, he was Mercutio’s friend./ His fault concludes but what the law should end,/ The life of Tybalt” (3.1.180182). The next time Lord Montague appears in the play, he is offering the Capulets a statue of Juliet made of pure gold to end the rivalry that resulted in their children’s death. It is likely that Shakespeare included less detail about the Montagues, because their relationship with Romeo is far more simple than the relationship of the
Gender Roles are norms set by society that dictate what types of behavior would be deemed appropriate and desirable for a person based solely upon their actual or perceived gender. Gender roles have been placed on society since the beginning of humanity and we can find examples of gender roles even in holy texts, such as the Holy Bible. Examples of gender roles found in the Bible are, I Corinthians, 11:14 and 15 which states “Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?”, this quote states the obvious long hair is feminine, you are a man,short hair is masculine, it is wrong to do anything feminine because
In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, a quintessential pair of teens fall in love, but their fate ends in misfortune. The pair falls in love in a time where women are seen as unimportant and insignificant. In spite of this, Romeo breaks the boundaries of male dominance and shows a more feminine side. Throughout the play, there is an interesting depiction of gender roles that is contrary to the society of the time period.
When there is a fight in the market place, Capulet rushes to fight for his honor, “my sword I say, old Montague is come...” Capulet denies Paris’ request to marry Juliet “ and too soon marred are those so early made,” acting for his own good because he wants Juliet to produce many offspring to carry on the Capulets bloodline, since she is his only surviving child. When at the ball Capulet demands Tybalt to let Romeo be,” content thee, gentle coz, let him alone,” but this just fuels Tybalts anger towards Romeo, which eventually ends up in Tybalt causing his own death. Capulet believes he is giving his child the best when he announces her engagement to Paris” she shall be married to this noble earl,” and believes Paris will make a good husband for Juliet. When Juliet refuses Capulet thinks it best to threaten her, “I will drag thee,” but this just makes Juliet turn to more drastic measures.
Instead it is the wife’s duty to inform her child that she must prepare herself for marriage. Lady Capulet was married at an age younger than Juliet is. She says, "By my count I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid" (1.3.73-75). It is time Juliet leaves her nest and adds to the family’s fortune. The mother is the one to tell Juliet this news because she was put into the same situation as her daughter. During the ...
We next see Capulet in scene two where he is talking to Count Paris. an eligible young man who wishes to marry Juliet. He tells Paris that Juliet is too young, she's still only thirteen and he should wait. until she is two years older, then he can marry her, "My child is yet. " a stranger in the world; she hath not seen the change of fourteen.
Considerable expectations are placed on Juliet due to her gender. As a female, Juliet was expected to marry the man of her family’s choosing, granting her no control over her future. Capulet and County Paris discuss whether Juliet is fit to be a bride. Although age plays a factor in this decision, Capulet is deciding his daughter’s fate based on the expected gender roles of her being the sole female daughter of the family, “ She hath not seen the change of fourteen years;/Let two more summers wither in their pride/
In Act 3 of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet, the father of Juliet, had to make a decision regarding Juliet’s emotional well-being. As far as Lord Capulet is aware, Juliet is mourning the death of her cousin. In reality, she is upset that the prince banished Romeo. Lord Capulet decides to let Paris marry Juliet early instead of making him wait two years. This decision shows that he loves Juliet and only wants what is best for her. In the text, we get the sense that Lord Capulet believes that Juliet would be happy marrying Paris. Juliet’s first response to marrying Paris was an unqualified “no.” Her father, enraged at this response, shows anger towards Juliet. He says: “To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church, Or I will
What Capulet is saying is Juliet is far too young to be married, and that Paris could have her when she reaches a suitable age. Here, he is being a good dad, looking out for his daughters’ best interest. However, after the death of Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, Capulet considers it might be good for Juliet to have a husband, that it might be a good healing technique. Keep in mind that this is after the night of the party when Romeo and Juliet fell in love. He is convinced and is excited for Juliet to get married, when she says no. She refuses, for obvious reasons, and he throws a huge temper tantrum. His harsh reaction leads readers to look at him as a bit of a tyrant and his entire “good daddy” persona is flushed down the toilet when he starts threatening Juliet. He states that he is willing to beat her or throw her out on the...
Romeo and Juliet has different roles for different genders. During the Shakespearean period, when Shakespeare writes, most women had to marry when they were teen, when they were in adolescence or even before. However, the men who they were marrying were in their early to late twenties. In the household that the women lived in, the men basically owned them. The women always followed men’s word, which says that the male was the dominant gender of the society. Romeo and Juliet reflects this in a number of ways. Juliet was forced to marry Paris, by the word of her father, who said that if she did not marry Paris, she would go to the streets(Shakespeare, 3.5.154-62). Women were thought to be weaker and less important than men in Romeo and Juliet because men are trying to be the strongest out of everyone, women have a lower social status, and men think they owned women in Romeo and Juliet.
“ A pair of two star crossed lovers take their life.” This quote is made in prologue 7 and spoiled what will happen to the reader, but the reason why or who is at fault is never spoken of. Juliet Capulet, daughter of Lady Capulet and Lord Capulet is a thirteen year old girl who is obedient and wants to do the best on behalf of the family. Throughout the play the reader is given many instances were Juliet’s parents feel obligated to love her. At first they threatened to throw her out onto the streets as in Act three Scene 5 Capulet says to Juliet “Thursday is near lay hand on heart and you be mine, Ill give you to my friend, and you to be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets.”. Even though she obeyed her parents they had high expectations of her to do what was beneficial
This could potentially be because he previously said that Juliet was “yet a stranger in the world” meaning that she has not seen very much or experienced very much so far in her life, leading the reader to think that her father, Lord Capulet, believes she should be give more time to live her life as a child before being married and then having to undertake the duties of a wife. However, this is slightly ironic because throughout the play it is shown and implied that Juliet was not let out to experience the world outside her palace home very often and Lord Capulet is suggesting she should be left to experience the world for two years prior to marriage. Furthermore, this all presents Lord Capulet as both a good and bad father, depending on the time period in which it is viewed from. If it where viewed from the time period in which the play is set or written then Capulet would be frowned upon as it was the duty of a father in that period to ensure that their child has a suited to marry, in the case of a girl/women, or had been selected as a suited for somebody else, in the case of a man.
...t will accept his proposal. Lord Capulet takes it for granted that his daughter will do what he tells her, saying ‘I will make a desperate tender / Of my child’s love’, taking responsibility away from Juliet and perhaps suggesting that she can’t decide for herself. Juliet’s parents appear understanding of her grief at first, but then plan the wedding in only 3 days, not giving her time to grieve.
In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, set in Verona, Italy, Juliet’s own happiness is put on hold due to her parents authority and the lack of control children had in the sixteenth century. John W. Draper’s excerpt “Shakespeare’s Star-Crossed Lovers” also supports my outlook on how Juliet’s life is being controlled by her parents. Juliet is a thirteen year old Capulet who’s family is in a lifelong feud with her love interest’s family, Romeo, a Montague.
Throughout Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women were supposed to play had an influence on the fate of their lives.
He did not give much thought on how Juliet feels about the marriage and agrees to marry the two even though Juliet had not given him consent. For example, when Paris asks Capulet if Juliet would love him; Capulet responds, "Of my child 's love: I think she will be ruled. In all respects by me; nay, more, I doubt it not." (4.3.13-14). Capulet’s relationship with Juliet is superficial; he does not understand or know his daughter well. By creating the wedding, he causes Juliet to become desperate as she would be marrying someone she doesn’t love. To add to the matter, instead of trying to understand his daughter’s perspective, he becomes aggressive and gives her with an ultimatum. Capulet shouts, “Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church o 'Thursday, Or never after look me in the face.” (3.5.160-163). By forcing Juliet into marriage, she becomes desperate and causes her to begin considering death as a way out. "I 'll to the friar, to know his remedy; If all else fail, myself have power to die." (3.5.241-242). Capulet’s controlling and aggressive parenting forces Juliet to marry someone she does not love. Furthermore, this causes Juliet to starts considering suicide as a way out. Capulet’s actions to forcefully marry Juliet to Paris brings her death because it results in the Friar’s potion plan which would cause the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. If Capulet did not