The Different Attitudes to Love and Marriage Presented in Romeo and Juliet
In “Romeo and Juliet”, the characters of Juliet, the Nurse and the
Capulets have different attitudes to love and marriage. The
relationship between the characters reflects their attitudes for
marriage. The Capulet’s have a distant relationship with their
daughter Juliet, as was common in Shakespearean times. Juliet is much
closer to the Nurse who knew her from birth and she is Juliet’s only
friend. The relationship between Lord and Lady Capulet is also
strained as their views are commonly opposite. Despite the fact that
Juliet was not close to her father, she was expected to obey and be
dictated by him and her husband, once she was married. This was
because women had no authority or power in society. The daughters were
expected to look after their father in old age and produce children
for their husbands. Many mothers, Lady Capulet being one, encouraged
their daughters not to marry for love but for money and status. At the
beginning of the play, Juliet has no thoughts of love but she doesn’t
have any choice in who she marries. She was expected to marry who her
parent’s told her to marry.
In Act 1 Scene 2, Paris asks Capulet if he can marry Juliet. County
Paris is related to Prince Escales and this would be an excellent
match for Juliet but Capulet turns Paris’ offer down. He says that
Juliet is too young, she is “yet a stranger in this world”. Capulet
uses nature to tell Paris that Juliet is too young. Capulet says,
“Let two summers wither their pride,
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.”
The word “wither” gives an impression of age as older pe...
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...is significant
at this point in the play because everything has run up to this point
and the events after this speed the play up and bring the inevitable
ending.
The characters of Juliet, the Nurse and the Capulets all have
different attitudes to love and marriage and the characters of Juliet
and Capulet changed through the play. This is because of the events
that have occurred in the play which have changed their opinions.
Therefore my findings are that those characters that share a close
relationship have the same attitudes to love and marriage – the Nurse
and Juliet – whereas those that have distant relationships – Capulet,
Lady Capulet and Juliet – have different attitudes and views. I think
that Shakespeare did this to cause tension between the characters and
to keep alive the expectation of what is to come.
Love is dependent upon the slightest change, but it can cause the utmost drastic consequences. This is the truth of two lovers in William Shakespeare’s furthermost celebrated play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, love is inimical. Romeo comes from the family of Montague while Juliet comes from the family of Capulet. For reasons unknown, these two families are sworn enemies. However, Romeo and Juliet are not. In fact, they are in a secret relationship that only two others know about. The only two that Romeo and Juliet trust, the Nurse and the Friar. While the Nurse, Friar, and Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet, all have good intentions, they are all responsible for the suicides of Romeo and Juliet in the
The nurse acts as a parental figure to Juliet, where she cares for her as if Juliet is her own child, and gives advice and help whenever she is in need for it. The nurse believes that Juliet is still gentle and young, therefore is always on the look out for Juliet, making sure she doesn 't get hurt. The nurse 's motherly love is highlighted primarily when, lack of love is shown between Juliet and her mother. Lady Capulet is shown to be neglecting love towards Juliet. This is seen in Act 1 Scene 3, when Lady Capulet sent The Nurse out and they immediately calls her back in as the Nurse knows Juliet so well. “Nurse come back again”. The strong relationship between The nurse and Juliet is so strong, that the Nurse knows Juliet better than her mother. Another factor showing the lack of love is when Juliet uses the word ' 'Madam ' ' formaly towards her mother. This points out that there is no real relationship towards Juliet and Lady Capulet; the only relationship between them is blood and name. Shakespeare portrays a distant and cold relationship between Juliet and lady Capulet. This is juxtaposed with the affectionate and loving relationship between the nurse and Juliet. The nurse helps Juliet to be with her love Romeo, even after knowing they are from feuding families. The Nurse being a Capulet servant has to side with Juliet’s father when she tells her to marry Paris “I think it best you married with the
At the Capulet feast, Romeo and Juliet’s first kiss is interrupted by the nurse, who warns that he is the only son of her family’s worst enemy. The contradictory ideas of “only love” and “only hate” are expressed in a paradox that signifies the grave consequences of Juliet’s love.
Paris is talking with Capulet, and saying that Juliet’s age should not stop her father from being married off, “Younger than she are happy mothers made” (1.2.12). Paris's argument to not wait for his and Juliet’s marriage is that there are many girls who are even younger than Juliet who are married and have already started a family. Juliet’s age puts her in a place where she is expected to contribute a child. This may be why she was in such a rush to get married to Romeo. Marriage of her choosing to Romeo prevents the marriage against her will to Paris. The influence placed on Juliet by her family is itself shaped by expectations of Juliet’s age group. When Juliet tells her father she does not wish to marry Paris, her father replies harshly commenting on her reasoning being due to her age, “A whining mammot, in her fortune’s tender/To answer I’ll not wed, I cannot love,/I am too young, I pray you pardon me” (3.5.185-187). Juliet’s father lacks empathy for Juliet’s position, and so continues to hold the high expectations that are required of her because of her age. Juliet never told her father she would not wed because of her age or her inability to love, so perhaps her father is projecting his guilt as he knows it is unreasonable to expect marriage and children from her when she is still so young and innocent. Juliet’s young age affects her maturity, which consequently influence the drastic and impulsive choices she made. When the Nurse agrees with Juliet’s parents about her marrying Paris, Juliet loses the one confidant she had. She depended heavily on the Nurse’s advice, as she herself lacked such wisdom. Her lack of maturity led her to make hasty decisions-choosing death as the easier way out, “Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain/I’ll too the friar, to know his remedy:/If all else fail, myself have power to die”
Lady Capulet is very materialistic and she wants Juliet to gain wealth and status by marrying Paris ‘’Share all that he doth possess’’. In addition, because she got married at a young age, therefore she thinks it’s right for Juliet to be married at a young age ‘’I was likely your mother at just about your age’’. Moreover, she constantly urges Juliet to marry Paris without any sense of consideration for Juliet’s opinions or feelings, about the alliance of the marriage. Furthermore, this illustrates her cold attitude towards love and marriage as she only talks about Paris Social position and wealth.
From the beginning of the book, it is shown that Capulet is a stubborn old man who, as the leader of the Capulet’s, hates almost all Montagues with a burning passion. His hate makes him want Juliet to marry Paris to get closer with the Prince who is angry at the
Act 3 Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet There are several strong cases for Act 3 scene 5 being the pivotal, most important and significant scene in the play. To begin with, it is the last time that Romeo and Juliet are together, alive and well, after this scene Romeo goes to Manchua, and returns only to be near Juliet to die. Until this scene the audience will be convinced that Juliet has a very strong relationship with Nurse, they are obviously a lot closer than Juliet and her mother are, and Juliet relies on Nurse for advice and support. During Art three scene five, the audience's perception of Nurse changes, and Juliet no longer looks to her for support.
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.
In this essay I am going to examine love and marriage and the way it
In Act 1 Scene 2, Paris asks Capulet, ‘But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?’ which shows that Capulet and Paris are discussing Juliet’s possible marriage without consulting her, perhaps implying they think she is too naïve to decide on her future. They are arranging her marriage for her, which implies that men were very controlling of women’s lives, especially those of their daughters. The scene establishes how Juliet is subject to parental influence, and how she is very constrained since her father can force her to marry whoever he wants. Juliet’s status as a woman leaves her with no power or choice in the decision of whom she should marry.
to be a quite romantic person, as, to start with, he is in love with
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the views of love held by the character Romeo contrast sharply with the views of Mercutio. Romeo's character seems to suffer from a type of manic depression. He is in love with his sadness, quickly enraptured and easily crushed again on a passionate roller coaster of emotion. Mercutio, by contrast is much more practical and level headed. His perceptions are clear and quick, characterized by precise thought and careful evaluation. Romeo, true to his character begins his appearance in the play by wallowing in his depression over Rosaline who does not return his love:
In the play of Romeo and Juliet the main characters are a young teenage boy named Romeo and the only daughter of his family’s enemies, named Juliet. These two teenagers fall in love with one another but their love is strictly forbidden by fate. There are two families in the story; the Montagues and the Capulets, who had been rivals for many years. As two servants of the Romeo’s household walk, they see two servants of Juliet’s household biting their thumbs towards them. The two argue in public then fight. After a public fight between two servants and one kinsman from each family, the Prince of Verona tells both heads of the families that whoever disturbs the peace because of the feud between the families, will be punished by death. After
The feud between the Montagues and the Capulets causes the young couple to have to sneak around to one another. Broken family relationships in both families add stress since there are less people Romeo and Juliet can trust, and feel comfortable talking too. Miscommunication not only between Romeo and Juliet, but almost all the characters, affect the couple in a poor way because they are constantly being misinformed about one another. Romeo and Juliet may not like that they have been greatly impacted by all these factors but these actions are ultimately what shaped their lives, and affected how they lived them. This demonstrates how the influences around you can change the way you feel about certain things. If they had better family conditions, and ways to communicate, it is possible they could have lived their lives longer and
be in love. Mercutio treats love as a game; he thinks that if you are