The Relationship of Juliet and Her Parents in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

The Relationship of Juliet and Her Parents in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare wrote the tragedy of

'Romeo and Juliet,' a popular play that continues to capture the

imagination and emotions of people around the world. The drama

portrays the passionate, violent and desperate lives of two lovers

living in Verona, Italy. Romeo and Juliet are 'two star-crossed

lovers' showing determination to be together despite their feuding

families and bloodshed caused to each other. It displays the love

Juliet feels for Romeo, which eclipses everything and transforms the

relationship she has with her parents from dutiful to disobedient.

However, a web of human actions results in tragedy for both Romeo and

Juliet, including the actions of Juliet's parents. Today, the tragedy

resembles problems adolescents of the twentieth century face each day

in certain contexts.

Elizabethan life was lived according to a Great Chain of Being, this

is a powerful visual metaphor for the hierarchy of society. It ranks

all forms of higher and lower life; the male alone represents humans.

In some variations, women and children are placed below men as they

were thought of as inferior, this is clearly represented in 'Romeo and

Juliet,' as Lord Capulet appears to have authority over his daughter,

Juliet, and his wife, Lady Capulet. A child's duty towards their

parents was to be dutiful and respectful, which was alike Juliet's

behaviour at the beginning of the play, they were expected to follow

their parent's orders to the letter and always did. However, we soon

see a change in Juliet's attitude towards her parents due to h...

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...ion to this maybe that Juliet is selfish, deceitful but very

clever. The change in language and attitude between Juliet and her

parents consequently ends in her tragic death. Lord Capulet's change

in attitude from a caring and considerate father to a hasty and

infuriated one pushes Juliet to plan her own death to resume her

relationship with Romeo before her forced marriage to Paris takes

place. The wedding plans are brought forward because of Capulet's

desperate attempts to marry her. Lady Capulet's attitude doesn't

change from the beginning till end of the play as she is an

insensitive figure and doesn't act like a mother to her daughter but

leaves it to her nurse. When the nurse has done all she can to help

Juliet, she has no one and nothing to rely on apart from Friar

Lawrence's plan and her fateful love for Romeo.