William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

A discussion of the character of Juliet as a woman/girl of her time

and an analysis of what extent her character changes and develops

throughout the play, and why this is so. How would you act Juliet or

direct the actor playing the part so that these ideas were clear to a

modern day audience?

William Shakespeare wrote and set the play "Romeo and Juliet" in the

fifteenth century, a time where society and families were run very

differently how they are today. In those times, young girls of

Juliet's age (about fourteen) would be married off to men of their

parents choice, usually someone that the family respected and got

along well with. It was quite unheard of for a young girl or boy to

refuse to marry the person of their parents' choice, this would

disgrace the family. Of course, this made young people's choices quite

narrow and for many young girls and boys, they might have felt quite

scared and helpless. Juliet was brought up in a large family, the

Capulets who had a constant history of quarrelling and rioting with

another large family group, the Montagues. In these days, it would be

a disgrace to the family even to be seen talking to a member of the

other family. This is just an example of how trapped you could be,

unable to make decisions even about who you could be friends with.

The first time the audience sees Juliet, she appears very innocent and

obedient, coming to her mother straight away- "Madam, I am here, what

is your will?" Juliet says that she would never do anything against

her parents' wishes-"But no more deep will I indent mine eye than your

consent gives strength to fly". The language she uses shows she really

respects her mother and her ideas e.g. she refers to her mother's idea

of marriage as "an honour". But in a way, Juliet appears like a child,

who has to do what her mother says because she knows that is what is