Lord Capulet, Juliet, and Friar Laurence: Pawns In Emotions’ Game of Chess
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, emotions (powerful feelings) hold special mastery. Lord Capulet, Juliet, and Friar Laurence allow their emotions to annihilate their thinking and control their behaviour. Behaviour refers to the way one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others.
To begin, Lord Capulet allows his anger to overpower his rationality and comportment. In the beginning of the play, Lord Capulet doesn’t succumb to Count Paris’s eagerness to marry his daughter. Despite Paris’ attempts to change his mind, Capulet hold his ground, as he believes that his child can make good decisions on her own: “My will to her consent is but a part; An
…show more content…
At this moment, Capulet never thought how strong of an impact his words would have on his daughter. Unbeknownst to him, Capulet’s uttered his very last words to his daughter before she died. Ergo, Lord Capulet’s rage, begotten by his good intentions for his only child, interferes with his reasoning and rules his behaviour. Secondly, Juliet allows her grief to overpower her thinking and control her gest. Prior to the star-crossed encounter with Romeo at the Capulet party, Lady Capulet discusses marriage with Juliet and asks her would she try to like Paris and see him as a suitable husband. At the time, Juliet had a very neutral, obedient attitude towards her mother’s idea: “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move; but no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly” (1,3, 98-100). This quote illustrates Juliet’s typical, obedient behaviour and her will to pursue their plan regarding her marriage. However, Juliet meets and falls in love with Romeo at the Capulet party, which results in their secret marriage and subsequently leads towards a complete shift in Juliet’s attitude towards marrying Paris. When her father tells her she will get married to Paris, she doesn’t react in a way common to her obedient behaviour and rejects the marriage, which angers her father. Devastated at her father’s waspish words, Juliet
Lord Capulet’s firm and merciless control can also be blamed for pushing his daughter to the extreme and ultimately her untimely death. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, Lord Capulet proves his insensitivity, even threatening to disown his daughter and cast her to the streets if she does not obey his wishes. He warns her that she may “graze where [she] will, [she] will not house with [him]… for, by [his] soul, [he] will ne’er acknowledge [her]” (III v 200-205). These threats instill fear in Juliet, and in her despair, she seeks the advice of Friar Lawrence who gives her a potion that will make it appear as if she is dead the morning of the wedding. Lord Capulet can be blamed for his stubbornness and insensitivity despite his daughter’s sincere requests not to marry Paris.
This does not allow Juliet to make her own decision. An example of this is when Lady Capulet reinforces the plan in which Paris would be Juliet's husband, rather than letting Juliet choose who she marries. Lady Capulet speaks for Juliet when she says “marry, my child, early next Thursday morn.” Having little to no knowledge aforetime about this news, Juliet is utterly astonished. Lady Capulet continues by saying “[the] young and noble gentleman, the county Paris... shall happily make thee there a joyful bride” (III.v.112-115). After having already prepared her life with Romeo, Juliet is in disbelief that her mother would not attempt to step into her father's plan. Juliet lashes back at her mother by saying “I will not marry yet” and threatening that she would marry Romeo “whom you know I hate” rather than Paris (III.v.115-122). The lack of communication between the two characters makes them distant from one another, and the little effort provided by Lady Capulet to approach her daughter is the main reason for this occurrence. The control Lady Capulet has over different characters and her
When Romeo is banished, Lord Capulet tells his daughter that she will marry County Paris. When Juliet says that she is grateful, but refuses, Capulet says “Hang thee young baggage! Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church o’Thursday, or never after look me in the face. Speak not. Reply not. Do not answer me. My fingers itch,-Wife, we scarce thought us blest that God had lent us but this only child, but now I see this one is one to much and that we have a curse in having her. Out on her, hilding!”(Act 3 Scene 5). Then he continues saying, “God’s bread! It makes me mad. Day, night, hour, tide, time, work, play, alone, in company, still my care hath been to have her matched. And having now provided a gentleman of noble parentage, of fair demesnes, youthful, and nobly trained, stuffed, as they say, with honorable parts, proportioned as one’s thought would wish a man-and then to have some wretched puling fool, a whining mammet, in her fortune’s tender, to answer “I’ll not wed,” “I cannot love,” “I am to young,” “I pray you pardon me.”-But, an you will not wed, I’ll pardon you. Graze where you will, you shall not house with me. Look to’t, think on’t, I do not use to jest. Thursday is near. Lay hand on heart, advise. An you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend. An you be not, hang, beg, starve,die in the streets, for, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee, nor what is mine
Namely, Capulet plays a huge role in how much pressure Romeo and Juliet have to endure in order to follow their family’s wishes. If Capulet had just agreed to Juliet originally marrying Paris and not said “My child is yet a stranger in the world,/She hath not seen the change of
Juliet’s parents’ lack of knowledge of their daughter’s love life contributes to her death. In Act 3 Scene 5 Lady Capulet walks in on Juliet crying and assumes the tears are for her deceased cousin Tybalt. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony while Lady Capulet and Juliet speak about Romeo. Juliet says to her mother “Indeed, I shall never be satisfied / With Romeo, till I behold him –dead” The reader knows, while Lady Capulet is unaware, that Juliet is speaking about him in a loving way rather than wishing him dead. Also in this scene Lady and Lord Capulet tell Juliet that they have arranged for her to marry Paris. When Juliet refuses her father yells at her and accuses her of being ungrateful. The Capulets are not aware that Juliet is already married therefore are not understanding of her wishes to
He changes his mind very quickly and can flip-flop between what he wants for Juliet. For example, as Paris and Capulet are talking to each other Paris asks Lord Capulet for his permission to marry Juliet. Capulet then replies, “My will to her consent is but a part. And, she agreed, within her scope of choice lies my consent and fair according voice.” (1.2.17-19). In this quote, Lord Capulet is saying that his decision is only a part and if Juliet agrees to marry Paris his blessing will confirm her choice. Soon after Tybalt’s death, Capulet and Paris speak to one another once again. Tybalt suggests marrying Juliet to stop her mourning over the death of her cousin, Tybalt, and Lord Capulet agrees. Once Lord Capulet hears Juliet’s perspective on not marrying Paris he threatens her by saying, “I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday, or never after look me in the face” (3.5.167-168). This quote shows that Lord Capulet is forcing Juliet to marry Paris or else she cannot return back home. He doesn’t listen to Juliet’s opinion and seems to not care if she is happy or not with the marriage. This proves that Lord Capulet is fickle and is most responsible for Juliet’s
In Act 3 Scene 5 Lady Capulet is very fickle in making her decision to stand up for Juliet when she decides to go against her father’s orders and not marry Paris. This lack of the ability to stand up for her own daughter just emphasises the distance between Lady Capulet and Juliet as Mother and Daughter.
In Act 1, scene ii. Capulet appeared to be a kind hearted man and he defers to Juliet’s ability to choose for herself, “My will to her concent is but a part” (I.ii.15). Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet also has an influence over Juliet and her life and puts pressure on Juliet to marry Paris (the suitor that her father picked for her to marry). Juliet admits the power of the influence of her parents when she says of Paris, “I look to like, looking liking move; / But no more deep will I endart mine eye / Than your consent gives strength to fly” (I.iii.100-101). The specter of parental influence is very evident in this scene and it shows the influence of the society that they lived in.
Capulet will go to extreme measures to do what he thinks is right for his daughter. Capulet thinks that it is inevitable for Juliet to marry Paris and goes as far as saying “I’ll tell you what: get to church on Thursday, or never look me in the face again. Don’t say anything! Don’t reply! Don’t answer me back! My fingers are itching! Wife, we thought we were very lucky that God gave us this only child – but now I realize that this one is one too many and we’ve been cursed in having her! To blazes with her, the worthless creature!” (185). In his rant he fails to realize that this is truly not what Juliet wants and that this is not what’s best for her. The only thing in the way of Juliet marring Paris is that she secretly loves Romeo and is waiting for the day that she reunites with him and they live happily ever after. This rant by Lord Capulet turns Juliet against her father and shows the readers that Lord Capulet is not the loving father he once was. Later in the play, Juliet is found dead because of Lord Capulet’s insensitivity and ignorance towards her
P.681- Lord Capulet seems caring but at the same times seems selfish to me. She is looking out for her daughter by looking for the right man for her, but she should let her daughter find her true love. Every mother wants the best for daughter but this isn't the way she should help her daughter.
After Juliet meets Romeo, many of her opinions and interests begin to change. Juliet is now more excepting of love. While in the beginning of the play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet seems uninterested in loving anyone. But, after she meets Romeo, her opinion changes. Juliet is now more willing to love. She even confesses her love to Romeo on her balcony by saying, "Take all myself" (2.2.49). Juliet's interests in marriage also changes when she meets Romeo. Before Juliet had met Romeo, she was uninterested in marriage, "It is an honor that I dream not of." (1.3.66). Juliet had said this to her mother, Lady Capulet, when the general topic of marriage was being discussed. But after the feast where Juliet met Romeo, she tells him in her garden that she wishes to be married. She came to this decision to accept marriage because of the fact that she met and now loves Romeo. Juliet's is no longer as faithful to her family through compliance after she meets Romeo. Juliet is no longer as obedient to her family. When her father, Lord Capulet, tells her that he has arranged for Juliet to be married to Paris, she objects. By doing this she is being faithful to her own morals and being faithful to her husband. She is willing to comfort her father, Lord Capulet, in order to have what she believes is right and stay faithful to her husband even though her father threatens to disown her.
Lord Capulet and Paris have some similar opinions of Juliet's marriage and so do Romeo and Friar which also influenced the end of the story negatively. Capulet thinks that Juliet should be married to Paris and Paris agrees with him. “But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart” (1.2.16) and Paris says “Younger than she are happy mothers made” (1.2.12). This means that Capulet is encouraging Paris to get Juliet’s heart and Paris influences him by telling him younger woman than her are married and happy mothers. This determines that the two of them want Juliet to get married to Paris because Capulet tells
Lord Capulet enters juliet's chamber hoping that the news of her wedding would cheered her up but instead he's told that she objects his wishes. So in rage Lord Capulet shouts, ”Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what, get thee to church o’ thursday, or never after look at me in the face:”(III.v.160-162). Lady Capulet wants Juliet to marry paris so he says, ”marry my child, early next thursday morn the gallant, young and noble gentleman,”(III.v.112-113). “Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word: do as thou with, for I have done with thee.”(III.iv.133). First i thought that only lady Capulet was bad to juliet but as soon as he heard what juliet did he got so angry, he made her cry and he used all those words, it made her feel really bad, Lord Capulet made her think that she made the wrong decision by marrying Romeo, before he said that paris should win her heart and get juliet to like him but now he's forcing her to get married, what was the point of saying all of that if in the end she would have to marry paris anyways and he wa being very hypocritical. Lady Capulet just wants Juliet to get married to Paris, she doesn't care if Juliet does not care that Juliet is in love with Romeo she wants to force her to get married just because she like Paris and she wants her to be a mother. Romeo and juliet should be read because it explain how bad parenting is a good thing/ tells parents of what not to do and they can learn from their
There is also a parental love for Juliet when lord Capulet is talking to Paris as he is very overprotective and wants to make sure that his daughter only gets the best. He is also trying to delay the marriage by saying it is better to wait a while.
As a woman, Lady Capulet can relate to how Juliet feels when she is told she is to marry Paris. However, as a wife, she cannot voice an opinion of who or when Juliet is to marry. She is experienced, and asks Juliet, "Speak briefly: can you like of Paris’ love" (1.3.98). Because she is the caretaker, she respects Juliet’s feelings, but she can do nothing, even if Juliet does not learn to love Paris. Perhaps she asks this question because her own mother never asked it. She may want to know her daughter’s opinion, because until a woman is married, she has all the rights of a man according to Pitt. However, the father ruled over his daughter, and it was virtually impossible to remain unmarried while the father held all the decision making (14).