Essay On Secondary Characters In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

When most people think of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the first thing that comes to mind are the characters; Romeo, Juliet, the Capulet family, the Montague family along with others. Many of these characters are major parts of the storyline, but we only see what is given to us by the writer. Take for example, Lady Capulet. Although she is viewed as a demanding, poor mother figure, when we look deeper we can see that Shakespeare actually painted her to be a caring and protective character. Although one character appears to be one thing, Shakespeare leaves us hints to more significance the character has to the story.

Everyone in the world of literature knows about the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Men in the story find power in sexual domination and violence. Women are treated as a belonging, and such as a property. Any person who was a female was expected to do as the men wished, and had no power over it at all. The women of this play are hampered by conventions, but many of the women still show great strength. The poor treatment acts upon major characters in the play such as, the nurse, Lady Capulet, and Juliet. In the play Lady Capulet shows strength by her tremendous personality of demand. The nurse, also shows an immense amount of strength by her ability to stay seriously involved with her work. Finally, Juliet shows her monumental strength by staying independent to herself.The women of this play are hampered by conventions, but many of the women still show great strength.

The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare shows how Romeo and Juliet meet. The play takes place in Verona, Italy. The Montagues and Capulets have ongoing feuds with each other. Romeo Montague meets Juliet Capulet at one of her family’s parties, instantly fall in love, and decide to secretly get married the the day after the party. Throughout the play, both Romeo and Juliet show character traits they have which leads to a tragic ending.

The nurse is very loyal to Juliet as shown in the past quote. The nurse is taking a chance at talking to Romeo for she knows that he is of the house of Montague and god knows the penalty for the interaction between.

On the other hand, it must be recognised that other characters apart from the Nurse, played a significant role in the misfortune. The flaws in Romeo and Juliet?s character- their hastiness, contributed greatly to their demise. Juliet?s extreme willingness to marry the day after she meets Romeo was much too unadvised and sudden, evidence of her hastiness. Romeo?s tendency to ?stand on sudden haste? is evident from the fact that he kills Tybalt in a sudden fit of rage and rushes to Juliet?s tomb, prepared for death, without first confirming her death. Friar Lawrence, too, was a character whose actions proved to be fatal. He did not heed his own advice of ?wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast?, but proceeded to marry and be supportive of the couple, knowing full well that ?violent delights have violent ends?.

The idyllic housewife, Lady Capulet, is a loving, virtuous, and obedient wife who is completely supportive of her husband's wishes above the well-being of her daughter. Throughout the entire play, Lady Capulet is an extension of her husband, promoting his judgments and requests. She acts as his ambassador when she informs Juliet of Paris' desires and intentions. Comparing Juliet to other girls her age already married, Lady Capulet encourages her to "love the gentleman" (1.3.81) and to "behold him at [the] feast" (1.3.82). As she talks highly of Paris, she fulfills her motherly duties by giving her tips on how to find love with a man (1.3.83-86). Lady Capulet then disappears until act three scene four, where Capulet instructs her with direct orders to go to Juliet and "prepare her" for her "wedding day" (3.4.31-32). Immediately, Lady Capulet submits to his authority and carries out the order. When Juliet claims she is not well, Lady Capulet scolds her for lamenting too long over Tybalt's death. She tells her that a reasonable amount of grieving is a sign of love, but too much is foolish. Lady Capulet remains conservative in the advice she gives to her daughter, no doubt with her husband's wishes in mind. She chooses not see her daughter's pain in deference to her husband's wishes.

For example Juliets Nurse and Friar Laurence roles in the play affect both of their lives immensely. When Romeo is banished from Verona, Juliet does not follow him blindly. She makes a logical and heartfelt decision that her loyalty and love for Romeo will be her main priority, and she will do whatever it takes to make their love work. The moment Romeo realises he loves Juliet his loyalty becomes divided, between what he knows is right and what his heart says.

Without the help of the Nurse, Romeo and Juliet would not have married or had a way to interact with each other. This is clearly shown in Act II Scene V where the Nurse talks to Romeo about the marriage plans. “I will tell her, sir that up do protests, which, as I take it is a gentlemanlike offer.”(836) If the Nurse had not been present as a messenger, communication between Romeo and Juliet would have been difficult and extremely risky. The Nurse is a mother figure to Juliet because, she takes care of Juliet and gives her advice. There are many situations where Juliet relies on the Nurse. For instance on her wedding night, the nurse helps Romeo by getting him a ladder to Juliet’s room. Thus, the Nurse influences the story by bringing the two young lovers together and helping them marry.

The Character of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet The Nurse has a very important role in the play, being Juliet’s closest friend and helping her in her illicit relationship with Romeo. Her position in the Capulet household is superior to that of a normal servant. She is very familiar when she talks to Lady Capulet, and at times oversteps the mark. She talks about the daughter she once had and lost, and it is evident that Juliet is like a replacement and the Nurse lavishes all her motherly love and protectiveness on Juliet.

Lady Capulet felt that Juliet was coming to the age where she should be married. Lady Capulet is a powerful person and has an inconsistent personality, similar to Lord Capulet. She is cold hearted, and is distant from her daughter and husband. She is very selfish and rarely sees other people's point of views, she is not close to her daughter

As soon as Juliet becomes introduced into the play, it is evident that Juliet treasures her family’s thoughts and opinions. Juliet’s parents see and highlight her different character traits in the opening acts of the play. Her father believes Juliet’s innocence will be forever, where as her mother’s actions emphasize her obedience and loyalty to her family. Juliet’s obedience and loyalty towards her mother demonstrates she has great respect for her elders. Juliet, her mother and Nurse have an in depth conversion regarding marriage before the masquerade ball.

The two characters Romeo and Juliet both suffer from tragic circumstances, I will go into more detail further on in the essay. There are also a few more characters that have a major role in this play. They are Benvolio, Mercutio, Tybalt, Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet

The role of a wife must be looked at in order to understand and appreciate Juliet’s mother. When a couple was married during the 16th century, Susan Amussen said it was the beginning of a partnership, but not one of equal proportions. The husband is awarded all the power in the family. He represents the family to the outside world and keeps the peace

While secondary characters are undersized, compared to the main characters of the play, they often have an eminent impact on the story. In William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet, certain secondary characters influence the decisions made by the two lovers and avail to establish the play’s tragic outcome. This will be conveyed through a detailed analysis of Tybalt, Lord Capulet, and Friar Lawrence. Shakespeare introduces Tybalt, a fiery and prideful relative of the Capulet family.

While secondary characters are less important than the main characters of the book, they often have a noteworthy impact on the story. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a secondary character, Friar Lawrence, plays a vital role throughout the play. The play takes place in Verona and focuses on Romeo and Juliet, two star-crossed lovers from two feuding families; the Montagues and the Capulets. The extremely violent feud between these families has been ongoing for generations, extending out to even the serving men of both houses. Romeo and Juliet must profess their love in secret because of the quarrel between their parents. This is a catalyst in triggering tragic events, consisting of the deaths of many other characters, including