Examples Of Foils In Romeo And Juliet

Character foils are important to any story or play as they compare and contrast character traits as the story unfolds. The use of character foils allows the audience to understand a characters way of thought and the actions that they take. Character foils show the moral behaviour and can help the audience see contradictory factors that help advance the plot. Although characters may seem similar, the use of character foils can show their differences. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the use of character foils proves Fortinbras is a stronger political leader over Hamlet, the contrasting view of Laertes as a son in comparison to Hamlet and Horatio being thought of as the better man in contradiction to Hamlet.

This conflict in viewpoint shows itself when she encourages Juliet to overlook the expelled Romeo and wed Paris, deceiving Juliet's trust by upholding a false marriage: I think it best you wedded with the County. O, he's a lovely gentleman . Romeo's a dishclout to him. Juliet can hardly imagine how the nurse offers such a strategy after she praised Romeo and united the couple. The nurse attendant is at last subject to the impulses of society. Her social position puts her in the serving class — she isn't enabled to make change around her. Her maternal nature toward Juliet floats her to help Juliet in wedding Romeo; be that as it may,when Capulet winds up incensed, the Medical caretaker withdraws rapidly into accommodation and desires Juliet to overlook

Lady Capulet is even more inconsiderate of her daughter’s wishes than Lord Capulet. She had little role in raising her daughter that Juliet considers the nurse more of a mother than Lady Capulet. Lady Capulet shows her desire for revenge when

Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.” By saying this, it is clear how much Capulet cherishes Juliet. He is risking a rich suitor, to let Juliet become more mature before she marries. By speaking in prose Shakespeare shows Capulet’s class and authority, nevertheless, it also shows the sincerity of his love for Juliet. However the nurse also shows the love of a parent, she

The nurse is a part of the house of Montague. She is a very down to earth woman, who will be sure of Juliet's happiness at all costs. The following quote is an example of this.

In the opening lines of Act 1 Scene 3, it is implied that there is a stronger bond between Juliet and the Nurse than Juliet and her own mother, from the fact that Lady Capulet calls on the Nurse and asks ‘Nurse, where’s my daughter?’ This implies that Lady Capulet relies on the Nurse to tell her where Juliet is, and is an ineffectual mother.

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.

In the opening lines of Act 1 Scene 3, it is implied that there is a stronger bond between Juliet and the Nurse than Juliet and her own mother, from the fact that Lady Capulet calls on the Nurse and asks ‘Nurse, where’s my daughter?’ From this we can understand that Lady Capulet relies on the Nurse to tell her where Juliet is, and is an ineffectual mother. This emphasises that mothers were distant from their children during Elizabethan times, and gives the impression that mothers had more important things to do than bring up their daughters. The Nurse provides a humorous anecdote from Juliet’s childhood, remembering how she fell over on her face, and how her husband had commented ‘Thou wilt fall backward when

The relationship shown in Act 3 Scene 5 between Juliet and Lady Capulet is portrayed as poor. Lady Capulet is shown as a very distant mother, though this is to be expected when there is a Nurse taking care of the child from the early stages of the child’s life.

However, an Elizabethan audience would see Capulet and Paris as caring and protective of Juliet. ‘Younger than she are happy mother’s made.’ This shows how hasty and devoted Paris is in having Juliet’s hand in marriage, but Capulet is caring towards Juliet and wants to wait for Juliet to make her decision. ‘The Earth hath swallow’d all my hopes but she, she is the hopeful lady of my Earth:’ Shakespeare uses a metaphor to portray how much he cares about Juliet and how dear she is to him. This would make sense because the infant mortality rate was high in Elizabethan times; on the other hand, what would be a shock to the Elizabethan audience is that Capulet sympathises with Juliet’s feelings. ‘But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,’ This can be seen as somewhat of a choice since Capulet delays the wedding due to the fact that he wants Juliet to become fond of Paris.

People of Verona, I, Lady Capulet, have been accused of negligence as my role as a mother. And today I stand before you to plead that I am not guilty of that crime because of the time-honored tradition of our mothers, I have provided a nurse to look after my daughter which her and Friar Lawrence both kept secrets from both Montague and Capulet families, furthermore providing Juliet with a good man that is stable to look after both his and our families and how that pitiful Romeo

A foil character contrasts the personalities of another character, which particularly enlightens certain characteristics of the individual. This element portrays these characteristics in an obvious manner, as it benefits the reader or audience. By showing the characteristics of one, it directly heightens the character traits of the other, creating a foil illustration of an individual. Nowhere is this element of literature more prudent than in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as he effectively engages the use of foil characters. In the play, two lovers from opposing, and hateful families fall in love, but the hatred between households lead to their downfall. Characters in the immoral city of Verona are set to represent key themes and

Foil characters are defined as characters that are used to contrast another character. This character in most cases is the protagonist. Moreover, foil characters tend to be based on the protagonist’s hubris, wherein contrasting the fatal flaw shows how it has ballooned out of control. Foil characters further themes by highlighting the characteristics of certain characters that will help enhance the theme. The role of foil characters in Shakespearean tragedies is to show what could have happened if the protagonist made a different choice. Likewise, this idea is prevalent within Romeo and Juliet. Furthermore, this play portrays two children from warring families who meet and fall in love, but eventually kill themselves as their love is not

A foil is a minor character that helps the audience better understand a major character. A foil may exist as a comparison character, with similarities between the two, as well as differences that bring to light an important contrast between the foil and the main character. A foil may also just be someone for the main character to talk to, so we can know and understand their thoughts and feelings. Foils help us understand the obvious as well as the arcane. In the classic tragedy Hamlet, we see William Shakespeare employ foils to illustrate both examples. They become important literary tools that help the reader rationalize the concurrent theme of the play -

The Nurse is very comical and lenient. She is also explicit and carefree. Despite her carefree attitude, she was very caring with Juliet. Hence, she stated “Thou wast the prettiest babe that e’er I nursed.” (Act I Scene III) She is very open and does not feel the need to sugar coat anything. She says explicit jokes around Juliet & Lady Capulet that makes Juliet laugh. “No less? Nay, bigger! Women grow by men.”