Juliet and Lord Capulet: A Complex Relationship Essay

In this essay, I will be examining Shakespeare’s treatment of relationships in Romeo and Juliet. As a poet and playwright, he wrote 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and 38 plays, one of his most famous plays being Romeo and Juliet. There are many different types of relationships between characters, and these are essential to the play. The prologue tells us that the play is about two star-crossed lovers from two feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets. There is hatred between these two families, this explains this, ‘Thou villain Capulet’. This quote suggests because of the hate between their families, the lovers are doomed from the start.

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.

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.

In many literary works, there are methods that authors use to make a story better. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, dramatic irony is the driving method. Dramatic irony is something in which characters do not know something, but the reader or audience knows what the true reality is. According to some researchers, “A staple of Elizabethan and Shakespearean drama was dramatic irony” (Halio 25). Furthermore some researchers also belive that dramatic irony is very prominent in the play, “ One of the more prominent literary devices in the play is irony” (Sauer 673). Romeo and Juliet, and also their friends and families face a lot of instances of dramatic irony in the story. Dramatic irony creates suspense and adds to

The play starts with Sampson and Gregory, two of Capulet’s servants, beginning a quarrel with two servants of Montague. This shows that from the working-class to the upper-class in the two families, they still hold a grudge against the opposite family. Tybalt arrives at the scene, speaking of his loathing of the Montagues, “I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee”. A furious riot develops with Lords Capulet and Montague joining in and officers clubbing both sides of the fight, only for it to be stopped by the neutral Prince Escales. The riot further emphasises the vast level of hate between the two families.

The beginning of Act one opens with a brawl in the street between the servants of the Capulets and the Montagues. The origin of the fight introduces the

Shakespeare uses numerous literary devices such as dramatic irony throughout the play. Even though all of these examples are different, they all share the same central idea. The central idea of these examples of dramatic irony is the love that Romeo and Juliet express towards each other. An example of dramatic irony from the play occurs towards the end of Act three. This is when Lady Capulet and Juliet discuss the conflict of Romeo and Tybalt. Lady Capulet thinks that Juliet is crying because Romeo killed Tybalt. Romeo killed Juliet’s cousin, after Tybalt had killed Romeo’s good friend Mercutio, right in front of him. However, it is evident to the audience that Juliet is crying over Romeo because he has been banished from Verona, for

One of William Shakespeare’s most renown plays, set in Verona where two young star-crossed lovers; Romeo and Juliet met in tragedy as their family feud bound their love within solemn hatred. The Montagues and the Capulets are two families of equal powers who’s prolonged bitter quarrel leads to the tragic death of these two lovers, and by their love reconciled the family’s hatred. Love is a predominant theme within this novel portrayed through the eyes of Romeo and Juliet, however, the maternal endearment between Juliet and her nurse can not be denied.

Another brief but significant relationship in the first Two Acts is that of Juliet and her father, Capulet. Lord Capulet is seen to be very protective of his daughter, when speaking to Paris, and expresses much care towards who she marries, much contrast to Lady Capulet’s however. Evidence of Lord Capulet’s protection is admitted when he says Juliet is ‘yet a stranger in the world’. As an audience, we would presume Capulet to merely be cautious, however we are told ‘the Earth has swallowed all [his] hopes but she’. By swallowed, Capulet implies all other of his children have died and been buried. He refers to Juliet as his ‘hope’, which shows his reliance on her, and fully explains his protective nature towards

Lord Capulet does love Juliet but he thinks of himself as the dominant figure. Which is how it would have been as the fathers did tend to take the dominant figure of the family. It is a very unequal relationship.

Throughout the play a comparison is made between Paris and Romeo and the different aspects of love they offer Juliet. Paris is "a gentleman of noble parentage" and seems to be a sensible husband. He is rich and would be a gain to the Capulet family. The marriage to Paris is a logical arrangement, Capulet says Juliet should "count her bless'd" as he has "wrought so worthy a gentleman to be her bride". She should be proud and grateful that her father has persuaded such a worthy and noble man to marry into their family. Paris is the courtly lover that Romeo wasn't given the chance to be; he brings flowers and kisses Juliet's hand

In the Elizabethan era, children of the high class were expected to obey without question. There was no free will to make their own decisions about their own lives. Few had experiences relating to romance before marriage. They were expected to grow up, get married, get their money, have kids, pass it on, and carry on in the cycle. Juliet’s parents say that she should give her consent to marrying. Marrying Paris would increase their wealth and raise their social status in society. Lady Capulet says of Paris, “…And what obscur’d in this fair volume lies /Find written in the margent of his eyes,/ This precious book of love, this unbound lover, / to beautify him only lacks a cover.” Besides describing his beauty, she also concludes with “So shall you share all that he doth possess by having him making yourself no less.” This means that

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet loved each other, but they knew that it wouldn't be possible to have a relationship because of their feuding families. Their deaths were tragic, as it was mainly the people around them that made them so unhappy. They were so in love with each other that they took risks to be together, which lead to their unfortunate deaths. Romeo is a Montague. He falls in love with Juliet the moment he sees her at a Capulet ball.

The parents of Juliet, Capulet and Lady Capulet, are one of many who contributed to evitable end of her daughter. The father opted for a sudden decision of marriage of Juliet and the County Paris, despite the fact that Capulet’s attitude toward his daughter’s marriage altered dramatically from the start of the play. Capulet claimed to support his daughter’s choice of who to marry, since he did not want her marriage to result like his own, dreadful; however, when times are getting dreary Juliet’s father impulsive declaration to marry her daughter to his desire without any say, “Sir Paris I will make a desperate tender/Of my child’s hand, I believe she will be ruled/In all respect my me” (3.4.12-14). Capulet felt that Juliet was a mere possession he could control without discussing or giving

During the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare manages to effectively depict the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. One way he achieves this is by creating sympathy for Romeo and Juliet, which consequently affects the reader and audience of the play. Three ways in which Shakespeare is able to create sympathy for them is through the general setting and plot structure, the language used, and also the characterisation of Romeo and Juliet.