Romeo and Juliet - Relationship Between Juliet and Her Father

'Romeo and Juliet' is a play written in 1594, by the famous English playwright William Shakespeare. It tells the story of two young teenagers who fall deeply in love but their families are bitter enemies. Regardless of the feud between their families they marry in secret, resulting in tragic consequences. During Elizabethan times, women were classed as lower than men, and their only purpose was to be good housewives and mothers. Even though women only had one purpose, this was a role that was valued and was seen to be an important part of a women's life. Parent expected their daughters to marry as soon as possible and have lots of children which is why most women married young. Children, were raised to respect and obey their parents. In this essay I will the discuss relationship of Juliet and her father, Lord Capulet, commenting on how it changes throughout the play.

In Act 1 Scene 2, we see Paris and Lord Capulet discussing Paris' marriage proposal to Juliet. In the beginning, Capulet seems unsure about Paris' request, he says,

"My child is yet a stranger in the world."- showing us that he thinks this daughter is still too young to be married. This shows he is very protective of her and gives us the impression, that Juliet is naïve and vulnerable.. He then continues making excuses as to why his daughter should not be married now, for example, "She hath not seen the changes of fourteen years," and, "Let two more summers wither in their pride..." this shows he thinks his daughter is not ready or mature enough yet and it also suggest that possibly he is not ready to let his child go. This shows a strong father-daughter bond. We can see how much he cares for Juliet when he describes her as "The hopeful lady of my earth."

This kind of language suggests that he loves his daughter more than anything and the kind of close relationship they share. It is then suggested in the next line that Juliet is his only child, which explains this hesitation to except Paris' desire to marry Juliet. Lord Capulet then says, "My will to her consent is but a part." This informs us that, Lord Capulet wants Juliet to make the final decision, showing consideration for her feelings and suggesting that he cares a great deal about her. All of this shows us the kind of loving father, Lord Capulet is.

In Act 3 Scene 4, we see Lord Capulet's next conversation with Paris. This attitude has changed considerably since their last meeting. Paris raises the issue of marriage again, and this time, Lord Capulet seems to have changed his mind. He says, "Sir Paris, I will make a desperate tender." - Lord Capulet is offering Paris a bold gift -his daughter's love. This suggests he is now desperate for his daughter to be wed. He seems to have changed his thoughts on the proposal very quickly since the previous scene. In my opinion, Capulet's change in mind-set has to do with his nephew, Tybalt's recent death, perhaps he feels that life is short, he wants Juliet to have the chance to life her life fully. He then goes on to describe the upcoming wedding as "a sudden day of joy" suggesting that he wants to cheer everyone up after the recent tragedy. Also, maybe he has noticed how upset Juliet has been lately and wants her to be happy- this shows he is worried about her telling us he is a good thoughtful parent. Nevertheless, on line 20, our opinion of him changes, in the way that he says, "She will be married to this noble earl.", showing the audience what kind of person he can be- overruling and careless. At this point he seems to stop thinking about Juliet's feelings and seems very inconsiderate, not caring about the consequences his decision will have on their relationship. In addition, when he says "I think she will ruled in all respects by me..." shows us that Lord Capulet is extremely confident that Juliet will obey him. This tells us a lot about the character of Lord Capulet and that he feels that being the father means that he is in charge.

Lord Capulet discovers Juliet crying, not knowing what she has been doing the night before.

He says, "... But for the sunset of my brothers sun in rains downright." This shows the audience that Lord Capulet seems to think that Juliet is upset about her cousins death. Here, he treats her gently and is very sympathetic towards her. This kind of soft language he uses shows us he can be very sensitive at times. Then, his wife lets him know, the real reason why she is upset and his mood changes rapidly. He begins confused -

"Soft, take me with you, take me with you." He wants someone to explain to him what is happening, the way he repeats himself shows exactly how confused he is.

He then goes on to say, "How will she none? Dost she not give us thanks? Is she not proud?"The way he asks many question shows, his confusion building up, and how he is slowly going from puzzled to angry. Juliet then tries to explain her reasons for not wanting to marry Paris, this seems to bewilder Capulet much more, causing him to use words such as "chopt-logic" and continues to repeat himself e.g. on line 149, "How how how how..." this suggests that Lord Capulet cannot believe what he is hearing. The reason he is so confused is because in the previous scene, he was overly confident that Juliet would be the obedient, sweet daughter and agree to the marriage.

At this point he stops being sympathetic and he insults her repeatedly.

He uses foul language, "You green sickness carrion." And "You tallow face." These kind of insults tell us he can barely look at this daughter and is disgusted by her.

As his anger builds, he insults her some more- "You baggage," implying that he thinks of her as worthless and unwanted. He cannot believe she could be so ungrateful.

As Juliet continues to plead with her father, his sympathy seems to have completely disappeared, he doesn't seem to care what she thinks anymore, when he says,

"You disobedient wretch," and "You whining mammet." - the way his insults seem to get worse, shows he doesn't seem to have any control over his emotions or thoughts. When he is finished insulting her, he goes on to using threats to get what he wants.

He begins saying, "Fettle your fine joints or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither." - telling her to get ready, this shows how commanding and controlling he is as a father.

This is once again seen when he says, "Get thee or church or never look me in the face." This gives us the impression that he forcing her and also trying to provoke guilt from her. When he says, "You be mine, and I give you