Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

Romeo and Juliet Essay Introduction

‘Capulet shows himself to be a concerned and caring parent throughout the play.’ Examine his role with particular reference to act 3 scene 5 and show whether or not you agree.I have been asked to prove whether Lord Capulet is a caring parent or not throughout the play. I believe that he is a caring father for Juliet, he has said and done things throughout the play to prove this to us, I will talk about this later on during the coursework.

Meanwhile let us firstly talk about the general period and background which this play took place in.The story of Romeo and Juliet took place in the Elizabethan period. Women’s lives where very difficult during those periods, this is because the men had almost full control over them. The only option for a woman to control her life was suicide. They had no voice in society and did not have money earning jobs, whilst divorce was not an open option for them.

They where not given access to education. Men had almost full control over them. This proves to us that a women had no say and whoever her father or brother or male family member told her marry they would have no choice but to marry the chosen man.Women did not have the right to answer back or refuse to get married, and if they did they would have been punished severely for it. Therefore women did not answer back or refuse and did what they where told by their male family members.

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We can clearly see that these conditions where very harsh for the women at those times, and I am totally against this behaviour and society where women are treated this way I think it is totally unfair for the women because I believe they should choose whom to marry.At the beginning of the play Paris asks Lord Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage but lord Capulet declines, taking into consideration that Lord Capulet wants Paris to marry Juliet at the same time he wants the best for Juliet.These are the first indications of the love that Lord Capulet has for his daughter Juliet. We know this when lord Capulet quotes ‘My child is yet a stranger in this world’ here he proves to us that she is still young and he cares for her happiness and doesn’t want her to get married this early in her life, he gives Paris a certain date ‘Let two more summers whither in her pride’ he believes that in two more summers she will be old and mature enough to be a wife. These quotes show us the characteristics of a caring Parent that cares about his child. “But woo her gentle Paris, get her heart.” This proves that Capulet cares about Juliet, he wants her to love Paris.The Lord also believes that if Juliet is to marry Paris at this early stage of her life it may spoil her ‘And too soon marred are those so early made.’ He may know this because of his wife Lady Capulet, who was forced to marry him at a young age. This proves to us that he cares about Juliet he wants what is most suitable and best for her, which is something you would expect from a loving and caring parent. He doesn’t want her to end up being like her mother, being forced to marriage in an early stage of her life.He also quotes ‘Earth has swallowed all my hopes but she’ which is another indication of the love Lord Capulet has for her, it also proves that she is his only daughter where he may had children in the past that have passed away and ‘earth has swallowed’ which means they are dead in their coffins underground or in their tombs etc.He also mentions to Paris that Juliet means everything to him’She is the hopeful lady of my earth.’ He indicates to us here that Juliet is his future and is all his wealth; she means the world to him, which is another indication of the love he has towards her.After the death of Tybalt, Lord Capulet seemed to have changed his mind about how soon the marriage should take place. This change of heart was due to the fact that he saw his daughter grieving and thought that she was miserable over her cousin’s death when in actual fact she was unhappy because she thought she would never see Romeo again. Lord Capulet thought that the best thing to do to get her out of her misery was to marry her to Paris as soon as possible ‘O’ Thursday let it be. O’ Thursday’. We can clearly see that Lord Capulet is very unhappy because of Tybalt’s death. He also thought that Juliet loved Tybalt, which is indicated to us when he quotes ‘she loved her kinsman Tybalt dearly’. Juliet does like Tybalt, but she cares mostly about the fact that she may never see Romeo again.Old Capulet thinks of Paris as a gentle, rich, respectful, young and handsome man. He believes that he would make a very good husband to Juliet, ‘She shall be married to this Noble earl’ this quotation proves to us that he does like Paris by calling him a ‘Noble earl’.Lady Capulet is looking forward to the marriage as when she explains it to Juliet she refers to the marriage as a ‘day of joy’ which indicates that she is looking forward to it. Lady Capulet does agree to the marriage because she also thinks that Juliet is weeping over her cousin’s death, and the marriage would make Juliet happy. Lady Capulet has no option but to support the views of her husband as she was possibly even forced to marrying him in the first place, we have discussed the options women had in those times which where very few. Bearing in mind Lady Capulet has been brought up in a patriarchal society she will never speak her mind even if she wanted do. We have come to realise that she is an uncaring parent when Juliet asks her mother to delay the marriage she replies ‘Here comes your father. Tell him so yourself’, a caring mother would have helped her daughter out in a situation such as this but Lady Capulet decided not to, which leads to the idea of her being an uncaring mother.When Capulet approaches Juliet in order to inform her about her wedding, he begins to talk to her about the tears in her face ‘What still in tears?’ the use of the rhetorical question is vital he indicates to us that he cares for her.As soon as he finds out she is not interested in marrying Paris he becomes furious. ‘How, now! How, now!’ these are some of the words he used to describe he’s aggravation. He reacted in this manner because he is the Lord of the Capulet house and does not expect to be answered back by anybody thus Juliet answering him back results in him being extremely furious. He has also mentioned to Paris’I think she will be ruled in all respects by me’ hence her declining to marry Paris will put Lord Capulet in a foolish and embarrassing situation with Paris. Capulet also threatens that she will not inherit any of his wealth, “Nor what is mine shall never do thee good.”Juliet feels absolutely shattered after hearing that her father has arranged her marriage to Paris to take place on Thursday, this gives a sense of dramatic irony, as us the audience know that she is married to Romeo whilst all her family do not know, and have arranged a marriage to take place on the following Thursday.Capulet’s anger is highlighted by the different words he uses to curse Juliet, ‘Out, you green-sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! You tallow-face!’ these curses prove to us that Capulet is very angry as he mentions Juliet to be as ‘pale as corpse’ and a ‘face as white as candle-wax’.Capulet believes that Paris will make a perfect husband for Juliet by quoting ‘And having now provided, a gentleman of noble parentage’ this indicates that he has done a good job to provide Juliet with a good husband. Lord Capulet threatens to kick Juliet out of the house if she does not do what she is ordered to do by her father ‘get thee to church o’ Thursday or never after look me in the face’. As we mentioned earlier in the coursework the play was set during the Elizabethan period, her father has warned her offering her the option to be at the church on Thursday or suffer the consequence of kicked out of the house.Juliet is absolutely shocked; she can’t do what her father tells her because she is already married to Romeo, a marriage that her father nor her mother know about.When Juliet returns to her father after visiting the Friar, there are indications that prove to us that he still likes her after the huge argument he has with her about the marriage by asking her ‘Where have you been gadding?’. This quote indicates that his personality has completely changed towards Juliet; we can now see him as a happy and excited man. ‘I have learnt me to repent the sin’ her visiting the Friar has made Lord Capulet think that she is repentant and is now a happy man knowing that Juliet is sorry and wants to marry Paris. ‘I met the youthful lord at the Friars cell, and gave him what becomed love I might.’ She wants to prove to her father that she likes Paris and would not mind marrying him. Him replying ‘why, I am glad on’t’ proves he is now a happy man.In my opinion the biggest indication that proves Capulet loves his daughter Juliet, is when she seems dead to him. He uses quotes such as ‘Death lies on her like an untimely frost, upon the sweetest flower of all the field’ here he compares Juliet to a flower that has been killed by the frost, ‘Ready to go, but never to return’ the use of personification here explains the sorrow lord Capulet is going through, this sorrow proves the love he has for his only daughter that has just passed away.At the start of the play it is clear that Capulet loves Juliet, and Juliet loves him just as much. There are many quotes throughout the play that prove this point ‘She is the hopeful lady of my earth’ this quote proves that he cherishes and cares about her a lot.He shows he is concerned for her and cares for her when he asks her ‘where have you been gadding?’Capulet arranged the marriage with Paris to take place because he thought it was best for his daughter, because he thought she was going through a difficult stage in her life where he assumed she was grieving over the death of her cousin Tybalt, where in actual fact she was unhappy because she thought she will never see Romeo again.After reading and understanding the play I strongly believe that Capulet does show himself to be a concerned and caring parent throughout the play.

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