Parents' Roles in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Parents' Roles in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet experience adversity ultimately ending in their

deaths as they do not have alternative means to support their

marriage; the society they live in is aggressive and their feuding

families have an 'ancient grudge' so powerful and potent that the

protagonists cannot disclose their love to their parents. They are

unable to confide in their parents is due to the lack of

communication. Instead of Romeo's and Juliet's parents providing love,

care and affection these qualities are brought to them by the Nurse

and Friar Lawrence who fulfil the duties and responsibilities of

parenting far better than Romeo and Juliet's actual parents. However,

as the play unravels both the Nurse and Friar Lawrence reveal

weaknesses, lacking in character and moral strength; the Friar

illustrates this when he abandons Juliet and the Nurse demonstrates

this when she betrays Juliet leaving her stranded.

The parenting provided for both Romeo and Juliet is insufficient and

leaves them having to make their own decisions. However, their choices

are rushed for they do not have the maturity to deal with their

dilemma. Sufficient parenting involves care, love and guidance and

Romeo and Juliet are lacking tremendously in some of these aspects of

upbringing. Lord Capulet is certainly one of the causes of Juliet's

poor parenting.

Lord Capulet domineers his relationships; his tyrannical behaviour

dismisses Juliet when she refuses to marry Paris. He explodes into a

violent and fuming mood constantly cursing Juliet for her childish and

unfaithful actions and at point in his uncontrolled anger he th...

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...his domineering, uncompromising and

relentless personality and Friar Lawrence for his over ambitious plan

which fails. It is these two characters that are combined which have

the worst affect on Romeo and Juliet and regardless of how well

intentioned or well meaning they were they never fulfilled their

duties competently. However Friar Lawrence still showed best parental

qualities.

Shakespeare has a moral message he tells the audience in this play;

society plays a massive part of our lives and how we live. The society

of Verona was diseased like an insect eating away at a rose. The rose

being Romeo's and Juliet's love, not being able to fully open and

shine. Instead the feud between the families, the disease, is taking

over. In the end, the disease is killed however the lives of Romeo and

Juliet were also killed.