Rapid growth and maturity is often found in children who have experienced hardships in their life. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the hardships encountered by Juliet come in the form of love and lovers. As Juliet is continuously faced with difficult situations throughout the play, her character is forced to mature rapidly. Juliet’s maturity can be traced from her opinions on love and marriage, her behaviour toward family members and her responses to Romeo.
Juliet’s growth to maturity was shown to us in many different ways throughout the play. One way the reader can see her growth is through her opinions on love and marriage. When Lady Capulet asks Juliet about her opinion on marriage, Juliet replies “It is an honour I dream not
…show more content…
of” (I.iii.67). One can see from her reaction that marriage is a commitment that she does not want, and the title of a wife is not something that she wants to be limited to yet. Juliet is only thirteen and being responsible of a husband is not something that she craves in the near future. Her reply also leads the audience to infer that her unwillingness to marry could be a problem rooted much deeper than just her age, it may be a result of the unhappiness that Lady Capulet faces whilst in a loveless marriage.
In addition, after learning of the feast being held at her house and the suitors attending, Juliet states “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move.” (I.iii.98). From this comment, the reader is told that Juliet is not keen on looking for marriage as she telling the Nurse and Lady Capulet that she will take into consideration her father’s choice of fiancé if he is good looking. One can infer from this that Juliet’s heart is not in the idea of marriage as she refuses to get to know the man better. However, after meeting Romeo and falling in love with him, the idea of marriage suddenly becomes very appealing to Juliet. During Romeo and Juliet’s conversation on the balcony, Juliet says “If that thy bent of love be honourable, /Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, /By one that I’ll procure to come to thee, /Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite, /And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay, /And follow thee my lord throughout the world” (II.ii.142-148). Here the reader is able to see how Juliet has matured and is willing to marry if she is promised true love and happiness. It also shows her understanding of the way marriage will impact her individuality, yet that she is mature enough to make her own decisions about life. Furthermore, …show more content…
after the Nurse tells Juliet where and when to go for her marriage ceremony to Romeo, Juliet replies with one simple line “Hie to high fortune! Honest Nurse, farewell!” (II.v.78). Juliet is thanking the nurse for giving her good news about marriage. From this the reader, can see how Juliet has matured from a young teenager, who becomes defensive and stubborn at the thought of marriage proposal, to one that accepts her choice and welcomes the life of marriage with open arms. Juliet’s responses to her family members are another indication of her eventual maturity.
When Lady Capulet calls Juliet for the first time, Juliet replies “Madam I am here, what is your will?” (I.iii.7). By addressing her mother and instantly asking what she can do, Juliet shows how respectful and dutiful she is towards her mother. From this, one can assume that she would be more gracious to her father and uncles due to the family hierarchy that was present during the setting’s time-period. Furthermore, when ask to look at suitors during the feast Juliet says “But no more deep will I endart mine eye, /Than your consent gives strength to make it fly” (I.iii.99-100). This shows how Juliet will do whatever to please her parents but not without their permission and blessings. The audience can also infer that Juliet hold her mother in high esteem by the way that she talks of getting her approval first. In spite of her obedience, Juliet matures by standing up for herself in front of her parents. When Lady Capulet tells Juliet of her arranged marriage to Paris, Juliet cries “He shall not make me there a joyful bride. /I wonder at this haste, that I must wed /Ere he that should be husband comes to woo. /I pray you tell my lord and father, madam, /I will not marry yet, and when I do, I swear /It shall be Romeo,” (III.v.117-122). From this, the reader can see Juliet’s character development as she becomes insistent to not marry Paris and challenged her parents wishes. It shows her
maturity to stand up for herself after being instructed and corrected on her every action, for her entire life thus far. In addition, Juliet deliberately disobeys her parents when drinking the potion that will put her into a temporary death. Before draining the vile which contained the potion, Juliet said “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink – I drink to thee.” (IV.iv.58). Entering that sleep by saying her “sworn enemy” ’s name is consciously dishonouring her family; yet Juliet regrets nothing as it is the name of her husband. Her maturity is shown through he dedication to Romeo and her persistence to follow her heart. Another way Juliet matured over the course of the drama is her responses to Romeo and his actions. When Romeo and Juliet first meet, Romeo asks Juliet for a kiss, Juliet replies “Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake” (I.v.104). This shows how Juliet is able to indulge in some youthful banter with Romeo and does not have any care in the world. From this, the audience can assume that Juliet is used to being flirtatious as responds to Romeo’s affections easily. After Juliet kisses Romeo, she states “You kiss by th’book” (I.v.109), letting the audience know that Romeo’s ability to kiss is that of an expert. From this, the reader can see how Juliet is able to focus on that one aspect in the meeting and has no other reason to be concerned with any thing else. However, after Romeo kills Tybalt and is sentenced to banishment, Juliet’s thoughts for Romeo are those of worry and concern. Juliet says “Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring, /Your tributary drops belong to woe, /Which you mistaking offer up to joy. /My husband lives that Tybalt would have slain,” (III.ii.102-105). Juliet’s response to Romeo’s actions are filled with distress, showing how she has matured and taken her responsibilities as a wife seriously. She talks of how the death of Tybalt is shadowing a joyous occasion – Romeo’s survival. This shows her epiphany on the situation and her maturity towards Tybalt’s death, despite being closer to Tybalt. When Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence to gain assistance on resisting her marriage to Paris, she states “God join’d my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands, /And ere this hand by thee to Romeo’s seal’d, /Shall be the label to another deed,” (IV.i.55-57). Juliet tells Friar Lawrence that it would be wrong for him to marry her and Paris as it was by his hand that her and Romeo were married. This shows her loyalty to Romeo and how she will go to any extreme for him, even if it means guilting a Priest – which is considered sin. Juliet’s loyalty and devotion toward Romeo portrays her growth and maturity concerning him and her duties as a wife. Juliet’s responses to these events shows her eventual awareness and her growth in maturity. Shakespeare uses love, family and lovers to exhibit Juliet’s character development, from a young, innocent fiancé to be, to a mature, caring wife. The characters found in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare have experiences much tragedy yet remain a legacy within Shakespeare’s works.
Psychology Today declares “...Females generally mature faster in certain cognitive and emotional areas than males during childhood and adolescence.” In Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, it becomes clear that Juliet appears more mature than Romeo. Shakespeare proves that Juliet demonstrates a heightened level of maturity by capturing her reactions to outlandish events, displaying her awareness of sexual realities, and exhibiting her ability to tackle tragic news.
Lady Capulet is very materialistic and she wants Juliet to gain wealth and status by marrying Paris ‘’Share all that he doth possess’’. In addition, because she got married at a young age, therefore she thinks it’s right for Juliet to be married at a young age ‘’I was likely your mother at just about your age’’. Moreover, she constantly urges Juliet to marry Paris without any sense of consideration for Juliet’s opinions or feelings, about the alliance of the marriage. Furthermore, this illustrates her cold attitude towards love and marriage as she only talks about Paris Social position and wealth.
Juliet Capulet is a innocent young girl, especially towards the beginning of the story. When Juliet expresses her innocence, she truly wasn't expecting to find the guy she was going to like for the rest of her life. As, Lady Capulet calls to talk to her about marriage, Lady Capulet says, “Marry, that
A character goes through many changes that depend on the kind of events they experience. The play “Romeo and Juliet” written by William Shakespeare, uses different tones and language that shows the readers that Juliet, a Protagonist, changes over time, proving the idea that she is a dynamic character. At the beginning of the play, we are introduced to a young, innocent and inexperienced girl, Juliet the daughter of Lord Capulet . She has not yet seen the real world and is raised by the person she trusts most, her nurse. Juliet begins as a naive child who has thought little about love and marriage, but she grows up quickly upon falling in love with Romeo, the son of her family’s great enemy. Due to the fact that Juliet is a girl in an aristocratic family, she has none of the freedom Romeo has to rome around the city, climb over walls in the middle of the night, or get into swordfights. As we begin to learn more about the character of Juliet, we learn that Juliet is not the girl she used to be anymore. She is more courageous and willing to break the rules. She goes against her and her family beliefs. In the beginning of the play she obeys her parents. But as the play descends Juliet is disregarding of what her parents say. She is no longer the innocent girl she use to be. Shakespeare use of language helps the reader to see the change in a character that makes them a dynamic character.
It is expected of her to do as her father declares, as the good obedient daughter she is. In this day in age, it was unheard of for the woman to choose the man they wanted to marry. These strict gender roles inhibit Juliet from choosing her own path, and holds an influence in her rebellion against her family. Juliet understands what is unfairly expected of her as a female, but continues to fight a losing battle of breaking free from those stereotypical duties. In a conversation with her mother, she inquires what Juliet’s position is on marriage, “Lady Capulet: Tell me, daughter Juliet,/How stands your disposition to be married? Juliet: It is an honour that I dream not of” (I.iii.64-66). This is one of the first and only times where anyone considered that Juliet may have a say in signing away her future. Perhaps it is Lady Capulet who asks as she too was expected to marry at a young age, so she can best understand what Juliet is going through and the pressures put on her. Juliet realizes that an arranged marriage into a good family is an honour, but it does not seem to be something that she is looking for in life. She does not want to marry a man simply because it is expected of her. Later in the play, Juliet is the
Instead it is the wife’s duty to inform her child that she must prepare herself for marriage. Lady Capulet was married at an age younger than Juliet is. She says, "By my count I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid" (1.3.73-75). It is time Juliet leaves her nest and adds to the family’s fortune. The mother is the one to tell Juliet this news because she was put into the same situation as her daughter. During the ...
He did not give much thought on how Juliet feels about the marriage and agrees to marry the two even though Juliet had not given him consent. For example, when Paris asks Capulet if Juliet would love him; Capulet responds, "Of my child 's love: I think she will be ruled. In all respects by me; nay, more, I doubt it not." (4.3.13-14). Capulet’s relationship with Juliet is superficial; he does not understand or know his daughter well. By creating the wedding, he causes Juliet to become desperate as she would be marrying someone she doesn’t love. To add to the matter, instead of trying to understand his daughter’s perspective, he becomes aggressive and gives her with an ultimatum. Capulet shouts, “Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church o 'Thursday, Or never after look me in the face.” (3.5.160-163). By forcing Juliet into marriage, she becomes desperate and causes her to begin considering death as a way out. "I 'll to the friar, to know his remedy; If all else fail, myself have power to die." (3.5.241-242). Capulet’s controlling and aggressive parenting forces Juliet to marry someone she does not love. Furthermore, this causes Juliet to starts considering suicide as a way out. Capulet’s actions to forcefully marry Juliet to Paris brings her death because it results in the Friar’s potion plan which would cause the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. If Capulet did not
Ultimately, Romeo and Juliet become embodiments of impulsiveness. Through their rash words and actions in the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare sets forth that both are too hasty in their decisions, leading them into unfortunate events. As the plot unfolds, Romeo and Juliet’s futile love is torn apart by their family’s hate and animosity towards each other. Despite their constant struggle to let their love survive, it is doomed from the beginning of the tragedy. It is plain that lack of foresight and wisdom leads to disaster all around.
The audience’s first impression of Juliet however, is through her interaction with her mother (Lady Capulet) and the Nurse. From the Nurse’s remarks, the audience learns that Juliet is thirteen and “Come Lammas-eve at night shall [Juliet turn] fourteen” (Act I.3.18-9). As Juliet enters the presence of her mother and the Nurse, Shakespeare portrays Juliet as a very faithful daughter. When summoned by the Nurse, Juliet comes promptly then responds politely to her mother “Madam, I am here, what is your will?” (Act I.3.7). When Juliet refers to her mother as ‘madam” (Act I.3.7), the audience also gets the impression of Juliet being compliant to her elder’s wishes. This can be observed when her mothe...
Pleasing their husbands, parents, and families were all things women should aspire to do. At the beginning of the play, Juliet follows gender conventions. She always obeyed her parents and did what they wanted her to do. After Juliet meets Romeo, things change dramatically. Juliet breaks gender conventions by denying her parents request for her to marry her suitor Paris, something that was unheard of in Elizabethan times. It is said that “Marriages were usually arranged by the families of the bride and the groom in order for both sides to benefit from one another” (Women's Rights in Romeo and Juliet 1). When Juliet's father finds out she does not want to marry Paris, her father says “Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch!
Also, Romeo spots Juliet for the first time at her father’s party and his first words about her are “Yo, she’s bangin’!” I wrapped pearls around the stick to give others the feeling that she has her daddy wrapped around her finger doing everything for her. Juliet is a spoiled brat who can’t do anything for herself and everyone else works hard to make her happy. In Act 3 Scene 5 Capulet is shouting at Lady Capulet because he is mad at Juliet for not wanting to marry Paris. He says “I have worked hard to provide Juliet with everything she needs to be happy.
Juliet is shown to be immature in a opening scene where her father tells the bride-seeking Paris his daughter is not old and grown-up enough to marry. "My child is yet a stranger in the world, she hath not seen the charge of fourteen years. . ." (Lines 8-9, Scene 2, Act 1). It is also shown during the balcony scene when she agrees to marry Romeo after knowing him only a day and she is not even sure herself that Romeo wants to marry her. "If that thy bent of love be honorable, thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow. . . And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay, and follow thee my lord throughout the world" (Lines 142-143, 146-147, Scene 2, Act 2). After he marriage she is told by her nurse she is to marry Paris. In a blind fury she runs to Friar Lawrence with a knife to her body, thinking that her only option was to dye or hear a plan presented by Friar Lawrence to get her out of a second marriage. "If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help, do thou but call my resolution wise, and with this knife I'll help it presently. . .'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife shall play umpire. . ." (Lines 53-55, 63-64, Scene 1, Act 4).
Paris is talking with Capulet, and saying that Juliet’s age should not stop her father from being married off, “Younger than she are happy mothers made” (1.2.12). Paris's argument to not wait for his and Juliet’s marriage is that there are many girls who are even younger than Juliet who are married and have already started a family. Juliet’s age puts her in a place where she is expected to contribute a child. This may be why she was in such a rush to get married to Romeo. Marriage of her choosing to Romeo prevents the marriage against her will to Paris. The influence placed on Juliet by her family is itself shaped by expectations of Juliet’s age group. When Juliet tells her father she does not wish to marry Paris, her father replies harshly commenting on her reasoning being due to her age, “A whining mammot, in her fortune’s tender/To answer I’ll not wed, I cannot love,/I am too young, I pray you pardon me” (3.5.185-187). Juliet’s father lacks empathy for Juliet’s position, and so continues to hold the high expectations that are required of her because of her age. Juliet never told her father she would not wed because of her age or her inability to love, so perhaps her father is projecting his guilt as he knows it is unreasonable to expect marriage and children from her when she is still so young and innocent. Juliet’s young age affects her maturity, which consequently influence the drastic and impulsive choices she made. When the Nurse agrees with Juliet’s parents about her marrying Paris, Juliet loses the one confidant she had. She depended heavily on the Nurse’s advice, as she herself lacked such wisdom. Her lack of maturity led her to make hasty decisions-choosing death as the easier way out, “Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain/I’ll too the friar, to know his remedy:/If all else fail, myself have power to die”
New York: The Free Press, 1973. Cox, Marjorie C. “Adolescent Processes in Romeo and Juliet.” Psychoanalytic Review 63 (1976). 379-392. Faber, M.D.
Juliet’s arranged marriage with Paris, as well as the ancient feud between Capulets and Montagues, eventually contributed to the deaths of their children. In Act 1 Scene 2, Paris asks Capulet, ‘But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?’ which shows that Capulet and Paris are discussing Juliet’s possible marriage without consulting her, perhaps implying they think she is too nave to decide on her future. They are arranging her marriage for her, which implies that men are very controlling of women’s lives, especially those of their daughters. The scene establishes how Juliet is subject to parental influence, and how she is very constrained since her father can force her to marry whoever he wants. Juliet’s status as a woman leaves her with no power or choice in the decision of whom she should marry.