A dance lasting only a minute and a half is not generally thought of as what it takes to form a marriage. However, the not-so-ordinary for today’s world happens in William Shakespeare’s famous play Romeo and Juliet. Many people see this kind of tale and groan at how cliche it is or read the iconic play and shake their heads. Honestly, the reason why this iconic play is often misunderstood is because love was seen and treated much differently in Shakespeare’s time. When our expectations of this story include it having to meet modern-day standards of love, it may seem outlandish. A few particular differences between our “love” today and that of 16th century England are a common setback in this classic tale’s understanding such as that women …show more content…
When Juliet realizes that she is to marry Paris, a rich man who she does not love, she asks her father to reconsider. He responds vehemently with, “But fettle your fine joints ’gainst Thursday next/ To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church,/ Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither./ Out, you green sickness, carrion! Out, you baggage!” he says. (3.5.153-58). He becomes angry with his daughter’s protestations and threatens to drag her to her wedding with Paris at Saint Peter’s Church the next Thursday or disown her if she does not obey. He continues his rant by calling her a sickness and baggage. While this may seem cruel, women of this time “…had very little, if any, choice in who her husband might be. Elizabethan Women were subservient to men. They were dependent on their male relatives to support them. Elizabethan women were raised to believe that they were inferior to men and that men knew better.” (Elizabethan Marriages and Weddings). In this generation, Juliet was expected to do as her father ordered due to a lack of women’s …show more content…
Few people today understand that love between a girl who was 13 and a boy who was 18 was not uncommon among the nobility of the age. In fact, as stated in Elizabethan Marriages and Weddings, “It was legal for boys to marry at 14 and it was legal for girls to marry at 12.” For most people today, this seems astoundingly young as children are still in middle school at that age. However, in this iconic play, it is recognized as normal when Paris requests Juliet’s hand in marriage from her father . When the young woman’s father pointedly remarks that, “She hath not seen the change of fourteen years,” (1.2.9) the young man argues, “Younger than she are happy mothers made.” (1.2.12). It was not unusual for young women to be married off at such a young age. As Paris mentioned, there are girls younger than Juliet with children, which is a concept completely foreign to
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 refuses to marry Paris, saying, “Now, by Saint Peter's Church and Peter too, / He shall not make me there a joyful bride!” (3.5, 121-122). This quote shows that Juliet is disobedient and unreasonable, It is shown because as soon as talk of marrying Paris come up, Juliet breaks down crying and starts raising her voice. A little while after the last scene, the Nurse tries to give Juliet some advice, Juliet’s response is, “Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend! / ... I'll to the Friar to know his remedy. / If all else fail, myself have power to die.” (3.5, 248, 254-255). This scene also shows that Juliet is disobedient and unreasonable because, Juliet blatantly goes behind her parents back to make a plan that goes against their wishes. Her actions show that Juliet changes for the worse near the end of the story.
Juliet's farther never took to the time to understand his daughter and he presumed that she'd always respect whatever he had to say. When Juliet did not accept her father's idea for her to marry Paris, he became very angry and said, "Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what, get thee to church o'Thusday, Or never after look me in the face." This resulted in Juliet having to take desperate measures to avoid marrying Paris.
I beseech you on my knees.? This means I beg you for mercy because she doesn?t want to be married at this point in time. Capulet replies with, ? Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch!? meaning she is useless baggage and very disobedient because she should always do as her father say?s then he cried, ?
Bloch, R. Howard. Medieval Misogyny and the Invention of Western Romantic Love. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1991.
Medieval and Renaissance literature develops the concepts of love and marriage and records the evolution of the relation between them. In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Christian love clashes with courtly love, as men and women grapple with such issues as which partner should rule in marriage, the proper, acceptable role of sex in marriage, and the importance of love as a basis for a successful marriage. Works by earlier writers portray the medieval literary notion of courtly love, the sexual attraction between a chivalric knight and his lady, often the knight's lord's wife. The woman, who generally held mastery in these relationships based on physical desire and consummation, dictated the terms of the knight's duties and obligations, much like a feudal lord over a vassal. This microcosm of romance between man and woman was anchored by the macrocosm of the bonds among men and their fealty to their lord. The dominance of women and fealty to the leader in courtly love contrasts with the dominance ...
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 ...
The audience is first introduced to Juliet in the exposition of the play. Juliet attracts the attention the Count Paris and her father (Lord Capulet) wisely says that Juliet “is yet a stranger in the world” (Act I.2.8) and should be allowed “two more summers” (Act I.2.10) to grow until she is ready for marriage. This implies that Juliet is young and has not yet matured to level where she is eligible to be married. Lord Capulet’s love for his daughter leads him to protect her from the prospective marriage until she is “ripe to be a bride” (Act I.2.11).
Romeo and Juliet was first published around 1595. At this time in England the family was one of the most central and pivotal figures of social order. Children were expected to honor and obey their parents and seek their assistance in any decisions made. Especially in choices made concerning marriage. At this time children were finally able to take a more active role in choosing their husband/wife, but parents were essentially given the final decision (Amussen 94). Romeo and Juliet took it upon themselves to make such an important decision and hardly even considered their parents in the process. During the first half of the 17th century the average age for a woman to marry was 26 and for a man, 28 (Amussen 86). Shakespeare’s central characters are barely entering their teen years. As a son coming of age, and more importantly the singular male heir for the Montague family, Romeo should be entering University to prepare himself for handling the family fortune, not marrying in secret. This is merely the beginning of his show of irresponsibility towards his family and ultimately the role he is meant to play in society.
In a relationship, Love is a feeling that humans share with a special person. Some bonds could be mutual, while others are dissociated. During the Medieval period, love affairs were dominated by one gender, men, and the women had little or no control over decisions. Before a gentleman married a lady, the gentleman first boasted about her beauty, championed the cause of the lady, and did whatever the lady requested. The era was influenced by knights, and dictated by honor and chivalry that each knight had to display to their king and queen. As a gentleman, a knight had to be just at all times, especially toward ladies. At this time, there was a king named Arthur. King Arthur had a flourishing kingdom that abruptly ended. Later on, many authors recounted the story of the reign of King Arthur. Sir Thomas Malory published Le Morte d’Arthur, and Geoffrey Chaucer published The Wife of Bath’s Tale. Although both of these books recount the reign of King Arthur, the stories are very diverse and unique in their own way. Both stories demonstrate for a relationship to be successful, both partners must be submissive, must be brave, and must be willing to learn from mistakes.
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance period marriage and love were idealized, divine and celebrated. Weddings were large events that included the entire families of both the groom and the bride. Reality was different; women were viewed as being fickle, inferior to men and a possession of men. Women had very little, if any, choice in who they would marry. Marriages were arranged so that both families would benefit in gaining wealth or power. Even though the ruler of England for over 4 decades was female, women were still not respected. Women were kept at home and not allowed to take place in public events. In Shakespeare’s Richard III, male and female relationships are displayed as deeply cynical and are based on lies, lust and political gain.
During the Middle Ages, Courtly love was a code which prescribed the conduct between a lady and her lover (Britannica). The relationship of courtly love was very much like the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege. The lover serves his beloved, in the manner a servant would. He owes his devotion and allegiance to her, and she inspires him to perform noble acts of valor (Schwartz). Capellanus writes, in The Art of Courtly Love, “A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved”. The stories of Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes illustrate the conventions of courtly love.
Considerable expectations are placed on Juliet due to her gender. As a female, Juliet was expected to marry the man of her family’s choosing, granting her no control over her future. Capulet and County Paris discuss whether Juliet is fit to be a bride. Although age plays a factor in this decision, Capulet is deciding his daughter’s fate based on the expected gender roles of her being the sole female daughter of the family, “ She hath not seen the change of fourteen years;/Let two more summers wither in their pride/
“The noble knight slays the dragon and rescues the fair maiden…and they live happily ever after.” This seemingly cliché finale encompasses all the ideals of courtly love, which began in the Medieval Period and still exists today. While these ideals were prevalent in medieval society, they still existed with much controversy. Geoffrey Chaucer, a poet of the period, comments on courtly love in his work The Canterbury Tales. Through the use of satiric elements and skilled mockery, Chaucer creates a work that not only brought courtly love to the forefront of medieval society but also introduced feministic ideals to the medieval society. At times, Chaucer even makes readers question his beliefs by presenting contrasting elements of principle in The Knight’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Tale, both tales told in his profound, multifaceted The Canterbury Tales.
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.