Act 1 scene 2

Act 1 scene 2 summary of key points:

• In this scene, Paris has come to Juliet’s parents to seek her hand in marriage.

• Capulet suggests that she is too young as she is still only thirteen, but will consent to the marriage if Juliet agrees.

• Capulet reveals that he is to hold a feast that night, to which Paris is invited.

• A servant is sent out with the invitations

• Benvolio and Romeo come across the servant and Romeo sees the name of the woman he loves – Rosaline – on the guest list.

• Romeo decides to go to the ball to catch a glimpse of Rosaline, although Benvolio suggests he will see other, more beautiful women there.

In this website section, there is one key scene with Capulet's character. It is a significant scene as it shows a very different side of Lord Capulet to the one we encounter later on in the play, when he is angry and aggressive towards Juliet.

It is a useful extract to keep in mind for Capulet's character, to provide an important point of contrast and development in Capulet's character.

In this extract, Paris is asking Juliet's father, Lord Capulet, to marry her: 'what say you to my suit?' Lord Capulet is presented as a loving, devoted father in this extract, seemingly in tune with Juliet’s needs. It is clear that he has a protective instinct over her, aware of her youth and inexperience: ‘my child is yet a stranger to this world’. The reference to ‘stranger’ highlights a need for him to keep her close to him still, in the safety of his home as her father, to look out for her until she is old enough and ready to leave home.

Additionally, there seems to a relaxed sense of time frame behind him and he is happy to wait: ‘two summers’. ‘ere we think her too ripe to be a bride’. This natural imagery evokes an image of fruit, not yet ripened, hence, not yet ready for marriage. It is clear that as Paris gently probes this decision, by suggesting ‘younger than she are happy mothers made’, we begin to see some of Lord Capulet's deeper motivations about not marrying her off too soon come through. He appears to be worrying about her happiness, when he says to Paris: “too soon marred are those early made’: this idea of ‘marred’ (damaged) suggests a concern for her psychological and mental wellbeing, a step further than a consideration about her physical readiness – suggesting a tender nature in him. It could also suggest a level of sensitivity, empathy and understanding of who Juliet is and how she may see the world.

However, his attachment seems to go even further than this when he reinforces: “she is the hopeful lady of my earth”. Here, we see verbal patterns in his language through his second use of natural imagery; this time, his attachment to her is more solid, grounded – ‘my earth’ suggests that he sees her as his foundations, something firm and immovable – more than the transitory nature of fruit which can quickly expire once ripened. The use of the personal pronoun 'my' again indicates a close bond, even a fond possession of his daughter, possibly a way of inferring that Paris is the 'stranger' she may be weary of. He also subtly indicates that there is a deeper reason for this attachment, concern and need to protect there: there is an indication that he has lost another child: ‘the earth has swallowed my hopes’ and he is not ready to detach himself from her.

Finally, Capulet seems to be more lenient as a father compared with the wider values and ideals in Elizabethan England which gave fathers control and freedom in selecting a husband / agreeing to a match, regardless of the daughter's choice. He uses language connected to freedom such as 'her scope of choice' to show that he is offering her a generous level of decision making, and that he will agree to a match is she is happy.

Higher level analysis - Grade 7 -9:

We can also infer, through the use of rhyming couplets which appear intermittently throughout Capulet's speech which parts of his message he wishes to reinforce with Paris. 'Pride' and 'bride' have a strong rhyme, showing that he wishes her to be proud of being a child before she takes the next step into marriage and motherhood.

When Paris puts up gentle challenge to Capulet when he says 'no' to marriage at present, Paris say he has seen younger 'mother's made'. In Capulet's reply, he repeats the word 'made' in his response that children are 'marred' (damaged) when too 'soon made'. This repetition of Paris' language allows Capulet to move his own point with a level of firmness showing that he won't easily be moved.

Revision task:

Compare how Lord Capulet changes in Act 3 scene 5.