5
Romeo and Juliet
Read this extract from Act 1 Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet and then answer the question that follows.
At this point in the play Lady Capulet and the Nurse are trying to persuade Juliet to accept Paris’ marriage proposal.
LADY CAPULET
What say you? can you love the gentleman?
This night you shall behold him at our feast;
Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;
Examine every married lineament,
And see how one another lends content
And what obscured in this fair volume lies
Find written in the margent of his eyes.
This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
To beautify him, only lacks a cover:
The fish lives in the sea, and 'tis much pride
For fair without the fair within to hide:
That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,
That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;
So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.
Nurse
No less! nay, bigger; women grow by men.
LADY CAPULET
Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?
JULIET
I'll look to like, if looking liking move:
But no more deep will I endart mine eye
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.
LADY CAPULET
Juliet, the county stays.
Nurse
Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.
Exeunt
Starting with this extract, explore how far Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet as a good mother.
Write about:
• how Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet in this extract.
• how Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet in the play as a whole.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
In the extract, Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet as a traditional Elizabethan mother, who wants her daughter to have a good marriage. In Lady Capulet’s speech, Shakespeare makes clear that she thinks Paris is a fine gentleman who Juliet should be proud to marry. Shakespeare uses imagery of books and pens within Lady Capulet’s speech in order to have her suggest to Juliet that her future marriage is like a beautiful story that is still to be written. Shakespeare has Lady Capulet state that Juleit will ‘ find delight writ there with beauty's pen’ when she looks at Paris’s face. Shakespeare’s use of the word ‘beauty’ implies that Paris is a handsome gentleman and that physical appearance is something Lady Capulet values. Shakespeare’s repetition of the word ‘gold’ within Lady Capulet’s speech implies that Paris is a wealthy gentleman, which is something that also seems to be very important to Lady Capulet. Lady Capulet appears to be a good Elizabethan mother, who is trying to arrange a marriage to a fine, wealthy gentleman for her daughter in order to make sure she has a healthy and respectable future. Perhaps Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet in this way to demonstrate that she is a traditional Elizabethan mother.
Also in the extract, Shakespeare criticises patriarchal values by indicating that Lady Capulet is not interested in Juliet’s views. In the opening line of the extract, Shakespeare has Lady Capulet ask Juliet ‘What say you? Can you love the gentleman’, but she does not pause to hear Juliet’s answer. This indicates that Lady Capulet does not care too much about Juliet’s opinion of Paris. Similarly, after her long speech, Lady Capulet orders Juliet to ‘speak briefly’ in response to what she has just said, which indicates that she does not want to take the time to listen to Juliet’s opinion about her husband or marriage. Shakespeare’s combination of questions without reply and commands indicate that Lady Capulet expects Juliet to follow her orders. Lady Capulet also seems uninterested in whether or not Juliet loves Paris. Interestingly, this is the first scene in which the audience meets Juliet, and we immediately hear of her marriage being discussed, while she has very few opportunities to speak. Perhaps Shakespeare does this in order to explore the limitations for women in the Elizabethan era; marriage was something that was done to them, rather than something that they had an active choice in.
In the play as a whole, Shakespeare contrasts Lady Capulet and the nurse to explore ideas about motherhood. Whereas Lady Capulet frequently refers to Juliet as ‘daughter’, the nurse has affectionate nicknames for Juliet, such as ‘lamb’ and ‘ladybird’. Shakespeare deliberately contrasts these terms of address in order to demonstrate the difference in their relationships. Although Lady Capulet is JUiet’s mother, she is very distant from Juliet and is unaware of how Juliet really feels, particularly given that she doesn’t ask. She is also uncomfortable speaking alone with Juliet. In contrast, the nurse breast-fed Juliet, feels very close with Juliet, and is the person that Juliet frequently confides in. Perhaps Shakespeare creates this contrast in order to comment on parent-child relationships in the Elizabethan era. It was normal for wealthy families such as the Capulets to hire a nurse to raise their daughter, but this decision results in them being unaware of their daughter’s true wants and desires. If the Capulets had been closer to Juliet and paid more attention to her wishes, perhaps the tragic end could have been avoided. Shakespeare could be suggesting that societal norms, not fate, were the cause of Juliet’s death.
Also in the play as a whole, Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet as cold and irresponsible. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris and turns to her mother for understanding, Shakespeare has Lady Capulet respond with the words ‘do as thou wilt for I have done with thee’. Shakespeare’s use of cold and harsh language within these words demonstrate how easily Lady Capulet is willing to disown her daughter, which appears irresponsible as she is unwilling to consider the dangerous consequences of this action. If thrown out on the streets, terrible harm would come to Juliet. As expected within a traditional patriarchal society, Lady Capulet supports her husband’s wishes and does not try to understand her daughter’s needs. While Lady Capulet’s actions are simply a reflection of the patriarchal attitudes at the time, so perhaps would not have been judged too harshly by the Elizabethan audience, it is hard for the audience to ignore the fact that Juliet’s wishes are completely sidelined by both of her parents. Through presenting Lady Capulet as a cold, irresponsible and wholly traditional mother within a patriarchal society, Shakespeare could be aiming to educate parents to pay more attention to the feelings of their children, allowing them to marry later and not forcing them to marry young. If Lady Capulet had not supported her husband, perhaps Juliet’s tragic death could have been avoided. Again, Shakespeare seems to be hinting that societal norms, not fate, contributed heavily to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
In conclusion, it is clear that Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet as a traditional Elizabethan mother. In some respects she aims to be a good mother to Juliet, through arranging a marriage to a kind, handsome, wealthy gentleman. Shakespeare’s decision to make these intentions clear perhaps serves to criticise the traditions around arranged marriage, rather than Lady Capulet herself, implying that societal expectations forced parents into ignoring their children’s wishes.