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The Different Attitudes to Love and Marriage Presented in Romeo and Juliet

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The Different Attitudes to Love and Marriage Presented in Romeo and Juliet In “Romeo and Juliet”, the characters of Juliet, the Nurse and the Capulets have different attitudes to love and marriage. The relationship between the characters reflects their attitudes for marriage. The Capulet’s have a distant relationship with their daughter Juliet, as was common in Shakespearean times. Juliet is much closer to the Nurse who knew her from birth and she is Juliet’s only friend. The relationship between Lord and Lady Capulet is also strained as their views are commonly opposite. Despite the fact that Juliet was not close to her father, she was expected to obey and be dictated by him and her husband, once …show more content…

Capulet’s attitude towards Juliet in this scene is more fatherly that he is later in the play. He thinks that Juliet is too young and if she gets married she will be spoilt. He says “…too soon marr’d are those too early made.” Juliet is his only daughter , the rest of his children are dead and buried so he doesn’t want to let go of her until she is ready and when she does marry, he want her to marry someone worthwhile. He says, “And she agreed, within her scope of choice Lies my consent and fair according voice.” He tells Paris that he will accept whoever she chooses so he trusts his daughter’s judgment. The audience had not met Juliet yet but the audience does get a good impression of her. We know she is young as Capulet thinks so but, as Paris points out, “younger than she are happy mothers made”. Capulet talks about the party he is holding and he tells Paris about the “earth-treading stars” that would be there. He then goes on to say that “Which on more view of many, mine being one, May stand in numbers, though in reck’ning none.” This gives the audience the impression that she is more beautiful than the “earth-treading stars”. At this point in the play, an audience might think that Capulet is a loving father who cares about his daughter and who she is to marry. He seems protective over

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