English Literature: Romeo and Juliet - Character of Juliet

JULIET: Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow,

Juliet suggest they get married. That shows that despite her youth, she's very decisive - she know what she wants and isn't afraid to ask for it.

JULIET: In half an hour she promised to return.

We see a lot of Juliet's character in this scene. At first she is shown as on edge whilst waiting for word from Romeo. This shows her immaturity, but also increases the play's excitement - everything is happening very quickly.

JULIET: How art thou art of breath, when art thou hast breath/To say to me that thou art out of breath?

She is also shown as very close with the Nurse, through the playful way that she talks to her, which contrasts with the formal way she speaks to her parents. It also shows her immaturity, and that she is still really a child.

NURSE: Then hie you hence to Friar Lawrence' cell.

She is shown as trusted by her parents, but she betrays this when she uses the freedom to go and marry Romeo. This is the first example of Juliet disobeying her parents - very atypical of a young girl of the time.

JULIET: Bilstered be thy tongue/For such a wish!

Juliet is angry when the Nurse curses Romeo. This shows she is fiercly loyal, perhaps even naïvely so, to Romeo, despite what he's done. However she is also perceptive - she works out that Romeo was defending himself from Tybalt.

JULIET: That villian cousin would have killed my husband.

She kneels down

Juliet is on her knees begging her father - it shows how desperate it is, and also how strictly she is ruled by her father, that she is forced to do this. At the end of the scene, Juliet is alone on the stage, which is symbolic - she is isolated from her family and can't turn to them for help. This adds to her desperation and causes her to be very eager to participate in the fake suicide. It shows possibly how she is also controlled by her emotions. 

JULIET: O shut the door, and when thou has done so,/Come weep wih me, past hope, past cure, past help!

This scene shows Juliet in a variety of ways again. At first, she shown as quite hostile when she's talking to Paris - she tries to appear polite but she barely hides her true feelings, which adds to the tension of the scene. However, she also manages to avoid giving Paris a straight answer which shows her intelligence and ability to think quickly. 

As soon as Paris leaves, we seen a switch in Juliet's behaviour and her language becomes more dramatic, emphasising how emotional she is. By the end of the scene, she is truly suicidal, and although scared of death, she's willing to do whatever it takes to be with Romeo.

JULIET: Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!

Juliet gave a speech about death before she took the potion, when she knew she wasn't going to die, but here, when she actually will die, does not. This makes her actions seem panicked and reckless - she wants to kill herself before someone arrives and tries to stop her. It shows that really she knows it's not the best choice, but it's what she wants to do. 

JULIET: Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!

Juliet gave a speech about death before she took the potion, when she knew she wasn't going to die, but here, when she actually will die, does not. This makes her actions seem panicked and reckless - she wants to kill herself before someone arrives and tries to stop her. It shows that really she knows it's not the best choice, but it's what she wants to do.