Romeo and Juliet Quote Analysis

"Verona brags of him, to be a virtuous and well-governed youth" Here, Capulet talks about Romeo on behalf of the whole of "Verona", which asserts his power almost immediately. However, more to the point, Capulet talks quite fondly of Romeo, despite his being a montague, which creates a sense of foreboding for the uniting of the two warring families at the end of the play, yet at the price of the two lovers. The use of "brags" has connotations with showing off, as if Verona uses Romeo as a prize, which is ironic because Romeo is banished from Verona for killing Tybalt, also despite Capulet saying this about him. "well-governed" is also very ironic - both Romeo and Juliet seem to defy this as they sneak around together in secret as if to escape these steroetypical values being placed onto them during the time. 

"O brawling love, O loving hate" Whilst Romeo is aware of the hatred that surrounds him, the sentence structure here seems to focus more on love. Romeo believes that your family (particularly in a time when family, and family honour, were key parts of society) will defeat hate. The oxymoron of "brawling love" highlights the inevitable conflict and tension in the play, but also the violence that become increasingly more frequent as the play progresses. The contrast of "loving hate" suggests powerful, passionate feelings, but also suggests how quickly one emotion can turn into another, which also reflects appropriately on Romeo's violent, impulsive attitude. 

"Fire-eyed fury be my conduct now" For the first time, Romeo sees hate as more powerful and appealing than love. Like most characters in the play, only violence can redeem his honour. The repetition of the "f" sound is violent and aggressive, foreshadowing the scene ahead. Much of Shakespear's audience would see this behaviour as the correct, 'masculine' way of behaving. The personification of "fury" being "fire-eyed" depicts an image of someone not being able to see clearly. Romeo is blinded by fire, something deadly and destructive, and his wish to avenge Mercutio's death is all consuming. Yet again, Romeo has placed his fate in the hands of something else. The phrase "be my conduct" once again suggests he is not making how own decisions, and implies that he is inconsistent with his behaviour and control. 

"O, I am fortunes fool"  Romeo repeatedly gives over his destiny to fate - here he realises that it is simply playing with him, and he is nothing but a fool to believe it would treat him kindly. Much like when he referenced "fire eyed fury", the repetition of the "f" sound is violent and aggressive, foreshadowing the acts ahead, yet the sound also allows the words to flow easily, as if he has totally handed himself over to fate and it is turning him into the violent character. The stress of the sentence falls on "fool" - the audience see Romeo not as a lover, or a vengeful friend, but as a meaningless plaything for Fate. His youth and immaturity is also highlighted through his inconsistent patterns and behaviour throughout the play. The audience may well begin to question their own destinies - the definitive "I am" suggests that fate is the only thing that controls and individuals destiny. 

"He hath the steerage of my course/Direct my sail" Perhaps this is Romeo taking control of his life, actively choosing to attend the party, or perhaps he has fallen victim to the inevitability of fate. The use of teh pronoun "he" personifies fate. Romeo's destiny is in the hands of a living, thinking being who makes his decisions for him. Shakespear's audience were more likely to believe in fate than modern audiences. The imagery of life being a boat journey is highly appropriate - like the sea it can be rough, dangerous and entirely unpredictable, and it is possible that Shakespear uses this to subtlt hint at the underlying conflict at the end of the play. "Steerage" and "direct" suggest Romeo is being manoeuvered down a "course" - his path has already been determined by fate. There is also an immature tone to this statement - is Romeo trying to impress Mercutio and his friends? 

"She doth teach the torches to burn bright!"The imagery Romeo uses to describe Juliet gives important insight into their relationship that will progress throughout the remainder of the play. Romeo initially descibes Juliet as a source of light, like a star, against the darkness. The fact that Romeo explains that Juliet has to "teach" the torches to "burn bright" suggests that she is the being with the most light, as if she is the sun. As the play progresses, a cloak of interwoven light and dark images is cast around the pair. The lovers are repeatedly associated with the dark, an association that points to the secret nature of their love because this is the time they are able to meet in safety. At the same time, the light that surrounds the lovers in each other's eyes grows brighter to the very end, when Juliet's beauty even illuminates the dark of the tomb. The association of both Romeo and Juliet with the stars also continually reminds the audience that their fate is "star-cross'd."

"Wherefore art thou Romeo?"  Self explanatory. 

"too rash, too unadvised...too like the lightning." Romeo's and Juliet's love is incredibly intense, but Juliet is aware of the problems that will arise from acting too quickly, reminding the audience of the family situation behind this relationship. The repetition of the adverb "too" highlights Romeo and Juliet's fate - the hatred of the fued and the world in general is too intense for them to survive as a couple. The adjectives "rash" and "unadvised" may seem like characteristics of young, romantic love, but Shakespear's audience may have seen marriage as far more of a contract than anything to do with love, yet Romeo and Juliet's love seems to continually defy this throughout. The similie "like the lightning" suggests both a powerful, passionate and destructive feeling, and also how quickly one emotion can turn into another. 

"I will do it without fear or doubt, to live an unstained life with my sweet love" Juliet is bravely taking action for honourable reasons - to be with the man she loves, but also to remain pure and "unstained" by not marrying Paris. The verb "will" is strong and defiant - unlike Romeo, who puts his future in the hands of Fate, Juliet takes control over he own destiny, seemingly refusing the sterotypical values placed onto 'inferior' women. "Fear" and "doubt" are strong, crippling emotions that overcome most characters throughout theplay, but the audience admire Juliet for the fact that she will stop at nothing to be with Romeo. Even as the play descends into tragedy, the audience are reminded of Romeo and Juliet's shining goodness - "unstained" suggests purity and "sweet" suggests kindness, two elements Romeo and Juliet continue to bring into the rigid structure of the rest of the charcaters in the play. 

"My only love sprung from my only hate" Juliet is realizing Romeo comes from the family that hates her family and whom her family hates. They have this on-going feud that was cited in the prologue, which suggests it has been going on for sometime now, with the use of the phrase "ancient". This phrase seems to come out of her mouth rather quickly and she seemingly unintentionally reveals her love to the Nurse. The repetition of the words "my" and "only" emphasises Juliet's position - she has put herself in this circumstance and, despite the problems it may cause, she is willing to go through with whatever issues may arise due to it. The pronoun "my" also creates a sense of entrapment, as if Romeo is Juliet's property and that she is his; now that they have promised their lives to eachother, they can't escape. The strong sound of "hate" implies Juliet's inner conflict, almost as if it is a thought that is constantly playing on her mind that she must tell someone and, in this case, it happens to be her Nurse. 

"My grave is like to be my wedding bed" Before Juliet even knows Romeo's name, she's head over heels in love and worries that he may already be married to someone else, in which case, she says (rather dramatically) that she'll die. Here, Shakespeare is foreshadowing the way Juliet will die shortly after her marriage to Romeo. (She will literally kill herself and will also have sex with Romeo – to "die," means to have an ****** in Elizabethan slang.)  The subtle oxymoron between “grave” and “wedding bed” concludes to the impending tragedy that is to become at the end of the play, even though at this moment it is so early on. The image of death as a bridegroom for Juliet is repeated throughout the play to maintain an atmosphere of forthcoming calamity. 

"The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love" Even from the chorus, before the play even starts, Romeo and Juliet are on a pre-determined journey that will end in death - even their love cannot overcome this, or conquer the hatred around them. The lovers' livers are described using the image of a "passage" - a re-determined route with only one possible way out, as if their destiny was already set. Many of Shakespear's audience would have had a firm belief in fate. The use of teh adjective "fearful" emphasises the harm and pain that will come to Romeo and Juliet, both emotionally and physically. We are introduced to the constant battle between love and hate - the juxtaposition of "deadth-mark'd love" suggests that love has already been tainted and stained. Shakespear makes it explicit - they will die, and the audience therefore have a stronger awareness of death every time it appears in the play, whilst also being aware of a greater understanding of the play than even the characters themselves are, as the Chorus begins before the play does. 

"My dismal scene I must act alone" Never has Juliet seemed more isolated. As a young girl, she is about to fake her death, and has no one to turn to in such a difficult situation - even her Nurse cannot provide protection, as she has deserted her just the same. Juliet uses "scene" and "act" to describe what is happening, words from the semantic field of drama. This is symbolic of the fact that Romeo and Juliet have no control over their own actions; they are simply actors in a play directed by fate. Again, Juliet's isolation is made clear to the audience - the words "my", "I" and "alone" all highlight that she has no one ot turn to once Romeo is banished. The adjective "dismal" is particularly painful when the audience remember that it is just days since she married Romeo - since then, the whole action of the play has been descending into tragedy, as if their fate was wrongly prescribed. 

"For this alliance may so happy prove" The Friar, whilst wary that this marriage is very sudden, sees the purity of Romeo and Juliet's love and the potential to end the fued. The Friar is being calculating here - his main aim is "alliance", suggesting two famlies coming together. It has a political tone rather than a romantic one, as the Friar is more a character of knowledge and guidance rather than love and romance. However, the use of "may" creates tension again - there is no certanity that this will work, another subtle hint at the tragedy to come. The use of "alliance" here, however, makes Romeo and Juliet seem as if they are being used to bring an end to the family fued or verona, as if the Friar (or the play itself) gives no care for their true feelings for eachother. 

"A greater power that we can contradict...our intents"  The Friar, a man of God, had admitted defeat and believes the lovers had been destined to fail as a "greater power" has decided their plan would not succeed. It is important that the Friar delivers this line. He refers to a "greater power", rather than explicitly to God, leaving it deliberately ambiguous as to whether the Friar is referring to God or fate as this "greater power", which also creates some tension within this scene. The noun "intents" has associations with positive reasons for the plan the Friar and Juliet put in place - they only intended to do good, yet good seems to always ben defeated within the rest of the play. "Contradict" shows that conflict continues to dictate the outcome of the play - even though the Friar and Juliet had good "intents", greater power has decided to destroy them. 

"Young men's love then lies, not in their hearts but in their eyes" This addresses the idea that young men may believe that "love" is what they are feeling when they see a beautiful woman. The rhyme scheme proves as a reminder for the audience that they shouldn't forget the naivety of Romeo and his inexperienced, inconsistent emotions. Remember, Romeo and Juliet were young adolescents who were mostly driven by hormones and misconcieved longings.  Romeo has just proclaimed his love for Juliet one day after he was pining for Rosaline.  The friar is questioning Romeo's ability to identify true love since he has fallen immediately in love with Juliet upon seeing her and forgotten Rosaline in that same instant.  Love, as Romeo believes he is in, and to which the friar is referring, should not be so quickly changed from one girl to another. 

"These violent delights have violent ends" Friar Lawrence is trying to tell Romeo to "love moderately", to not be too extreme in his feelings, and to be aware of himself when loving so dramatically. He suggests that when a feeling is expressed with such exaggeration, then the feeling is likely to die out. Ironically, it almost does, yet Shakespeare manipulates this with death. It hangs as a pervading reminder of how fragile life, death and love is throughout the play. The oxymoron of "violent delights" seems to also remind the audience of the inevitability of conflict and violence in the play, especially when in contact with the lover's relationship. This quote also has importance because it foreshadows the ending of the play. The "violent delights", in relation to Romeo and Juliet’s passionate love, brings about violent ends for both. This quote is similarly symbolic of the play’s theme -  all of the “violent delights” of the characters, both love and hate, result in tragic ends;  Mercutio and Tybalt and wrapped up in emotion and duel, when Mercutio is killed, Romeo's grief puts him in a murderous rage. When humans allow emotion to take control and to be exaggerated, then they are putting themselves in danger. 

"Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast" If the two lovers had taken things slower it all would have worked out much better for them, and Friar lawrence is warning Romeo that they are going very fast with their relationship. Friar Lawrence was absolutely right with this statement, not only in respect to the wedding but with almost everything that’s happened with Romeo. If he had waited to try to find a different way to marry Juliet other than in secret, she wouldn't have to try and marry Paris. If he had waited ten minutes when Mercutio died, the Police would have put Tybalt to death without having to banish Romeo. If he had waited a bit when Balthazar told him about Juliet's death, Friar lawrence would have gotten to the tomb first and been able to tell him the Juliet wasn't really dead. Thinking before acting is something that Romeo is definitely not good at, and a message that Shakespeare is trying to show the audience with almost everything the young couple does. This also shows that Friar has too much of a soft spot for Romeo, what he should have done is told Romeo to slow down.

"The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness"Here, the Friar personifies the "sweetest honey" in reference to Juliet. Again, the Friar is warning the couple to slow down with their hasty decisions, as if he is worried they might end in disaster, which it so rightly does. The contrasting ideas of "loathsome" and "deliciousness" juxtapose each other and, when doing so, creates the idea that there is silent repulsion of said deliciousness, as if Romeo's hasty actions may lead the "loathsome" conflict to arise once more. However, similarly, "deliciousness" can be linked with Romeo's greed for Juliet, as if the urgency with which he wishes to marry her suggests and underlying sense of property or even hunger for her to be his, and this was often the case during marriage, especially of young, prosperous women, of this time. 

"go girl, seek happy nights to happy days"  The Nurse has a bawdy sense of humour, which brings out the naturalness of sex and childbearing. “happy nights” displays a realistic attitude to the sexual and lustful side to love. Such bawdy realism is, like the ribaldry of Mercutio and company, a contrast with the tender, romantic and passionate feelings of Romeo and Juliet. The Nurse is a practical but rather stupid woman at times, yet she loves Juliet like her own child. “go girl” is very brave and blunt, yet in a comforting, motherly type of way that encourages Juliet to enjoy her first true love, and the Nurse, at this point, is favourable to the idea that Juliet will spend her “nights” and “days” being “happy” with Romeo, despite her previous concern about his Montague background. 

"Lovers can see to do their amourous rights" This also refers to the Nurse's bawdy humour relating to sex, and could fit in to the above analysis. 

"O woeful, woeful, woeful day!...most woeful day" Believing Juliet to be dead, the Capulet family display their grief, but none more painfully and uncontrollably than Juliet's Nurse. The Nurse's grief is emphasised by fractured sentence structure and repetition of "woeful" and "day" - this is not elegant or thoughtful poetry, but raw emotion encapsulated by "woe" and all it's associations. The use of the suprised "O" sound highlights teh natural, unashamed sorrow the Nurse feels - it is instinctive and human, rather than reserved or rehearsed, much like it seems to be with Capulet and Paris. All her funny stories, humourous jokes or caring advice has disappeared. The heavy assonance of the "o" vowel in "O" and "woeful" creates a negative tone, mimicking the deep pain and anguish she feels. 

"I think it best you marry the county...Romeo's a dishclout to him" After her parents threaten to turn her out on the streets for refusing to marry Paris, Juliet turns to her Nurse for guidance. The Nurse's advice to Juliet (who is already married to and in love with Romeo) is pretty callous—she recommends that Juliet forget about Romeo, who has been banished from Verona, and go ahead with a marriage to Paris. After all, the Nurse reasons, Romeo can't exactly come back to Verona to challenge the wedding. But, Juliet, as we know, has no intension of getting hitched to Paris. Where Romeo is nothing more than a “dishclout”, Paris is like an eagle and, according to the nurse, Paris is “best” for Juliet. Since Romeo is banished she will have (“no use of him”) of anyway. Up until this point, the nurse has been Juliet’s confidant. This changes after this scene however. Juliet tells the nurse that tomorrow she will go Friar Laurence’s cell to confess and seek absolution. This further isolates Juliet in her own house. She is now alone. Only Friar Laurence will know of her situation. 

"The only son of your great enemy" This is relatively self-explanatory, yet does relate well to when the Friar refers to a "greater power", or even generally refers to the Friar's confidant, knowledgeable attitude to both Romeo and Juliet. Both the Nurse and Friar know of Juliet's secrets (to some degree) and are there to act as both Romeo and Juliet's parents, as their own parents aren't really parents at all. The spotlight of this sentence is "only...enemy" - conflict is the constant reminder, even when on the topic of love and enthrallment, and is a prominent reminder of the death that haunts the play. It is almost as if Juliet's "only love...only hate" is reflecting on these guiding thoughts preceding Juliet's falling in love with Romeo later on in the play. 

“Still a stranger to the world”Paris discusses his proposal to marry Juliet with her father, and it seems as though, to begin with, Lord Capulet is reluctant to agree to an early marriage. Juliet’s age would not, in those days, have ruled out her marrying, but Capulet feels she is too young to do to, which shows his care and lover for her. by calling Juliet a “stranger”, not only does this refer to her innocence and youth, but perhaps also links to the “stranger” she will become later on in the play when she sneaks around everyone, or even perhaps when she dies. Again here, Capulet is talking for other people, referring to “the world”, as if he has a say over what everybody else wants and thinks and does - this, like before, asserts his power over Verona, but also Paris. 

“too soon marred are those so early made” This may also fit into the analysis above. Paris’ suggestion that there are younger mothers in Verona is echoed later by Lady Capulet, who reveals that she was married at a similar age herself. However, Capulet suggests that early childbirth may risk Juliet’s life, which further suggests that he cares for her too much to let her do so. The use of “marred” has associations with spoiling something, as if early marriage would spoil Juliet, or perhaps his is worried about Juliet spoiling his wealth, as she is Capulet’s only child and if she were to die, his wealth would have to be passed onto someone else (when he dies). In some respects, this also refers to the ever so present death that unravels throughout the play - Juliet is “marred” because of her hasty decisions to marry Romeo in secret as she dies at the end of the play. Perhaps “so early made” also has relation to Romeo and Juliet’s rushed marriage - all of the political, older characters of the play seem to warm the couple (or alike) of the consequences of acting to quickly, yet the lovers’ rebellious attitude seems to be what fuels the play. 

“We have not had time to make our daughter” Here, Capulet is telling Paris that Juliet is not ready for the marriage, unknowing that Juliet is already ‘dead’. Personal pronouns such as “we” and “our” may as well refer to himself and Lady Capulet, however it may also be reassuring Paris that Juliet will soon be his and that he will be also soon be a part of the family. The phrase “make our daughter” has patriarchal connotations - they paint Juliet as nothing more than something to use to their advantages. Unlike before, when Capulet was hurdling insults towards Juliet, his behaviour has now changed once again; he calls Juliet his “daughter”, and perhaps this suggests that he is trying to impress Paris and cover up any sort of issue surrounding the Capulet family - he wants to keep it perfect, and has no problem in being two faced about it. 

“she the hopeful lady of my earth” Capulet establishes Juliet’s position in the Capulet household. The use of the phrase “lady of my earth” suggests that the world had taken everything of value from him and Juliet was the only thing he had left. It is important to the play because if Lord Capulet was worried about letting Paris marry Juliet, then he would have never even given it a thought if Romeo would have gone to him for permission to marry his daughter, which also highlights to social construct of the time. “hopeful” may ironically foreshadow the rest of the play - Juliet’s death means that she can no longer be his “hopeful lady”. The use of “she” and “lady” present Juliet as anonymous, as if Paris needn't have to know about who she is, just the status she holds. This also relates to the fact that, throughout the play, neither Paris nor Capulet really seem to care much about Juliet, just about the impact she has on her father’s wealth, and so in this sense, Capulet is almost dehumanising her. Again, “my earth” asserts Capulet’s power; everything is his and, in this sense, even Juliet, as he seems to be making all the decisions for her - he’s controlling. 

“Go you to her”, “Bid her”, “Prepare her”  Everything said here helps to reinforce the fact that Lord Capulet, as head of the household, is the decision maker. He decides on Juliet’s marriage and sets the date without even consulting her, and Lady Capulet accepts this as normal. Capulet gives orders to his wife and addresses her in imperatives, with “Go you to her” “Bid her” “Prepare her”, which seems to be a joyless business arrangement that Capulet is making, and it stands as a stark contrast to the passion and tenderness we have witnessed in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, which only highlights the differential relationships between the older, more political characters, and the younger, rebellious ones. “Prepare her” has associations with Capulet’s comment of “make our daughter” when talking to Paris - Juliet is nothing but something for Capulet to use. Shakespeare uses these orders to remind the audience that Juliet’s choice to kill herself isn’t actually a choice - the orders and enforcement's of Capulet seem to tell us that she had on other option to do what she did, as if it was an escape from the harsh societal construct placed on her. 

“Death is my son in law” “we were born to die”Capulet refers to death a lot throughout the play. The faked death of Juliet is personified here as “my son in law”, as though death were a person who has visited Juliet in the night. The phrase “son in law” highlights the problems between the marriage of Paris and Juliet, yet also hints at the secret marriage of Romeo and Juliet, as both of them die together because they cannot be married in anything but secret. When he comments that “we were born to die”, it also subtly relates to tragic fate that was written in the prologue - Romeo and Juliet’s fate was already “written in the stars” as a pair of “star-crossed lovers” - their deaths were a pre-determined state of fate. Alongside this, the juxtaposition of “born to die” creates a cynical sense about the play, as if the gift of Juliet as his child means nothing as her fate is already written, and soon enough her life will be take by death. 

“I have done with thee”Lady Capulet is quite a timid, unknowing and selfish character, as she appears to be frightened of her husband and does not love her daughter like a mother should, instead allowing the Nurse to do this in replacement of her. In the play, she seems to forget Juliet's age and they have a formal relationship, illustrating the distance between them both. Here, she is acting selfish because she doesn't listen to her daughter's woes about her upcoming marriage to Paris; she refuses to listen to her as she is disrespecting her husband and therefore the family name. The use of “done” shows how Lady Capulet is selfish as she is unprepared to listen to Juliet - she cares more about her own safety and her relationship with her husband then she does for her own daughter. Shakespeare has made this speech very short to illustrate Lady Capulet's blunt emotion and how she is not prepared to give Juliet any of her time unless it is to please herself, her husband or her family name. 

“Nurse, where’s my daughter? Call her forth to me” Throughout the play, Lady Capulet appears to have a very formal relationship with her daughter and never knows what she is doing or who she really is, and this is highlighted in “where’s my daughter?”, as if Lady Capulet doesn’t have time to worry or even care about her daughter. This question Lady Capulet directs at the Nurse illustrates how Lady Capulet isn't aware of where her daughter is or how she spends her free time. The use of the word “daughter” illustrates how their relationship is formal, as she is referring to her as what she is, rather than who she is. It also shows how Lady Capulet is possessive over Juliet, as if Juliet belongs to her, yet doesn’t give her the love a daughter would normally get from her mother. Lady Capulet seems to agree with her husband - her orders always follow his, as if she is constantly in his shadow. 

“The valiant Paris seeks you for his love” Lady Capulet is accustomed to thinking of her daughter as something to merely use, much like her husband does. Both parents seem to be open for the idea that Juliet should marry Paris, and for Paris to exercise all control over her, as this was how society was back then. The adjective “valiant” presents Paris as determined, as if he is looking for Juliet for her wealth rather than finding her for her love, which contrasts to the relationship of Romeo and Juliet. Here, Lady Capulet uses the word “seek” to clarify Paris’ intents, yet it is also an oxymoron to the word “love” as true love is never sought after, and Shakespeare uses this to manipulate the audience into thinking it is so, yet we know it is not as Romeo and Juliet each defy this stereotype throughout. 

“Sudden day of joy”, “joyful bride”Both Lady Capulet and Lord Capulet use their speech to mark contrasting attitudes between genuine love and a marriage based on a business-like arrangement. Lady Capulet describes Juliet’s marriage to Paris as a “sudden day of joy” and suggest thats she will be a “joyful bride”, which implies that she is trying to make Juliet see the advantages in marriage to Paris, and cannot understand her refusal. The use of “sudden” reminds the audience of the urgency that is created throughout the play, as if the characters have no real sense of time. Here, it is obvious that Lady Capulet is attempting to push Juliet in the direction of Paris, perhaps to certify Capulet’s wealth or perhaps just to impress her husband and obey his orders. She also (Thinks of Paris as a “precious book” that Juliet will be the “cover” that this “unbound lover” lacks) also relates to the analysis above. 

“Little talked of love”Paris' love for Juliet is more like a business arrangement than anything else. He wants to marry her, but approaches her father rather than Juliet (as was the tradition). He does not really show any deep feelings for her, and even says he has 'little talked of love". This seems to indicate he wants a good marriage and has chosen her, rather than the two of them falling in love. The fact that he has “little” talked of love suggests that he is very inexperienced and relies on Capulet to arrange everything for him in succession. The word “love” hangs as a reminder to us that Paris isn’t in love with Juliet at all - perhaps this is why he dies at the end, to show the audience that Paris was fake all along - and the fact that Romeo kills him presents the idea of true love overcoming that which has defied and resisted it. 

“And doth it give me such a sight as this?” Here, Paris is being selfish and self-centered. Upon seeing Juliet is dead, he mentions that he has waited ‘so long’, till the morning, to see Juliet, and the sight before him isn’t what he wanted to see at all. When he exclaims “it give me such a sight as this?”, it again suggests that Juliet is just an object that should “give” Paris and Capulet what they want, and no worry for Juliet, on paris’ part, seems to be shown here. Paris, much like Capulet, seems to treat Juliet as someone who should obey them, as if she is there to please them and no one else, yet her death seems to suddenly counteract this. Surprisingly, in this case, death is defying the acts of Capulet and Paris, and supporting that of Romeo and Juliet. 

“My father Capulet…I am nothing slow to slack his haste” Paris tells the Friar that his future father-in-law wants the wedding as soon as possible, and he's not going to argue with him. Supposedly wiser and calmer than Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet and Paris also make a hasty decision that results in tragedy. The use of “my father Capulet” makes it seem as though, before the wedding has even happened, Paris thinks of himself as part of the Capulet family and seeks to impress Capulet by obeying his orders. This relates to the hasty decision making of all the characters in the play, which gives the implication that Paris is just as inexperienced, naive and foolish as the rest of them. The phrase, “i am nothing slow to slack his haste” suggests that Paris is trying to emphasise his wealth to Capulet and even the Friar, as if he is using Capulet’s permission for him to marry Juliet as a prize to show off to others. Perhaps Paris doesn’t really care for Juliet at all and only wants to use the wealth of her father, which gives another implication that he has inner, darker intents.

“Happily met, my lady and my wife” Paris likes to assert his dominance and property over Juliet, as if he owns her. He calls her his “wife” before they’re even married, thus suggesting that he has an urgency in marrying her, yet Juliet seems to think the opposite. “Happily met” has associations with joy, and perhaps this is what Paris is trying to make Juliet believe their marriage would be like, yet both Juliet and the audience know this is untrue as Paris abides by the patriarchal constructs of society and would not treat Juliet as equal, unlike Romeo does. Paris announces this to the rest of the characters in the scene, as if to warn them and show them that Juliet is his, and to show her off as a prize again. Perhaps Paris is even trying to challenge Lord Capulet in his ownership of Juliet, yet it doesn’t seem that Capulet senses this. The word “wife” again reminds the audience of the stained marriage that seems to follow Juliet wherever or whoever she decides to choose, and in this case it is the ever-tragic fate of Romeo’s love. 

“Thy face is mine and thou hast slandered it” Paris is trying to be a strong husband and comfort Juliet, but it is awkward and void of much love at all. All he does is highlight the patriarchal views of marriage, making Juliet more determined and defiant in her plans. The marriage between Romeo and Juliet is a romantic partnership of people who view each other as equals in love. However, Paris uses vocabulary to do with individuals - “thy”, “mine” and “thou” all imply that in marriage, Paris and Juliet would be two separate individuals, not a loving couple. Earlier, Romeo spoke of Juliet using beautiful poetry; “Juliet is the sun”. Paris focuses on Juliet’s external beauty, rather than her internal qualities and the value of her soul. This scene in the play is full of irony. Paris believes Juliet is at church to prepare for her wedding to him but, instead, she is there with the intention to kill herself if need be. 

"Hang thee...baggage...dishonourable wretch!" Capulet is anxious to secure a noble marriage for Juliet, which presents a sudden contrast to the beginning of the play, and detests that she would want to defy him in any way. Juliet's marriage would elevate the status of the Capulet family and, when she refuses her parents, Capulet refers to her as a "disobedient wretch" - his depth and anger may imply that he is trying to assert dominance over her, as if he is almost trying to force her into the marriage with Paris by threatening her that he will "give you to my friend", as if she is nothing more than "baggage" to him, yet we as the audience know this to be untreu - Capulet needs Juliet to marry so he can pass on his wealth, so here it is likely that he is just threatening her into submission. Capulet telling Juliet to "hang" herself creates a sense of distinct forebdoding to Juliet's actions towards the end of the play, and as the audience are aware of this, this allows them to relate and follow the play more personally.

I forgot to do this quote for Capulet until the end and it's actually really important. If you're going to print off or make notes from this resource, make sure you include this with the quotes that relate to Capulet!