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What do we learn about Juliet’s relationship with her father from Act 3 Scene 5?
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In Act 3 Scene 5 the relationship between Juliet and Capulet deteriorates. In this essay I will look at this scene and other relevant scenes, in order to gain an insight into their relationship as whole.
Shakespeare wrote in the Elizabethan period. During this period, noble women were expected to be married off to rich, socially acceptable men. Fathers chose the men they considered suitable for their daughters, aiming to marry them off into higher social circles to elevate their own social status. Men were considered the bread winners of the family and women were inferior to them. It was thought unconventional for women to make important decisions for themselves, they were incapable and therefore men made their decisions for them, not just regarding their marriage. Women could refuse to marry but would be disowned by their families; it was a silent threat that was hidden underneath every happy Elizabethan family. At the beginning of Romeo and Juliet it is clear that Capulet feels that Juliet is too young to marry when Paris asks for her hand in marriage. Capulet says to Paris, “My child is yet a stranger in the world.” (1.2.L8) “Stranger in the world” implies that Capulet does not see her as a mature enough person. He cautiously advises Paris, “Let two more summers wither in their pride,/ Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.” (1.2.L10). But Paris says, "Younger than she are happy mothers made." (1.2.L12) Paris' argument doesn't carry much weight with Capulet, who ...
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