Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Which two pairs of lines from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet show that Lord Capulet thinks Juliet is too young to get married?

Early in the play, Paris requests permission to marry Lord Capulet's daughter, Juliet. Lord Capulet reveals that he thinks Juliet is too young to get married by telling Paris,

"My child [Juliet] is yet a stranger in the world. She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. Let two more summers wither in their pride Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride" (Shakespeare, 1.2. 8-11).

When Paris responds by telling Lord Capulet that some women get married at an even younger age, Lord Capulet tells Paris to take his time with Juliet and attempt to win her heart naturally. Lord Capulet is initially portrayed as a sympathetic, understanding parent when he informs Paris that his permission is only part of Juliet's decision. He then proceeds to invite Paris to his ball later that night and encourages him to charm Juliet. Lord Capulet's initial attitude regarding his daughter's marriage is dramatically different from his stance later in the play. In act 4, scene 3, Lord Capulet informs Paris that he will make Juliet marry him and even threatens to disown her in the following scene if she does not follow his instructions to marry Paris.

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