Juliets Confrontation with her Parents Essay Example For Students

Juliets Confrontation with her Parents Essay Juliets Confrontation with her Parents in Act 3 Scene 5 is a Pivotal Scene and Begin the Sequence of Events that lead to the Final Tragedy. Analyse Juliets state of mind here, using evidence from the text as a whole. Provide advice for someone directing Juliet in the extract. This play is a tragedy about two lovers from families with a long history of civil brawls between each other. Act 3 scene 5 is a pivotal scene because from this scene onwards, Juliets life begins to change, as does her emotions and feelings. These changes then lead to the final tragedy where both lovers take their own lives. It is important to look at scenes previous to this one, because you cannot understand what her character is like before this pivotal scene without reading how she has reacted in other situations. It is also important to look at how much her character changes in this scene. Also, without reading the whole text, you will not know the dramatic irony, which Juliet has so often used. In Verona society, men held their daughters in a very firm iron grip. Although men would often go out, women had to stay at home. It would be unheard of to have any form of relationship with a boy if they were not married. Fathers would also give their daughters hand in marriage, and they would never make a fuss about it. Verona women were often married to men sometimes 10 years older than themselves and be having children as soon as they could physically bare children. We first meet Juliet in Act 1 Scene 3. From this scene we can see that Juliet is not close to her mother at all. An example of this is when Lady Capulet says Nurse, give leave a while.Nurse come back again. Lines such as she was weaned, I shall never forget it shows that she is more of a mother to Juliet than her own mother is. The nurse also has pet names for Juliet such as Lamb Ladybird and Pretty fool which shows us that she has obviously got to know what she is like throughout her life. Juliet also has no friends to talk to, and so the nurse has become Juliets best friend. However, the nurse has to do as Juliet and Lord and Lady Capulet say, because she is merely a servant. This gets the nurse into several awkward positions, because although she may think that Paris is more of a match to Juliet than Romeo, the nurse still has to secretly arrange their wedding. This is shown by the quote I am the drudge and toil in your delight Act 2 Scene 5. When Lady Capulet asks Juliet How sta nds your disposition to be married Juliet responds, It is an honour I dream not of. This shows that at the beginning of the play, Juliet is still fairly immature. Although Juliet is only 13 (Come Lammas eve at night shall she be 14) Juliet is now older than Lady Capulet was when she gave birth to Juliet. In Act 1 Scene 5, Juliet and Romeo meet for the very first time. Even as Romeo starts talking to Juliet, he begins using religious language to describe her such as this holy shrine. As Romeo shouldnt even be at the ball, he is very conscience of the fact that they are from rival families. Juliet describes the fact that they are meeting and flirting together as a gentle sin, Juliet uses religious language such as Ay, pilgrim, lips they must use in prayer to tease Romeo as he tries (and later succeeds) to kiss her. This use of religious language shows us that Juliet both understands the concept of religion and believes in it. This religious state of mind is important in Act 3 Scene 5 because when Juliet is asked to marry Paris, although she has already secretly married Romeo. If she went ahead with the marriage to keep the peace she would be committing bigamy, and although no-one else would know, she and God would both know that she was already married. Act 2 Scene two is the infamous balcony scene. As Juliet is talking to herself, we hear her say Deny they father and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and Ill no longer be a Capulet. Juliet says here that she wishes that she wasnt a Capulet, or Romeo wasnt a Montague because she loves Romeo. Here we can see that Juliet knows that she is in the wrong for being in love with Romeo because of the two families quarrels. Juliet also says to Romeo My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of thy tongues uttering, yet I know the sound. By saying this she is telling Romeo that although he has spoken less than a hundred words to her, she still feels like she knows him. This is important as it shows that Juliet does believe in love at first sight, at least for Romeo. This is important in her state of mind that she feels that she loves Romeo at this point. This is another reason why Juliet wont marry Paris, because she believes that she is in love with Romeo. Juliet goes on to say If they bent of love be honourable, thy purpose marriage, send me words tomorrow She is saying that if Romeos intention of love is honourable he will want to marry her. Juliet is still thinking about how wrong their secret love is, and if they get married, at least God will not see it as such a sin. Juliet is also thinking that if they get married, maybe the two families will unite, as Juliet will become a Montague and her maiden name will be Capulet. From Act 3 Scene 5 everything seems to go on a downwards spiral for Juliet. After Romeo leaves as the sun rises, her mother comes into her bedroom. Here we find Juliet weeping for Romeo, however she uses many double meanings to pretend to Lady Capulet that she is mourning for Tybalts death. Lady Capulet tells her that crying a little shows that she loved Tybalt, but evermore weeping for your cousins death shows some want of wit. To this, Juliet continues to weep and says no man like he doth grieve my heart. Juliets state of mind here is that, although she knows what Lady Capulet is saying, she is truly too distraught about losing her very first love so quickly that she is inconsolable. No matter what her mother says to her, it isnt going to stop her crying. Hatred and selfishness EssayIf I were to direct this scene, I would have Capulet enter from the same large doors as Lady Capulet came through. He has not heard the shouting that has gone on before hand. As he walks in, Juliet is stood up, still with tears running down her face. As he begins to talk to her, he almost mocks how she is crying still for Tybalt, but in a kind, fatherly way that shows understanding. As he says Have you delivered to her our decree he sounds very optimistic about the joys which lie ahead of him. As Capulet gets delivered the bad news, he starts off more confused, and this quickly develops into anger. As he says unworthy as she is he really starts to explode and walks closer and closer towards Juliet. Juliet already has fear, and takes steps backwards as she tries to calm her father down by twisting her words. At this point Capulet must storm forward even more, with Juliet walking backwards and eventually climbing onto her bed. Lady Capulet must try and step in front of Juliet and Capulet, but not so much that either of them are concerned about her presence. After she has told them to stop, Juliet should drop to her knees on her bed. As she begs with Capulet, Juliet should weakly and childishly try to grab Capulet to hold onto, but he has none of it. It is at this point where he gets very violent. He should use his upstage arm to grab her shoulder. As he says the line or never look me in the face he should violently twist Juliets a face to face him. Juliet then must try and pull away from his grip, but he overpowers her. After giving her shoulder a few hard shakes, Capulet then must pick her up and put her over her shoulder. As he delivers the lines such as Out on her, hiding Juliet is dropped to the floor and she lays there, motionless, crying slightly until Capulet exits. After Juliet has found no sympathy in either Lady Capulet or Lord Capulet, Juliet decides that the Nurse might be the one to offer some support, considering that she knows the whole situation she is bound to me more sympathetic. The nurse has also been like a mother and a best friend to Juliet, so she very much doubts that shell disagree with anything that Juliet says. The nurse lays out the situation to Juliet that Romeo is as good as dead so she is best to forget about him. Also, Paris has green eyes, which was considered a great thing in Verona at that time. Juliet is deeply saddened at the fact that the Nurse does not give Juliet the solace she needs. Juliet decides that she can no longer trust the Nurse. This is because she has always supported their secret relationship and helped them to marry and make sure they were never caught. However, the nurse could have only done this because it was an order from Juliet and she could not disobey someone who was higher up than her. Juliet then decides that she can think for herself. For the very first time she lies to the nurse, saying that she is going to confess her sins to Friar Lawrence. She then comments at the end If all else fail, myself have power to die. Juliets love for Romeo has rapidly changed her from a childish first love to being in a mature relationship. Juliet herself has also matured by this stage, as she now has to consider things such as breaking both Gods law and the Civil law to keep the peace between her family. To act out this scene, Juliets performance must be calm, then hurt. As Lord and Lady Capulet leave, Juliet should almost leap into the nurses arms as the nurse sits onto the bed and Juliet gradually gets up from lying where her father threw her down. Although the Nurse should welcome Juliet into a hug, as she gives her opinion on the situation, Juliet should sit further away from the Nurse as she listens to exactly what she doesnt want to hear. As Juliet says, Well, thou has comforted me marvellous much, Juliet should get up and begin to walk towards the door. At this point, Juliet must walk and open the large doors. She should then look over at the nurse and angrily, yet sadly deliver her lines. As she says If all else fail, I have myself the power to die she should stop being so sad and show a very confident side to Juliet. Overall, looking at the text as a whole we can see a dramatic change in Juliet as a person, and her relationship with Romeo throughout the play where we get to the pivotal scene of Act 3 Scene 5. At first we see Juliet as a very young, immature little girl who is having her future planned out for her, showing little sign of trying to disagree. Then we see her begin to take her life into her own hands more, often with the nurses help however, as Romeo and Juliet desperately try and find a way they can both be together. At the end of Act 3 Scene 5 we see that Juliet has become a completely independent young woman, as she goes against the grain of everything people are trying to tell her to do. She also begins to lie to the nurse who she has always trusted before. All these changes in Juliet happen so fast that they almost create the tragic ending themselves.