Parental Figures In Romeo And Juliet Essay

Parental Figures in Romeo & Juliet

The fact that we still read The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare 500 years after it was written is honestly, surprising. One of the interesting components in the story is the relationship between the parents and children. The relationships with Romeo and his parents, Juliet and her parents, and the nurse and friar to both of the children are all some interesting parts of the play because they all affect both Romeo and Juliet. Romeo’s relationship with his parents was more distant, but they still cared about him. When the Prince was discussing the problem of Tybalt’s murder, he would have executed Romeo, if not for his parents who said, “His fault concludes but what the law should end.” (III.ii.184).

Shortly after Romeo was banished from Verona, Juliet’s father practically forced her to marry Paris, which Juliet obviously did not want, but Lord Capulet said, “To go with Paris to Saint Peter’s Church, Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither. Out, you green-sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! You tallow face!” (III.v.159-162). To put it simply, Lord Capulet said that if Juliet will not go marry Paris herself, he was going to drag her there himself and force her to say yes. Kinda rude if you ask someone reasonable. Now Lady Capulet was even worse. At least personality-wise. She was extremely selfish and did not even love her daughter like a mother actually should. The passage states, “Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.¨ This happened around when Lord Capulet planned to have Juliet marry Paris. Juliet was telling Lady Capulet that she did not want to marry Paris, but Lady Capulet just started to disrespect and be rude to Juliet. Although Romeo´s relationship with his parents was more distant, it seems he still had a better relationship with his rather than Juliet

Until the nurse turned on them and said some stuff. But the Friar was a good guy the entire way through the story. Throughout the story, like when Romeo and Juliet were planning to get married, the Friar was there helping them. The passage states, ¨O, she knew well. Thy love did read by rote, that could not spell, but come, young waverer, come, go with me. In one respect I’ll thy assistant be, for this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancor to pure love.” (II.iii.1122-1127) The whole point of this was the Friar saying that we would help Romeo marry Juliet. The main reason he wanted to do this was because he hoped that if Romeo and Juliet got married, then the feud between the families would finally end. Although it didn’t go as planned, it still worked. But the nurse is an, interesting case, to say the least. At first she was all for Romeo and Juliet marrying, but then she flipped and said that Juliet should marry Paris. She went from “Lord, how my head aches! What a head have I! It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces. My back o’ t’ other side! Ah, my back! Beshrew your heart for sending me about to catch my death with jaunting up and down.”(II.v.1399-1403) She was so excited that juliet was gettig married to romeo, and was saying how he was an amazing choice. But then she just switched to the “evil” side. Later in