Response Of Capulet's Speech

This speech by Juliet’s father, Capulet, appears in Act I, Scene 2 of Romeo & Juliet. Capulet is responding to Paris’s request to marry Juliet. Paris is clearly impatient to get on with it, challenging Capulet’s idea that Juliet is too young to be married. Paris points out that thirteen is not that young to be married in their culture, insisting right before Capulet’s speech that “Younger than she are happy mothers made” (1.2.12). Capulet’s response encourages Paris to continue pursuing Juliet, but at a less hurried pace. Capulet begins by making clear his negative feelings about young mothers and early marriages like the one Paris is proposing. He says that girls married at Juliet’s age are “too soon marred” (1.2.13), suggesting that young girls are ruined or violated by early marriage and should be allowed to preserve their innocence

He indicates the location of the feast, referring to his own mansion as “my poor house” either because he is trying to be humble or because he is acknowledging that Paris is very wealthy and therefore might find even the Capulet’s nice house to be unimpressive (1.2.24). Capulet also informs Paris that, if he attends the party, he will “behold this night/Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light” (1.2.25). Since the party is at night, there may be actual stars to see in the sky, but Capulet seems to be referring more to the radiant women who will be in attendance, since they are “Earth-treading” or walking on the ground. This language would be consistent with the various ways in which Juliet is compared to sources of light such as torches and the sun later in the play. There is also some irony in Capulet’s bringing up the idea of stars with Paris, since stars are often associated with destiny in this play, and the audience (from the Prologue) knows that Juliet is not destined to end up with