Romeo And Juliet Patriarchy Quotes

Shakespeare uses Lord Capulet to reinforce patriarchal society in Elizabethan times. This is because Lord Capulet thinks he has complete power over Juliet and any other women around him. This is shown when he tells Juliet to “ Speak not. Reply not. Do not answer me.” In this quote, he is telling Juliet that she needs to be quiet, taking away her right to speak. Shakespeare used punctuation and short sentences to show how mad Lord capulet is. Also, repetition; Shakespeare wants to make sure Lord Capulet is clear to Juliet, women were seen as uneducated in those days. This quote suggests that lord capulet was taking away Juliet’s right to speak, as then, being a woman you weren’t seen as someone who has a lot to say. A Shakespearean audience

He also tells Juliet’s Nurse “ And why, my Lady Wisdom? Hold your tongue, Good prudence. In this quote, Lord Capulet silences the nurse when she tries to stick up for Juliet. He uses the noun “wisdom” to mock the nurse when she tells him he isn’t being reasonable. Shakespeare may have made Lord Capulet Say “lady wisdom” to mock her because as she is a woman, he will also not consider her opinion. He may have listened to her if she wasn’t a woman as he wouldn’t tell a man to hold his tongue. Comparing this quote to the one in the previous paragraph, we can see that Lord Capulet feels free to talk to the help the same as he does to his daughter. A modern audience would be shocked by this because nowadays, it is acceptable to punish your children, but not your employees. A Shakespearean audience would still think Lord Capulet telling his female employee to be quiet is acceptable as in those times, people saw their employees as

Shakespeare also shows how women are objectified by their husbands . This is seen in Romeo and Juliet when Lord Capulet calls Lady Capulet “wife” instead of her real name. This shows misogynistic behaviour as he is objectifying her. An example of this is the quote “Soft, take me with you, take me with you, wife.” This quote suggests that he is calling her, a woman , soft. He is also calling her “wife” in a commanding tone as if she isn’t a person.Even though so far in the play, he hasn’t been particularly abusive to his wife, he is still taking away her human rights by objectifying her. A Shakespearean audience would think objectifying your wife is normal unlike todays