Romeo and Juliet, Paris tells Lord Capulet that he is interested in marrying Juliet. What is Lord Capulet’s reaction to this request? What can you infer about Capulet’s relationship with Juliet based on this reaction?."

When Paris states his wish to marry Juliet in act 1, scene 2, Lord Capulet is at first against the idea, arguing that Juliet is simply too young. Capulet says,

My child is yet a stranger in the world.She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.Let two more summers wither in their prideEre we may think her ripe to be a bride.


At thirteen, Juliet is very young for marriage, and Capulet's words reflect his sense of responsibility toward his daughter. He wants her to get a few years older before she marries.

Later in this scene, after further thought, Capulet seems to change his mind. He urges Paris to win Juliet's love in order to garner his approval: "Woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart." Even this new argument reveals Capulet's love for his daughter. He needs to know that Juliet is truly in love before he will give her away. His words suggest that his relationship with his daughter is a good one and that he trusts Juliet's judgement.

Throughout most of act 1, Capulet is revealed as a sensible, loving father. He wishes only for his daughter's happiness. Moreover, in scene 5, he rightly dissuades Tybalt from fighting Romeo, and he even offers a compliment toward Montague's only son:


Content thee, gentle coz. Let him alone.He bears him like a portly gentleman,And, to say truth, Verona brags of himTo be a virtuous and well-governed youth.




Capulet's good sense and affection for his family in act 1 make the events of act 3 quite curious. Why does he suddenly agree to a hasty marriage between Paris and Juliet when he had, only days earlier, brought up objections and prerequisites for such a marriage? Shakespeare never really answers that question other than to vaguely suggest that Capulet felt it was the right thing to do after the death of Tybalt. Capulet's treatment of Juliet in act 3, scene 5, however, is quite different from the feelings he expressed earlier. Critics have argued that the Bard simply needed a plot twist to lead to the final tragedy.

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