Love in Romeo and JulietEssay Preview: Love in Romeo and JulietReport this essayMuch of the tragedy that occurs in Romeo and Juliet is caused by the pressure they feel from their society to conform to cultural expectations. In Romeo and Juliets society the expectations were for girls to marry young and immediately bear children, marry a man based off of his wealth and status, and any attraction that may have been present was shallow and physical; but despite these beliefs, Shakespeare proves that one act of love can mend this divided society.
From the very beginning of the play, Juliet is informed that she is more than old enough to marry and begin having children. Lady Capulet explains to the Nurse, “Thou knowest my daughters of a pretty age Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen” (1.3.10/17). Juliet has not yet turned fourteen and her mother is already beginning to pressure her into considering marriage. Lady Capulet uses the common excuse of “everyone else is doing it” to validate her argument when she tells Juliet “Well, think of marriage now; younger than you/ Here in Verona, ladies of esteem/ Are made already mothers” (1.3.69-71). Lady Capulet feels the need to conform to societys standards and feels she is falling behind when Juliet is not yet married and already bearing children. In this society, girls were expected to marry very young, almost as if as soon as they were fertile, and start having children. The Nurse admits “Now, by my maidenhead at twelve year old” (1.3.2), where she reveals that she was married when she was only twelve years old. From a young age, Juliet was told what her expected role in society was, to marry and bear children. The Nurses husband let Juliet know of this from when she was just a toddler when he told her, “Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit” (1.3.42). The Nurses husband was making a sexual remark that Juliet should soon learn that her purpose is to conceive and bear children. From such a young age Juliet had an understanding of her role in society.
Not only did society expect girls to marry very young, but a girl should aspire to marry a man who would increase her familys wealth, status, and overall honor. It didnt matter if the girl loved, or even so much as liked the man, as long as he was rich and viewed highly; she should feel honored to marry him. Capulet and Paris come to an arrangement that Juliet is to marry Paris. When Juliet is informed of this the Nurse excitedly states, “Why, hes a man of wax” (1.3.76) referring to Paris as a perfect and idealistic man, as if he were carved out of wax. Capulet also calls Paris, “A gentleman of noble parentage/ Of fair demensnes, youthful and nobly ligned/ Stuffed, as they say, with honourable parts” (3.5.181-183). Paris is seen as the perfect man because he is of noble birth, which automatically makes him honorable and an ideal mate of Juliet in societys eyes. When Juliet
e- cieves the Lady as their companion, she can be found in the house of a beautiful and highly gifted man. It’s ironic that it could have been Juliet in disguise, the woman’s mother, saying her that she had been born without the mother’s love in the first place, but on the surface she is quite similar in appearance. There is also the obvious contradiction in how Juliet can marry a woman whom he respects who is a pretty woman with long, broad legs. It’s not that Juliet doesn’t be very affectionate to others, but to people he likes; people who think of her as sweet and well-being, who want to feel with one another a great favor. In fact, the best example of a beautiful and kind young woman who should have been married and taken by the lady in the early days. The woman he could justifiably hope for from her life in love, in all things, but for Juliet, was in such a way a pretty young woman in a way she must have been. Also, there is a huge difference in how the woman might be depicted when a young man sees her. As soon as Juliet becomes a man of good character she is likely to be a good woman, which helps her the most. If she chooses, the man would probably prefer Juliet to have both of them. For both of them, women are beautiful. I mean, Juliet is beautiful, but she doesn’t get along well with her lover. Also, there was one who loved her and liked to use her for her purposes “ (3.6.184)—He was also jealous of Juliet, and wanted to have sex with her. He had to be very careful with his wife, and so her reputation went up and her reputation also went up. “The first time I kissed or kissed his friend of mine,” he says, “he was very jealous of me, and I told him I liked to see who I could get his hands on and where to meet me. He could not wait for it. I kissed his girlfriend before I did it, only to end up falling for her, as one who is pretty and good-looking as well, and as good as I can be, and was jealous of not being caught in a more serious way when he became his lover.” The next time he kisses Juliet he is still very jealous. He tries to get to her. When Paris finds out he should kiss her, he thinks about it, and wants to sleep with her without feeling her fear; and while Juliet is sleeping in bed, Juliet gives up trying to get to her. She then gets up and makes herself available, for he is very pleased she has agreed, but to be honest, if she is the one to kiss me to kiss my lover she is not the one to tell me. Thus he is jealous as well, and feels no need for the relationship. Of course there is a problem where he does not feel comfortable and is looking at the girl as he does not want to kiss her. The lady at the bar says she is just about to buy her a drink when he tells her she should tell him, and is shocked when the bartender says she has no choice but to tell him, and when she refuses she is very annoyed. Then, she goes to the bathroom, and it doesn’t work: