In this essay, I am going to talk about Lord Capulet and his behaviour, the way he is, and why he acts like that. I will compare the way he acts in the earlier scenes, before Act 3 Scene 5 with the way he behaves in Act 3 Scene 5 towards Juliet. I think that Capulet behaviour is not unexpected because we have seen his aggression in Act 1 Scene 1, at the start of the play and we have seen his aggression towards Tybalt when Tybalt sees Romeo at the ball.
When Capulet speaks to Paris in Act 1 Scene 2 we feel that Capulet is being fake and pretending. In Act 1 Scene 1, Lord Capulet wants to defend is honour, but he is a bit foolish: he really needs a crutch. His self image isn’t accurate, he thinks he is a hero, but he is an old man: Lord Capulet: “ What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho! ” Lady Capulet: “ A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword? ” Lord Capulet: “ My sword, I say! Old Montague is come, And flourishes his blade in spite of me. ” This gives us the impression that Capulet is almost paranoid.
He cannot tolerate Montague’s presence. He is ready to fight. Because the two families don’t like each other, it is almost as if he cannot help him self; he has a fixed idea. In Act 1 Scene 2, when Paris goes to Capulet to ask him for his daughter’s hand, he seems a really nice father: Lord Capulet: “ And too soon marred are those so early made.
Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she; She’s hopeful lady of my earth. But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart, My will to her consent is but a part;” Here Capulet seems the best father in the world, he just wants is only daughter to be happy and to choose by herself her future. Then Lord Capulet tells Paris he is having a party in his house, and pretends he is very humble: This night I hold an old accustomed feast, Whereto I have invited many a guest, Such as I love, and you among the store, One more, most welcome, makes my number more. At my poor house look to behold this night Earth-treading stars that make dark heavens light. ” This give us a impression that Capulet its really nice man, who loves his friends and that he is very humble about his possessions, but he is exaggerating and boasting, as a Lord he knows very well he has power and really good possessions, we can see in this phrase: “ At my poor house…”, that Capulet is showing false humility.
In Act 3 Scene 5, we can see the way Lord Capulet is. When Juliet confronts her father, Lord Capulet, saying she doesn’t want to marry Paris, Capulet seems like he has no emotions, and he doesn’t love Juliet as his daughter anymore: Lord Capulet: “ Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church a’ Thursday, Or never after look at me in the face. Speak not, reply not, do not answer me! ” Lord Capulet threatens Juliet that if she didn’t marry Paris, he wouldn’t speak to her again. Lord Capulet feels betrayed by his daughter Juliet: Wife, we scarce thought us blest That God had lent us but this only child, But now I see this one is too much, And that we have a curse in having her.
” Capulet seems to be saying that Juliet is their beloved only child but that the trouble she is causing is much more than if they had had ten children. It must be painful for Juliet to hear this from her father. It is as if she is too much trouble to be worth it. Lord Capulet is extremely angry with Juliet: Lord Capulet: “ Out, you green sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! You tallow-face” We can see here that like Capulet is saying these things, just because Juliet is ‘ disobedient’ not because he actually thinks that she is a ‘ green sickness carrion’.
We know this because of the things he has said about her before: Lord Capulet: “ She’s the hopeful lady of my earth. ” But he was talking with Paris, so we don’t know if Lord Capulet said that just to boast about his daughter or if he actually meant it. In my view, Capulet as a father actually meant it, because Juliet it’s the only daughter that he has so I think Juliet it’s the only reason for Lord Capulet to be proud and fulfilled by. Capulet it’s being so rude and angry that even his wife, Lady Capulet is impressed in a bad way: Lady Capulet: “ Fie, fie, what, are you mad? ” Lady Capulet doesn’t agree with the fact that Juliet is not going to marry Paris, but she thinks it’s not an excuse to be so mad. In conclusion, I feel that the audience would not be surprised by the behaviour of Lord Capulet in Act 3 Scene 5 because he is shown to be changeable in his moods. At the beginning of the play Capulet is seen to be very aggressive.
He loses his temper too quickly and he is ready to be violent. When we see him with Paris in Act 1 Scene 2 he is being very nice but we feel it’s a pretence. At the ball Capulet is very ‘ showy’ but he comes across as a bully in private with Tybalt, and when he speaks with Paris he comes across as proud and self satisfied while pretending to be humble. He doesn’t want to have a scene at the party. He cares what people think and wants to keep his reputation up as the ‘ great rich Capulet’.