How would a modern audience react to the way Shakespeare portrays the Capulet family in Romeo and Juliet?
...ctically hand picked a husband for Juliet, and decided where and when she would be married, this enhances his role as a dominant leader. The Capulet family had no complaints about his dominance, as in those days everyone had to show utmost respect for their fathers and husbands, this meant respecting any decisions made by the father and following any requests made by him, and in those times it was normally the father of the Bride who arranged the wedding and picked the Groom, this may come across as odd to a modern audience although this kind of thing still happens in certain religions, a bit silly if you ask me. The other side of the parents, Lady Capulet had a strange thing about her, she had trouble talking to her daughter when there was nobody else around, she needed a translator if you will, this duty normally fell to the nurse (the nanny at the Capulet household), in Act 1, Scene 3, Lady Capulet needs to speak to her daughter Juliet, nurse is present at the time but Lady Capulet feels it is a private matter and dismisses the nurse, “This is the matter:--Nurse, give leave awhile, We must talk in secret”, as nurse leaves, Lady Capulet pauses before saying, “nurse, come back again; I have remember'd me, thou's hear our counsel. Thou know'st my daughter's of a pretty age” she does this because she realises she just cant talk to her own daughter face to face, the audiences of today may be a bit bemused by this, as if there was something you would think a woman could tell anything to, it would be their daughters (if they have daughters that is, obviously). Now, the nurse, she seems to have a pleasant nature about her, friends with everyone, Lord Capulet, Juliet, Lady Capulet, and even Romeo himself, she would have to have a strong relationship with both Lady Capulet and Juliet, as she has to interpret what Lady Capulet says to Juliet. Back to Lord Capulet and him picking a husband for Juliet, he decided on a noble man named Paris, in a discussion with the Groom to be, or rather not to be, Lord Capulet and Paris are discussing when the wedding should take place, (Act 3, Scene 5) Lord Capulet says “Monday! ha, ha! Well, Wednesday is too soon, O' Thursday let it be: o' Thursday, tell her, She shall be married to this noble earl.” This again adds to Lord Capulet’s power, and it seems as though both Paris and Lord Capulet want to get the wedding over and done with as soon as possible. Once Romeo and Juliet have discovered their love for one another Juliet decides after some time, she will break the news to her father that she is not to wed Paris, but rather Romeo, as you can imagine with Romeo being an Montague Lord Capulet does not take the news all that well. Lord Capulet is infomed that Juliet does not wish to wed Paris and that she is with Romeo, he enters the room where Juliet is and finds her to be crying, “How now! a conduit, girl? what, still in tears?” He says, “Soft! take me with you, take me with you, wife. How! will she none? doth she not give us thanks? Is she not proud? doth she not count her blest, Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought So worthy a gentleman to be her bridegroom?” From this it is obvious that Lord Capulet thought he was doing Juliet a favour when choosing Paris as Juliet’s husband, it seems as he has no thoughts for what she wants, after all it is her life, he think he picked him and Juliet not marrying him is insulting to him. “Not proud, you have; but thankful, that you have: Proud can I never be of what I hate; But thankful even for hate, that is meant love” by this Juliet means she is thankful that Lord Capulet choose such a noble gentleman as her husband to be, but she loves Romeo so thanks but, no thanks. Lord Capulet seems to be offended by this and goes on to call her such names as mistress minion, green-sickness carrion, young baggage! disobedient wretch, mumbling fool and whining mammet, by this he is insinuating that Juliet is extremely disrespectful towards himself, he sees Paris as a gift to Juliet, and she’s threw it right back in his face. After insulting Juliet with all those insults, Lord Capulet exits, Juliet looks towards her mother Lady Capulet and nurse for comfort, but is let down by both, Lady Capulet says “Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word: Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.” And leaves, leaving Juliet with nurse for comfort, nurse however, does not offer much good advice, just leads Juliet in a big circle which cul...