Lord Capulet analysis

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

• a product of his time- displays the characteristics of a typical patriarch
• Elizabethan audience may view him as a good father as he only tries to protect Juliet by arranging a marriage for her.

Question 2

Contemporary vs Modern day audience

Answer 2

• possessive behaviour would not have been shocking to Shakespeare’s Elizabethan audience as women were merely seen as property to their fathers.
• Shakespeare’s modern audience, Lord Capulet’s possessive and abusive behaviour would stir up a sense of injustice- patriarchal attitudes and foul
  treatment towards Juliet would be viewed with outrage-gender equality has become increasingly important
• some would view him as a terrible father, but both sides could be argued- could be seen as a good father- attempts to protect her by arranging a marriage which he deems suitable and beneficial for Juliet- the way he treats her in
  trying to get her to do what he wants would be controversial

Question 3

Family Honour

Answer 3

• extremely important- portrayed through family feud
• family members are loyal to each other all the time
• R&J’s suicide could be to reveal the possible dangers of allowing family honour to consume an individual.
• only through Romeo and Juliet’s death that
  Lord Capulet decides to settle the feud between both families, thus their death is essential to the change of Lord Capulet’s views.

Question 4

Treatment of women

Answer 4

• extremely abusive and oppresses Juliet throughout the whole play
• wouldn’t have been surprising to an
  Elizabethan audience- men expected to follow the rules of patriarchy to prevent women from threatening the social order in society.

Question 5

Patriarchy

Answer 5

• from the beginning of the play, it is clear that he is a product of his time
• isn’t surprising that he oppresses Juliet and disregards her views, as women were meant to be ruled by men- nothing more than the property of her fathers until she was married and became the property of her husband

Question 6

Conflicted

Answer 6

-the audience is conflicted as to whether to view him as a good or bad father
- as play progresses- he becomes more controlling and abusive- even wishing death upon Juliet
- In the end, he is distraught about her death and reconciles with the Montagues ending the feud despite the curse

Question 7

Abusive

Answer 7

• start- the audience can see his possessiveness over his daughter
• as the play progresses he becomes abusive as she continuously disobeys him
• most abusive in Act 3 Scene 5 where
  he wishes death upon his daughter

Question 8

rs to juliet

Answer 8

• their bond gets worse over time
• a correlation between Juliet’s continuous disobedience and Lord Capulet’s rising manipulation.
• Lord Capulet only conveys his love for Juliet when he realises that she has committed suicide.

Question 9

rs to lord montague

Answer 9

• chaotic bond due to the feud
• both despise each other at the start and it increases as the play progresses
• when Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, both fathers realise the damage that the family feud had really caused
• both share their grief and sympathise with each other, agreeing to put a halt to their disagreements and therefore their relationship becomes one that is surprisingly understanding and peaceful.