Theme 6: Generational Divide Flashcards
- Lady Capulet calls Juliet to discuss marriage (A1S3)
“Speak briefly, can you like of Paris’ love?”
• What: Expects Juliet to obey and marry Paris
• How:
• **Imperative “speak briefly” = dismisses Juliet’s voice
• **Lexical choice “like” = minimises love to superficiality
• **Tone = transactional, mechanical → love as duty
• **Irony → Juliet’s idea of love is deeper than her mother’s
• Why: Highlights disconnect between youthful emotion and adult formality
• Character: Lady Capulet
• Themes: generational divide, gender, love/relationships
- Capulet responds to Paris’ request (A1S2)
“My child is yet a stranger in the world.”
• What: Initially protective of Juliet’s youth
• How:
• **Metaphor “stranger in the world” = innocence, inexperience
• **Possessive “my child” = patriarchal claim
• **Tone = gentle but patronising
• **Irony → later forces marriage despite this claim
• Why: Shows early divide in perceptions of readiness, control vs care
• Character: Lord Capulet
• Themes: generational divide, gender, family loyalty
- Capulet silences Tybalt at the ball (A1S5)
“You are a saucy boy. Is’t so indeed?”
• What: Belittles Tybalt’s desire to fight Romeo
• How:
• **Insult “saucy boy” = dismissive superiority
• **Interrogative = rhetorical power move
• **Juxtaposition = youth’s passion vs elder’s image-keeping
• Why: Elders care about appearances, youth care about loyalty → ideological split
• Character: Lord Capulet
• Themes: generational divide, honour, conflict
- Juliet rejects marriage to Paris (A3S5)
“He shall not make me there a joyful bride.”
• What: Challenges parental authority
• How:
• **Modal “shall not” = assertive rebellion
• **Irony in “joyful” = forced love = misery
• **Caesura creates emphasis → Juliet controls pace
• Why: Juliet’s voice contradicts patriarchal will → generational tension peaks
• Character: Juliet
• Themes: generational divide, gender, family loyalty
- Capulet’s fury at Juliet’s disobedience (A3S5)
“Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch!”
• What: Explodes when Juliet refuses to marry Paris
• How:
• **Asyndetic listing = rage overload
• **Derogatory metaphors “baggage” / “wretch” = dehumanisation
• **Plosive sounds → verbal violence
• **Age highlighted → “young” = power imbalance
• Why: Tension erupts into emotional abuse → parent-child bond collapses
• Character: Lord Capulet
• Themes: generational divide, conflict, gender
- Juliet defies her father in private (A4S1)
“Give me, give me! O, tell me not of fear!”
• What: Begs Friar for a solution rather than submit
• How:
• **Repetition “give me” = desperation + urgency
• **Imperative tone = switch in power
• **Negation “not of fear” = fearlessness in rebellion
• **Emotional register = passion > submission
• Why: Juliet’s maturity outpaces her parents → emotional intelligence vs control
• Character: Juliet
• Themes: generational divide, gender, fate
- Capulet reacts to Juliet’s ‘change of heart’ (A4S2)
“My heart is wondrous light since this same wayward girl is so reclaim’d.”
• What: Believes Juliet is obedient again
• How:
• **Adjective “wayward” = frames independence as defect
• **Metaphor “reclaim’d” = child as lost property
• **Juxtaposition “light” / “wayward” = power creates peace
• Why: Reconciliation based on illusion → generational gap remains unhealed
• Character: Lord Capulet
• Themes: generational divide, appearance vs reality
- Lady Capulet mourns Juliet (A4S5)
“O me, O me! My child, my only life!”
• What: Overcome with grief after Juliet’s ‘death’
• How:
• **Exclamatives and repetition = uncontrolled sorrow
• **Hyperbole “only life” = Juliet becomes entire identity
• **Irony → real connection comes after loss
• Why: Emotional bond not expressed in life → generational affection too late
• Character: Lady Capulet
• Themes: generational divide, death, love/relationships
- Montague reveals Lady Montague’s death (A5S3)
“Grief of my son’s exile hath stopp’d her breath.”
• What: She dies of heartbreak
• How:
• **Euphemism “stopp’d her breath” = quiet tragedy
• **Passive construction → helpless against emotional rupture
• **Contrast with earlier silence = grief reveals love
• Why: Emotional generation unable to act → silent loyalty leads to irreversible loss
• Character: Lord Montague
• Themes: generational divide, death, family loyalty
