Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

After reading Romeo and Juliet in school, we were told to analyze the play and a specific character. After thinking about this in class, I thought that I would come home and spill some of my jumbled up thoughts onto here! After analysis, although everyone in this play made quite aggravating and foolish decisions, I believe that ultimately Lord Capulet was the one to blame for at least the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Here are my thoughts all nice and organized! 

It’s no secret that we live in a fast-paced society. We are obsessed with speed; we want fast service, fast food, and the fastest way to get from one point to another. However, statistics prove that our speedy lifestyle does not affect our behavior positively. Studies show that someone who lives a busy lifestyle where everything is rushed is 67 percent more likely to become impatient and emotionally distant. Perhaps Lord Capulet was one of those people. He may have been leading a restless life which caused him to become the irritable and unpredictable person we see throughout the play. Capulet could have taken the time to slow down and think before lashing out at those around him. However, due to Capulet’s inability to be understanding of Juliet and his failure to keep his temper, he became the one to blame for the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet.

Capulet continuously displays his insensitivity towards his daughter’s feelings and opinions. For example, when discussing Juliet’s marriage with Paris, he tells him, “Sir Paris, I will make a desperate tender/ Of my child’s love. I think she will be ruled/ In all aspects by me. Nay more, I doubt it not” (III.4.12-14). This shows that he doesn’t give a chance for Juliet to decide for herself as to whether or not she will spend the rest of her life with Paris. Capulet simply assumes that she will do whatever he says. This also shows his lack of understanding about his daughter’s personality. Obviously, Juliet will not bend her will to whatever her father wants. This proves his insensitivity towards his own daughter’s character and behavioral tendencies. Also, when Lord Capulet finds Juliet upset in her room, only the day after Tybalt’s death, he blurts out, “How now? A conduit, girl? What, still in tears,/ Evermore showering? In one little body/ Thou counterfeit’st a bark, a sea, a wind” (III.5.129-131). Instead of realizing how upset and emotionally overwhelmed his daughter is, he simply goes off on a long harangue about how melodramatic he thinks his daughter is being. He does not think for a second to show some compassion. This is important because it is this kind of disregard for his daughter’s thoughts that lead him to forcing her marriage with Paris onto her so suddenly, and in such a dominant manner. Capulet refusing to acknowledge his daughter’s opinions about her own marriage was one of the key factors that led to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

            Capulet’s choleric disposition upsets those around him. When Juliet tries to tell her father that she doesn’t want to marry Paris, he explodes with anger and refuses to listen, demanding her to “Speak not, reply not, do not answer me” (III.5.163). He even goes so far as threatening to hit her: “My fingers itch” (III.5.164). This shows that Capulet is very quick to anger, stating that his fingers are itching to physically hurt her. He goes from calm to beside himself with anger within a matter of seconds. This is important because Capulet, being so hotheaded, has probably been abusive to his family, not only verbally but physically as well. The death of Juliet could very well be partially because she has so many pent up emotions of hurt and anger towards her father. “An you be not, hang beg, starve in the streets,/ for, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee” declares Capulet, upon hearing Juliet beg for him to at least postpone the wedding. (III.5.194-195) This shows that Capulet’s invective remarks hurled at Juliet makes Juliet feel unwanted and that nobody is there to listen to her feelings. She may have rushed into her relationship with Romeo due to the fact that she felt so unloved by her father. This is important because if Capulet had been more conscious of his daughter’s feelings and opinions, Juliet may have been able to stay alive and refrain from taking her own life. She would have been comforted by the fact that she had a loving family to return to. Because Lord Capulet was so short-fused and attacked her with insults rather than trying to understand and comfort her, Juliet may have felt unappreciated. This is why she didn’t so much as hesitate to take her own life.

            The majority of this tragedy took place due to Capulet’s insensitivity. Capulet did not know of all the trouble that he was causing simply because he did not stop to think about what he was coercing his daughter to do. Although his intentions were positive, he rushed into everything too quickly. By speeding through important issues, Capulet let his temper get the best of him. Lord Capulet could have avoided being responsible for the deaths of so many different people if he had taken the time to relax and regain his composure. Getting too caught up in the hectic happenings of everyday life and letting anger snatch away one’s ability to think straight can cause others to suffer.