Juliet

• Juliet


  The female protagonist of the play, who makes up the "pair of star-crossed lovers" the tragedy is centred around
• Juliet is only 13 years old
• Capulet arranges Juliet's marriage to Paris in the first scene she is mentioned
• Juliet


  • She is presented as an object of desire whose only function is to be married
  • She displays complexity and maturity which contrasts with her young age
• Juliet is the only character who attempts to reject the societal pressures she faces
• Juliet insists on marrying for love


  She takes action against her circumstances
• Juliet becomes the catalyst that causes the metamorphosis of Romeo from a Petrarchan lover to a Shakespearean lover
• Juliet and Romeo meet a tragic end
• Juliet's action at the end of the play signifies the lengths to which the character is able to go in order to assert her freedom
• The Nurse


  Juliet's close relationship with her Nurse directly contrasts with how distant she is with her mother, reflecting how many upper-class mothers did not raise their own children
• The Nurse's role


  She carries out the role of the traditional mother; she gives Juliet advice, looks after her and even elaborates that she breastfed Juliet
• Preserving Juliet's chastity


  The Nurse has to sleep in the same room as Juliet as a way of preserving Juliet's virginity, showing Elizabethan patriarchal views of female sexuality
• Sonnet form


  Traditionally used by men to write about women, portrayed as objects with no agency. Shakespeare subverts this form as Juliet, a female character, speaks to Romeo in the sonnet form, showing she isn't a stereotypical Elizabethan woman
• The first 14 lines of dialogue between Romeo and Juliet is a sonnet
• Shakespeare allows a woman, who is seen as an object by the male characters within the play, to become the subject within this dynamic
• Shakespeare's use of the sonnet subverts the patriarchal dominance over the form
• Shakespeare gives his female character a typically male voice, allowing female agency to take place within the play
• Mercutio's misogynistic lines


  Juliet completes his rhymes with wit and intelligence, contrary to the sexist attitudes of the time
• Juliet is an atypical portrayal of an Elizabethan woman, as she transcends the cultural and societal boundaries of her time</b>
• Juliet


  A proto-feminist character that attempts to break down the patriarchy and reclaim her own fate
• Religion in the play

  Explored ambivalently - Juliet both upholds religion and subverts it
• Juliet describes Romeo as "the god of my idolatry", implying she perpetuates love as a religious experience
• Juliet preserves religious ideals as she wants to be married before continuing her relationship with Romeo
• Juliet ultimately commits the most sacrilegious act by committing suicide, which was considered a sin in the Bible
• Gender roles in the play

  The feminine and the masculine are contrasted greatly - most of the men have scenes set outdoors, while Juliet's scenes often take place indoors, demonstrating the domesticity she is subjected to
• Juliet is seen as being just as intelligent as she finishes Romeo's rhymes, indicating she is well educated
• Juliet rejects societal expectations and rules in order to pursue her love with Romeo
• Violence in the play

  Juliet is the antidote to the violence presented within the play - her love makes Romeo unable to duel Tybalt. However, at the end of the play, Juliet is forced to take violent action against herself, suggesting violence may be the only answer at times
• Juliet's choice to use violence ends the feud, thus technically ending all of the violence of the play
• Juliet's key characteristics


  • Love - she is the epitome of Shakespearean love, embodying a physical, tangible, real love
  • Fate - she is faced by the challenge of arbitrary fate, yet she confronts and overcomes these obstacles
  • Isolation - in contrast to Romeo, she is never alone, symbolising her lack of freedom and privacy
  • Opposition - her journey is full of opposing forces such as hate and love, life and death
• Juliet's self-autonomous nature


  • Antithetical to fate, which is the set of conditions she is placed within
• Isolation


  In contrast to Romeo, Juliet is never alone; she is never left in isolation. This can be seen in how the Nurse constantly calls out for Juliet, or her scenes always have one other character present. To what extent this is intended is debatable, however, this does symbolise Juliet's lack of freedom and privacy. Being alone does not always mean isolation, however, it can be an indication of feeling isolated. Isolation can be seen as an attempt at creating a place for oneself, therefore a lack of this suggests that Juliet does not have the freedom to construct her own space. Her final act of taking action alone and detaching herself from her family and the Nurse connotes an emotional maturity and growth.
• Opposition


  • Juliet's journey within the play is full of opposing forces; antithetical themes such as Hate and Love, Life and Death, become inextricably linked. Juliet's love stems out of hate, Romeo, and her relationship with Romeo leads to her death. Thematically Juliet is presented as liminal, as she is caught between two states. The fact that she is in between adulthood and childhood is evidence for her liminality. Through this Shakespeare is able to develop a complex character which is four-dimensional and does not simply adhere to simple, superficial themes.
• Romeo and Juliet


  Their relationship develops quickly which makes it incredibly passionate. Juliet is extremely young in comparison to Romeo and so it is highly possible that this is her first real relationship. Their initial interaction is incredibly flirtatious, which juxtaposes the terrible and debilitating tension it goes on to cause, but is also evidently pure and passionate. Their love for each other is potently strong, obviously demonstrated by how they both end of commiting suicide as a result.
• Lord Capulet and Juliet


  Their father-daughter relationship changes drastically. The first time the audience meets Juliet's father he acts as an overprotective father who is just trying to shield his daughter from the world. However, this drastically changes after Tybalt's death and Lord Capulet demands that Juliet must marry Paris, saying that if she refuses he will disown her. It is clear that their relationship is complicated but it is also clear that Lord Capulet greatly cares for his daughter and only reacts when he is challenged.
• Lady Capulet and Juliet

  Their relationship is essentially non-existent. The only time in which the audience sees an exchange between the mother and daughter is when Lady Capulet must talk to her daughter or is sent by her husband to talk to her. Lady Capulet and Juliet are also opposites of each other; everything that Lady Capulet wants, Juliet does not. While her mother was married and with a child at Juliet's age, Juliet is not even "dream(ing)" of it which suggests that Juliet is an independent woman.
• The Nurse and Juliet


  The Nurse is the maternal figure for Juliet within the play. Their strong bond is a result of the fact that she has been Juliet's 'wet nurse' meaning that she has been with Juliet since Juliet was breastfeeding as a baby. Throughout the play, the Nurse remains supportive of Juliet, even helping to make plans for Romeo and Juliet's marriage ceremony. It can be argued that the Nurse is an accomplice to fate as without her the lovers may have never been able to have the relationship they had for as long as they did.
• The Friar and Juliet

  The Friar is always a point of contact for advice for the lovers. However, it is through his plan that the lovers die which is quite ironic. Like the Nurse, the Friar is a tool for fate. The Friar is instrumental in Juliet's life as she seeks him out for advice, he also comes up with the plan and gives her the potion which ignites the sequence of events.
• Paris and Juliet


  They don't really have a relationship, and what they do have is incredibly one-sided on Paris' part. He represents the duty that is inevitably a part of a young Elizabethan's woman's life.
• Tybalt and Juliet


  Tybalt is Juliet's cousin who is dedicated to protecting their family honour.