From viewing the play Romeo and
Juliet on stage, Shakespeare's audience would draw the following
conclusions:
- Juliet is a rich,
spoiled little brat. She whines and pouts when she doesn't get her way.
She bosses the Nurse around mercilessly. She rants against her father's decisions.
Obviously, Juliet is used to getting her way. The one decision that backfires against
Juliet is when she refuses to marry Paris. Lord Capulet renounces her and tells to die
or beg in the streets. - Juliet is closer to
her Nurse than she is her mother, not only because Juliet confides her
secret marriage to the nurse, but because Lady Capulet is a "hands off" parent who
cannot abide children. Lady Capulet is more concerned with parties and high society;
she doesn't even know Juliet's exact
age. - Juliet is a prize for her father to
marry off. Lord Capulet negotiates her arranged marriage to Paris as if
he were selling cattle. Even though this process was common at the time, Lord Capulet
views Juliet more as an economic opportunity than a loved daughter to
protect. - Juliet is the possession of
men, literally and figuratively. Not only would a young boy play the
role of Juliet, but male actors would play the roles of Nurse and Lady Capulet.
Obviously, the stage is a male-dominated microcosm of the male-dominated society at
large.
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