The line itself comes just after a pretty long speech of
Lady Capulet's (lines 79-94 in Act I, scene iv) about how handsome Paris is, how rich,
and what a catch that makes him for Juliet. The line you have quoted is notable for two
of Lady Capulet's phrasing choices.
First, her admonishment
to "Speak briefly," could mean that she takes a very classically parental stance with
Juliet -- children are to be seen and not heard, so Juliet should not presume to go on
and on in her conversation. It could also mean that she isn't very interested in what
Juliet has to say, so Juliet should cut to the chase, as it were. It could also hint
that Juliet is a very smart cookie, smarter than her mother perhaps, and that Lady
Capulet doesn't want one of Juliet's long, drawn-out
speeches.
The second thing to note about Lady Capulet's
question, "can you like of Paris' love?" is that she expects an answer from Juliet
simply based solely upon her (Lady Capulet's) description of him. This suggests that
Lady Capulet is not that interested in Juliet's point of view (since Juliet would have
to actually meet Paris to form her own opinion), or simply assumes that it will be the
same as her own. The action of the rest of the play would bear out the observation
that, if Lady Capulet assumes her daughter's opinion will be similar to her own, she
does not know her daughter very well, and, hence, must not have a very close
relationship with her.
In fact, Juliet's line that
follows:
I'll
look to like, if looking liking move,But no more deep will
I endart mine eyeThan you consent gives strenght to make
it fly.
suggests both that
Juliet is capable of a very wise and witty turn of words and that she doesn't hold much
faith in her mother's point of view or "consent."
These
facts, plus the balance of the events of the play, suggest to me that Juliet and her
mother have a distant, formal relationship.
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