Romeo And Juliet: Strengths And Weaknesses
Romeo is the young boy looking for love, Juliet is the clever girl, and Capulet is the protective father. William Shakespeare made these characters like this so the audience could relate to their characteristics and personalities. William Shakespeare made complex characters throughout The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet with both strengths and weaknesses.
Throughout the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo displays, both weaknesses and strengths. Romeo Montague displays all the signs of being very romantic and impulsive. During the night of a feast that the Capulets are holding, Romeo, after meeting Juliet, says, “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For ne’er saw true beauty till this night”(Shakespeare 1. 5. 57-58). Romeo displays romanticism by telling Juliet how he feels “ne’er saw true beauty till this night”. Furthermore, when Romeo follows Juliet, he finds her after the feast and they talk and he says, “He lent me counsel and I lent him eyes. I am no pilot. Yet, wert thou as far as that vast shore washed with the farthest sea. I would adventure for such merchandise” (Shakespeare 2. 2. 90-94). Romeo used his strength of romanticism to woo Juliet. Which at the end of the conversation, leads to them agreeing to marriage. On the flip side, Romeo has a weakness, his impulsiveness. Even though Romeo and Juliet fell in love with each other, everything that they did happened so fast, their first kiss and their marriage. During the party at the Capulets Romeo, after just meeting Juliet, he asks to kiss Juliet, ”O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do” (Shakespeare 1. 5. 113). After just meeting Juliet, Romeo is so quick to ask for a kiss, before he even got to know Juliet. After the feast Romeo goes looking for Juliet and finally finds her and ask to marry her. “Th’exchange of thy loves’s faithful vow for mine” (Shakespeare 2. 2. 138-139). Romeo meets Juliet once, and has barely known her for more than a few hours and he’s already asking her to marry him. Romeo is a complex character, but is a character that many young people can relate to.
Lord Capulet displays both strengths and weaknesses throughout the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Lord Capulet is a very protective man, especially to his daughter, Juliet. An example is when he is talking to Paris after Paris asked for Juliet’s hand in marriage, “My child is yet a stranger in the world. She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. Let two more summers wither in their pride” (Shakespeare 1. 2. 8-10). Lord Capulet express his protectiveness by telling Paris that his daughter isn’t fit for marriage, “My child is yet a stranger in the world”. He also states that she should wait awhile before she is fit for marriage, “Let two more summers wither in their pride”. Another example of Lord Capulet being protective is once again him talking to Paris, about Juliet. “And too soon marred are those so early made” (Shakespeare 1. 2. 13). Capulet is also being protective here. He’s explaining that Juliet may be so young, that if she gets pregnant at that age, there could be disastrous accident. Now Capulet also has a weakness, his ability to be Tyrannical. Lord Capulet can be very demanding and very aggressive. One example is when he told Juliet that she has to marry Paris. Juliet did not agree with this and Lord Capulate becomes enraged, “Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch!” (Shakespeare 3. 5. 161-162). Then he also said, “Speak not. Reply not. Do not answer me. My fingers itch” (Shakespeare 3. 5. 162-164). Capulet becomes demanding, “Speak not. Reply no. Do not answer me” and angry, “Disobedient wretch!” and he even threats to hit her, “My fingers itch”. Capulet is a diverse character, wanting his daughter to wait 2 years before she gets married, but then he also forces Juliet to marry Paris.
Juliet Capulet shows both weaknesses and strengths. Juliet is a girl who is very clever, but even though she is clever she is also impulsive. Before the feast, Lady Capulet asks Juliet to keep and eye out for Paris, and to study him, to see if he’s marriable, Juliet is clever and says, “I’ll look to like, if looking like moving” (Shakespeare 1. 5. 128). Juliet is clever because she is agreeing to her parents wishes, but ultimately is looking elsewhere, “I’ll look to like”. After the feast is over, Juliet wants to know who Romeo is after they met and kissed, but she doesn’t want to make it obvious, “Come hither, Nurse. What is yond gentleman?” (Shakespeare 1. 5. 143). Juliet is clever because she is making the Nurse find out who Romeo is rather than herself. Juliet may be clever, but also she has her weakness, her impulsiveness. First, Juliet asks the Nurse to see if Romeo is married, “Go ask his name-If he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed” (Shakespeare 1. 5. 134-135). Before Juliet gets to fully know who Romeo is she is already stating she would rather die than marry anyone other than Romeo. Then, after she learns who Romeo is she says, “My only love sprung from my only hate!/ Too early seen unknown, and known too late!/ Prodigious birth of love it it to me/ That I must love a loathed enemy” (Shakespeare 1. 5. 138-139). After just meeting Romeo, she has already fallen in love, “Love sprung from my only hate”. This displays how Juliet is impulsive. Juliet is a very smart girl, but love makes her make impulsive choices.
William Shakespeare made complex characters throughout The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet with both strengths and weaknesses. Romeo, Juliet, and Lord Capulet have their strengths and their weaknesses. Romeo is Romantic, but impulsive, Juliet is clever, but also impulsive, and Lord Capulet is protective but also exerts tyrannical acts. William Shakespeare did not make the characters in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet on accident, he made them like this on purpose to make the audience feel like they could relate to.
