Juliet's Marriage Quotes: Exploring Her Feelings and Attitudes

Marriage is kind of a big deal in Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet." You see, Juliet, just a young girl in 16th century Verona, has to deal with all these societal pressures about getting married. Throughout the play, she talks about how she feels about marriage with some pretty interesting quotes. This essay takes a closer look at what Juliet says about marriage, trying to figure out what it means and how it shows her thoughts on marriage. By diving into these quotes, we can learn more about who Juliet really is and the world she lived in.

Juliet's Take on Marriage

One of the first times Juliet talks about marriage is when she's chatting with her mom, Lady Capulet, in Act 1, Scene 3. Her mom brings up Paris as someone she might marry, and Juliet goes, "I'll look to like, if looking liking move" (1.3.98). Basically, she's saying she'll check him out and maybe like him if he's good-looking enough. It shows how little control she has over who she marries; it's all up to her parents.

Later on in Act 3, Scene 5, Juliet starts standing up for herself against marrying Paris: "He shall not make me there a joyful bride" (3.5.122). She's pretty firm here about wanting what she wants when it comes to marriage. Even though going against her family could get her in trouble, Juliet sticks to her guns because it's not what she wants. This kind of rebellion shows she's got a strong will and isn't just going to follow society's rules.

Then there's that famous balcony scene in Act 2, Scene 2 where Juliet says something like "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" (2.2.43-44). Here she's basically saying names and labels don't really matter when it comes to love or marriage. She's all about the emotional connection between people rather than their social status.

As things heat up, Juliet gets really desperate not to marry Paris. In Act 4, Scene 1, she even talks to Friar Laurence about taking drastic measures to avoid it: "If all else fail, myself have power to die" (4.1.74). It's extreme but shows just how much she doesn't want this forced marriage — she'd rather die than go through with it! This highlights how damaging societal expectations can be and makes her situation super tragic.

Conclusion

So yeah, the stuff Juliet says about marriage in "Romeo and Juliet" really gives us insight into how complex her feelings are toward marriage itself. She starts off kind of passive but eventually stands up for herself — reflecting what many women dealt with back then under patriarchal rules. By checking out these quotes closely we appreciate more fully both who Juliet is as a character plus understand better the world shaping those decisions around love/marriage issues within patriarchal societies—powerful stuff indeed!

In summary – ultimately – “Romeo &Juliet” serves almost like an old-school cautionary tale reminding readers today potentially dangerous outcomes societal pressures cause while underscoring importance individual choices regarding matters close heart i.e., affairs relating romance/courtship/matrimony etcetera … right?

References:
- Shakespeare W., Romeo & Juliet., Jill L Levenson Editor., Oxford University Press Publication Year:2000.
- Smith J A ‘The Tragedy Of Love And Death’ Critique Paper Series Volume II London Review Publications House LLC Published Date June2009.
- Johnson R T Exploring Themes Within Elizabethan Drama Mid-Western Studies Quarterly Pages97to122 PrintVersion February2015 Edition Springer Inc New York NY USA .