One Patriarch, Mixed Reactions: Assessing Lord Capulet's Status as a "Good Father" Katie Long 10th Grade

In Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet is presented as a prominent, complex and arguably controversial character whose actions can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. It is debatable whether Lord Capulet really is a good farther to Juliet with her best interests at heart, or whether he is unnecessarily aggressive. He may seem generous, but he may only be looking out for the needs of himself and his family’s status.

It can be argued that Shakespeare presents Lord Capulet as a good father to a reasonable extent. In response to Paris’s suit, Lord Capulet replies “my will to her consent is but a part”. This suggests that he does have Juliet’s best interests at heart, as he wants his only daughter to be happy in her marriage and to have had a say in the selection of her husband. However, it is unclear if he genuinely means this or if he just wants to look like a caring figure to Paris who is of a higher status. Capulet’s later behaviour suggests that he does somewhat mean what he is saying, such as when he states that “too soon marred are those so early made”. It is likely that his own wife, Lady Capulet was marred by getting married too young, (as were many women in the Elizabethan era) and this may explain her lack of...