I
think much of the context of this play is often lost in modern teachings of it, beginning with
the fact of 's age. While it is sometimes said that thirteen or fourteen was a
"normal" age to get married in this period, that is in fact not the case, and there is
a lot of evidence for this in the play itself. At the beginning of the play,chidesfor wanting to
marry Juliet so early and for wanting to marry her without wooing her properly: he tells her
that "too soon marred are those so early [brides] made." The Shakespearean audience
would have agreed with this: although early betrothal was common, most women were not married
until their late teens at least, particularly because poor diet meant that for most people,
menstruation did not begin until later in the teenage years than is the case today. So, at this
point, we see Lord Capulet being a good and reasonable father.
For Capulet
suddenly to change his mind and try to force Juliet to marry Paris at this age,
then,...
No comments:
Post a Comment