Communication – 1. The act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated. 2. The imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. 3. Something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted. 4. A document or message imparting news, views, information, etc. 5. Passage, or an opportunity or means of passage, between places. 6. Communications, means of sending messages, orders, etc. , including telephone, telegraph, radio, and television. Communication is a plays a vital part in act 3 scene 5 of the Shakespearian Tragedy, Romeo and Juliet.
In this scene we can see poor Cross-generation Communication displayed between Juliet and he parents, Lord and Lady Capulet. Also in this scene we can see employer/employee communication between Lord Capulet and The family nurse. One of the reasons the Communication plays such a big role in this play is because, for example, there are no special effects, no lighting, no curtains, this makes the play harder to perform as the communication is what sets the scene. Without clever communication the play would be dull and boring.
Below is a Brief summary of the events that take place during this scene. Juliet”s mother enters her bed chamber. They talk about their grief over the dead Tybalt. Her mother tells Juliet of her father”s plans to make her feel better – to have her marry Paris on Thursday. Juliet refuses this idea. Her father enters her bed chamber and says that he feels unappreciated by Juliet. He threatens to disown her if she does not obey his wishes to have her marry Paris on Thursday. Juliet pleads with him, but he is very angry.
Nurse tries to stick up for Juliet, but Capulet silences her. Juliet is anguished by all of this. Juliet initially is puzzled by her mother’s arrival. Juliet says ‘it is my lady mother/is she not down so late, or up so early? Juliet’s reaction to this suggests that she was not expecting her mother at this early hour; this may imply that Juliet and her mother are not particularly close. Juliet then says ‘what unaccustom’d cause procures her hither’, this confirms that Juliet is not used to having he mother visit at such an early hour.
This may not have been unusual for noble families like the Capulets who would have a nurse employed to deal with the day to day business of looking after the children. In some cases a “wet” Nurse was even employed, this is a nurse who as well as doing the regular duties of a nurse, also breast feeds the families children. This would suggest another reason why Juliet and her mother do not seem so close. Juliet then asks a series of Rhetorical questions to determine the identity and the cause of the visit.
These rhetorical questions may be delivered with a tone or irritability as, after he husband Romeo has left, Juliet may wish to have some time on her own. The audience may be wondering about one of the things Juliet says in her rhetorical questions, ‘or down so late’, this may suggest that Lady Capulet might be a bit of a party animal and have a habit of staying up all night. A modern Audience would interpret it that way and may be lead to believe Lady Capulet is an unfit mother, once again backing up the point that Juliet and her mother are not that close.
Another Point that may link Lady Capulet to being a bad mother is when she says to Juliet Evermore weeping for you cousins death? And wilt thou wash him from his grave with tears? And if thou couldst, thou couldst not make him live; therefore have done. Some grief shows much of love, but much grief shows still some want of wit’ To this Juliet replies’Yet let me weep for such a feeling loss’ This mat show that Lady Capulet is surprised by the fact the Juliet is still mourning he cousin’s death. This is quite a harsh thing to say to a daughter who, she believes, is mourning the death of close relative.
After all Tybalts was only killed yesterday. As Juliet is crying, Lady Capulet thinks that Juliet is crying so much it will wash Tybalt from his grave, but even if it does, he won’t ever live again. So really Lady Capulet is saying no matter how much Juliet cries, Tybalt won’t come back, so get over it. If Juliet was really Mourning Tybalts death then she may have reacted differently to this, as Tybalt was a close relative. However Juliet is really crying over the fact that Romeo has just left. Romeo is now banished from Verona for killing Tybalt.
Juliet is crying over the fact that see May not see him again, and if she does, it won’t be anytime soon. When Juliet says ‘Yet let me weep for such a feeling loss’ she is talking about Romeo leaving, not Tybalt dying. Lady Capulet is unaware of the fact the Romeo and Juliet are now married and fails to pick up on this; however the audience now know that they are married and understand what Juliet is really crying about. A modern audience may not have picked up on this as they would find it strange that after only meeting him a few days ago, Romeo has married Juliet.
Also a modern audience would find the fact that Lady Capulets in no longer mourning him nephew’s death and that she is surprised that her daughter is, nowadays the mourning period is a bit longer then it was in Shakespearian times. In Shakespearian times peoples life expectancy rate would have been lower, there for more people were dying younger which may mean that dying was not such as bigger loss, as people had less tome to get attached to family then the do now. By now Lady Capulet has built herself up into quite a state planning Romeos death.
Lady Capulet then says ‘Then he shall keep Tybalt company; / and then I hope thou wilt be satisfied’ to which Juliet’s response is ‘indeed I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him –dead– is my poor heart so for a kinsman vex’d’. This is a very important part of the play as it can be interpreted in two different ways. Firstly Lady Capulet would hear I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him dead, is my poor heart so for a kinsman vex’d. Lady Capulet we would expect to hear this as she still believes that her daughter also wants revenge on Romeo for Tybalts death.
She thinks that Juliet wants Romeo dead. However the audience would here this side of it, I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him, dead is my poor heart so for a kinsman vex’d’ which simply means that Juliet wont be satisfied until she behold Romeo once more. This again Continues on the theme of dramatic Irony as the Audience are interpreting one thing, and Lady Capulet another. This could also show that Lady Capulet has not got a very good mothers instinct, she is not picking up what is wrong, or really thinking about what is going on.
The reason she may not have a mothers instinct is because maybe she doesn’t spend enough time being a mother. If Juliet Had told her mother that she was already married then it may not have led to the tragedy that occurred. I think the fact that the nurse knows and Lady Capulet doesn’t maybe a hint that Juliet feels close to the nurse then she does her own mum. Juliet maybe scared of telling her mum as it will make her angry and Lord Capulet even angrier. Juliet carries on with the discussion she is having with Lady Capulet. Lady Capulet has told Juliet that she is going to get married to Paris.
Juliet however declines this invitation by saying ‘I will not marry yet, and when I do, I swear it shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, rather then Paris’ Lady Capulet is not amused by Juliet and replies rather hastily ‘Here comes your Father, tell him so yourself;/And see how he will take it at your hands’ Juliet is saying here that she is not ready to get married yet, and when she does, it will be to Romeo, who she hates, rather then Paris. Lady Capulet believes Juliet Lady Capulet doesn’t know that she is already married to Juliet. She believes that Juliet hates Romeo for killing Juliet’s cousin.
The audience however know that Romeo And Juliet are married, This creates some Dramatic irony. Back in Shakespearian times it was believed that you have an arranged marriage, this would be set up by Juliet’s Parents. Juliet parents have chosen Paris as the man to marry their daughter. Paris Comes from a wealthy back ground and is Verona’s bachelor of the year, so obviously he would be a good choice for Juliet. However Juliet does not like Paris. Lady Capulets Response to Juliet is this ‘comes your Father, tell him so yourself; /and see how he will take it at your hands’.
This again is quite a harsh thing to say to a daughter that Lady Capulet can see not well. Lady Capulet says well here comes your father and you can tell him yourself. Lady Capulet is not sticking up for her daughter here and is putting her daughter in a bull ring with lord Capulet as the bull. Lady Capulet may be a bit scared of Lord Capulet, we may be able to interpret this from the way she says that Juliet can tell her father herself, and it is as if Lady Capulet doesn’t want to be the one to break the news to her Husband.
This behaviour may be taken quite strangely from a modern point of view. It seems mothers nowadays are a lot closer to their children then they were in Shakespearian times. Lord Capulet has now entered the room and Juliet has told him that she does not wish to marry Paris. Lord Capulet is not angry yet, what he says next is said in a confused sort of tone, he is not sure what to make of it all Lord Capulet ‘How will she none, does she not give us thanks? Is she not proud? Doth she not count her blest, unworthy as she is, that we have wrought so worthy a gentle man to be her bride?
Juliet’s response to this is ‘not proud you have, but thankful that you have: Proud can I never be of what I hate, but thankful even for hate that is meant love’ Lord Capulet is confused over why Juliet has declined his invitation to marry Paris. He then asks Lady Capulet series rhetorical questions to which Juliet answers. Lord Capulet is saying, is she not proud of us or herself, does she not count her blessings, does she know how good she has got it, that we have got a man for her to marry. Juliet’s replies to this by saying she isn’t proud of the choice in men, but thankful that have thought about it.
I can never be proud of what I hate, but I am thankful for hate, when you meant love by making this decision. She is thankful that Lord and Lady Capulet have been thinking about this, but is not thankful for the choice of men that they have made. What Puzzles Lord Capulet the most about this is that he is not used to it. He is not used to being turned down by his own daughter; he is used to her doing whatever he says. Lord Capulet thought he had struck gold when Paris asked to marry Juliet, and now is confused as she refuses to.
Back in Shakespearian times, what the father of the house said, happened, he was in control. So when Juliet says no, this comes as quite a shock for him, A shock that makes him very angry indeed. A modern audience may again have found this weird as in the modern world the father may not have as much control over the family; the children get a voice their opinion too. Back in Shakespearian times however, this was different. Lord Capulet is worked up into a frenzy, Juliet tries to reason with him. Juliet then gets down on her knees and begs to her father, to no avail.
The main reason why Juliet could not get married to Paris is her Beliefs. Juliet was raised to believe in heaven and hell; if she were to marry Paris then she would be committing Bigamy, as she will be married to both Romeo and Paris, this will mean she will go to hell. After Lord Capulet lays down his ultimatum the Nurse tries to intervene, as she knows about the wedding she knows what will happen if Paris and Juliet get married. Nurse: ‘God I heaven bless her! You are to blame, my lord, to rate her so. Lord Capulet: ‘And why, my lady Wisdom?
Hold your tongue, good prudence, smatter with your gossips, go’ Nurse: ‘I speak no treason’ Lord Capulet: ‘O God-I-Goden The Nurse here is standing up for Juliet, something none of Juliet’s family could do for her. The nurse blames Lord Capulet for the mess that Juliet is presently in. Lord Capulet replies to this “and why, Lady Wisdom? This would be said very sarcastically, the reason for this being sarcastic is because maybe Lord Capulet does not take the nurse seriously and believes she is meant to clean, cook and Bring up Juliet, that is it, she had no say in things.
Lord Capulet then tells the Nurse to “go” to which the nurse bravely replies ‘I speak no treason’, as if to say, I have done nothing wrong. Again, however, Lord Capulet does not take her seriously by then insulting her. In a modern society this probably would not happen as children have more say in things; a situation like this would not escalate into where the child is on their knees begging their own father. But in Shakespearian times, this obviously happened. I think Shakespeare chose to ridicule the nurse here to re-establish the class barrier between Lord Capulet and the Nurse.
