Examples Of Broken Relationships In Romeo And Juliet

Words: 484
Pages: 2

Mending Broken Relationships
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a main topic is relationships. The parent-child relationship between Juliet and her parents is almost non-existent, resulting in rebellion and unspoken feelings. The broken relationship between parents and child is never mended because of level of authority, inability to talk about personal issues, and from choosing love over family. Families should have trust, truth, and respect, but the Capulet’s are more focused on having authority. Capulet finds out that Juliet will not marry Paris, and his authority comes into play when he says, “Graze where you will, you shall not house with me” (3.5.188.) By saying this, Juliet must marry Paris, otherwise she is banished from her own household. Another example of authority is in Act 1, when Lady Capulet tells Juliet to be brief with her answer regarding Capulet’s plans for her marriage (1.3.97.) It is apparent that in both cases, the parents care more about being respected and obeyed rather than knowing why Juliet is being disrespectful and going against their wishes.
…show more content…
Juliet must manipulate her words to discreetly tell her parents what is going on without them actually realizing, “It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate,/ Rather than Paris. These are news indeed.” (3.5.122-23) Juliet must also seek guidance from Friar Lawrence instead of confiding in her own parents (4.1.60-67) It gets to the point where Juliet has to lie to her parents (2.5.66) and can only confide in herself (4.3.24-25). Consequently, the secrets kept from the parents make them unable to help their daughter with her