Gender Roles In Romeo And Juliet Essay

One of the most well known Shakespearean plays, Romeo and Juliet, focuses on two star crossed lovers. Their destiny involves marriage, murder, loss, and death. These teens, born from separate feuding families, continue to foster their love despite a familiar hatred spanning since ancient times. Romeo and Juliet attempt to defy the odds; yet, their families continue to fight and shed blood. Due to the consequences of many actions, Romeo and Juliet tragically lose their lives and their love in suicide. This sad resolution may be a result of gender roles of the time. Juliet’s relationship with Capulet, the Nurse, and Romeo are all affected by Juliet’s gender role in the play.
Due to the gender roles of the time period, Juliet’s relationship with her father continues to weaken because of his controlling behavior. At the start of the play, we get a look into Capulet early to show how he controls Juliet. He states, “My child is yet a stranger in this world. She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. Let two more summers wither in their pride Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride” (Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 2). At this point, Capulet essentially chooses exactly what age Juliet should get married and who she will marry. This may be a good idea in his eyes because it will have her set for life, but Juliet may not think the same way. In this time period, however, Juliet’s say in the matter makes no difference because of her role as the daughter of a rich family. Capulet does not need her consent and does not ask for it, which weakens the trust between the two. Later in

If Juliet would have never affected relationships with these characters, the tragic end of suicide could have been avoided. Juliet and the Nurse would have gotten along, Capulet and Juliet would have agreed on who she should be allowed to marry, and Romeo would have a stronger bond with her and his