Romeo and Juliet Lord Capulet Quotes

Lord Capulet

Quote 21

CAPULET
Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday,
Or never after look me in the face.
Speak not; reply not; do not answer me.
My fingers itch.—Wife, we scarce thought us
   blessed
That God had lent us but this only child,
But now I see this one is one too much,
And that we have a curse in having her.
Out on her, hilding!
(3.5.166-175)

Hey, family values! Here, Capulet is freaking out because Juliet is disobeying him. Not only does he call her such delightful names as "young baggage" and "disobedient wretch," he tells her that if she doesn't get herself married on Thursday then he's kicking her out of the house. And, trust us: there are no homeless teen outreach programs in fictional sixteenth-century Verona.

Lord Capulet

Quote 22

CAPULET
God's bread! it makes me mad.
Day, night, hour, tide, time, work, play,
Alone, in company, still my care hath been
To have her matched. And having now provided
A gentleman of noble parentage,
Of fair demesnes, youthful, and nobly ligned,
Stuffed, as they say, with honorable parts,
Proportioned as one's thought would wish a man—
And then to have a wretched puling fool,
A whining mammet, in her fortune's tender,
To answer 'I'll not wed. I cannot love.
I am too young. I pray you, pardon me.'
But, as you will not wed, I'll pardon you!
Graze where you will you shall not house with me.
Look to 't; think on 't. I do not use to jest.
Thursday is near. Lay hand on heart, advise.
An you be mine, I'll give you to my friend.
And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets,
For, by my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee,
Nor what is mine shall never do thee good.
Trust to 't; bethink you. I'll not be forsworn.
(3.5.187-207)

According to Lord Capulet, obedience to the head of the household is a prerequisite for even remaining part of the family.

Lord Capulet > Juliet

Quote 23

CAPULET
How now, my headstrong, where have you been
   gadding?

JULIET
Where I have learned me to repent the sin
Of disobedient opposition
To you and your behests, and am enjoined
By holy Laurence to fall prostrate here              Kneeling.
And beg your pardon. Pardon, I beseech you.
Henceforward I am ever ruled by you.
(4.2.16-23)

Juliet tells her father what he wants to hear: that she will be obedient and do what he wants her to do. She even lies that she's been off at Friar Laurence's cell, confessing her sins (being a disobedient daughter). The thing is, Juliet now has a new master: her husband. She's obeying her husband by disobeying her father, which is exactly what she should be doing.

Lord Capulet

Quote 24

CAPULET
But, an you will not wed, I'll pardon you!
Graze where you will you shall not house with me.
Look to 't; think on 't. I do not use to jest.
Thursday is near. Lay hand on heart; advise.
An you be mine, I'll give you to my friend.
An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets,
For, by my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee,
Nor what is mine shall never do thee good.
Trust to 't; bethink you. I'll not be forsworn.
(3.5.199-207)

According to Lord Capulet, obedience to the head of the household is a prerequisite for even remaining part of the family. In fact, obeying Lord Capulet is pretty much the definition of being a Capulet—think about the Capulet servants, who are part of the family as long as they swear loyalty to him. This is more Family than family.

Lord Capulet

Quote 25

CAPULET
Monday, ha ha! Well, Wednesday is too soon.
O' Thursday let it be.—O' Thursday, tell her,
She shall be married to this noble earl.—
Will you be ready? Do you like this haste?
[…]

PARIS
My lord, I would that Thursday were tomorrow.
(3.4.22-25; 32)

It's not just the young who rush into things; Juliet's father makes hasty decisions, too. Here, he argues that Juliet and Paris can't be married fast enough. What happened to waiting until she finishes puberty? (Oh, quick brain snack: puberty on average happened later for people in the 16th century—and most centuries, up until the middle of the twentieth. Good nutrition and possibly other factors have lowered the age a lot.)

Lord Capulet > Juliet

Quote 26

CAPULET
But, an you will not wed, I'll pardon you!
Graze where you will you shall not house with me.
Look to 't, think on 't. I do not use to jest.
Thursday is near. Lay hand on heart; advise.
An you be mine, I'll give you to my friend.
An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets,
For, by my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee,
Nor what is mine shall never do thee good.
Trust to 't; bethink you. I'll not be forsworn. (3.5.199-207)

Juliet faces exile of her own: she's going to be banished from her father's house, which is probably even worse than Romeo's exile. He has all the options of being a man; she's a thirteen-year-old girl, which means life on the street can pretty much only end up one way. (Hint: the world's oldest profession.)