Romeo and Juliet Lord Capulet Quotes

Lord Capulet

Quote 19

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— (3.5.187-194)

Lord Capulet thinks he's doing Juliet a favor by engaging her to Paris, a young and good looking guy from a "noble" family. In other words, he believes he's being a loving father and is taking care of his daughter by ensuring a stable future with Paris.

Lord Capulet

Quote 20

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.
(3.5.166-169)

Capulet isn't so liberal-minded about waiting until Juliet is older when she's the one pointing out that she's too young. It sounds like what Capulet wants most of all is to be obeyed. Something else to point out: the Capulet family may be rich, but they're not noble. By marrying Paris, Juliet would have been definitely marrying up and bringing prestige to the family—something that would have resonated in Shakespearean England, when plenty of rich merchants were buying up titles or marrying into aristocratic families.

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.