a word from our sponsors
See the new shakespeare.com. This feature, while it still provides useful information, is no longer maintained.
Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries & Replies From Everyone Else 3.15.97: Top | Help
Hmmm... as I recall, Lord C was doing his own catering... Actually, I think Lord C's reaction is absolutely in character: he is ever the impulsive sort when driven by strong emotion. He demands his sword in I,i b/c "Montague is come/And flourishes his blade in spite of me"-- he's angry.In I,v he's absolutely calm and happy-- until Tybalt tries to kill Romeo for attending the party. Then he threatenes to disinherit Tybalt ("This trick may chance to scathe you-- I know what!/Be quiet or . . . I'll make you quiet." And of course, when Juliet defies him in III,v he threatens to disown her.
Other times, when he's calm, he's rational: refusing Paris Juliet's hand in I,ii for instance, and interacting w/ guests that include Montagues (knowing that they are Montagues!) at the party.
So how does he feel when Juliet returns and agrees to the marriage? Given the facility w/ which he swings from one emotion to another, I'd say he's delighted, indeed overjoyed. And in this heightened state, he overreacts and decides to gain the maximum pleasure from his joy by making the wedding immediate. He simply assumes that everyone else will be as happy as he is to celebrate as soon as possible. He, in company w/ virtually the entire group of major characters, is ever prone to "run fast" in Fr. L's words.
Posted by Queen Mab on March 28, 1997 at 08:40:09
In Reply to "Why did Lord Capulet move the wedding from Thursday to Wednesday?" posted by Pat on March 15, 1997 at 21:18:43
Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries & Replies From Everyone Else 3.15.97: Top | Help