Summary: Act 1, scene 2
On another street of Verona, Capulet walks with Paris,
a noble kinsman of the Prince. The two discuss Paris’s desire to
marry Capulet’s daughter, Juliet. Capulet is overjoyed, but also
states that Juliet—not yet fourteen—is too young to get married.
He asks Paris to wait two years. He assures Paris that he favors
him as a suitor, and invites Paris to the traditional masquerade
feast he is holding that very night so that Paris might begin to
woo Juliet and win her heart. Capulet dispatches a servant, Peter,
to invite a list of people to the feast. As Capulet and Paris walk
away, Peter laments that he cannot read and will therefore have
difficulty accomplishing his task.
Romeo and Benvolio happen by, still arguing about whether Romeo
will be able to forget his love. Peter asks Romeo to read the list
to him; Rosaline’s name is one of those on the list. Before departing,
Peter invites Romeo and Benvolio to the party—assuming, he says,
that they are not Montagues. Benvolio tells Romeo that the feast
will be the perfect opportunity to compare Rosaline with the other
beautiful women of Verona. Romeo agrees to go with him, but only
because Rosaline herself will be there.
Read a translation of
Act 1, scene 2 →
Analysis
This scene introduces Paris as Capulet’s pick for Juliet’s
husband and also sets into motion Romeo and Juliet’s eventual meeting
at the feast. In the process, the scene establishes how Juliet is
subject to parental influence. Romeo might be forced into fights
because of his father’s enmity with the Capulets, but Juliet is
far more constrained. Regardless of any inter-family strife, Juliet’s
father can force her to marry whomever he wants. Such is the difference
between being a man and woman in Verona. It might seem a worse thing
to be caught up in the violence of a brawl, but Juliet’s status
as a young woman leaves her with no power or choice in any social
situation. Like any other female in this culture, she will be passed
from the control of one man to another. In this scene, Capulet appears
to be a kind-hearted man. He defers to Juliet’s ability to choose
for herself (“My will to her consent is but a part” [1.2.15]).
But his power to force her into a marriage if he feels it necessary
is implicitly present. Thus parental influence in this tragedy becomes
a tool of fate: Juliet’s arranged marriage with Paris, and the traditional
feud between Capulets and Montagues, will eventually contribute
to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The forces that determine their
fate are laid in place well before Romeo and Juliet even meet.
The specter of parental influence evident in this scene
should itself be understood as an aspect of the force wielded over
individuals by social structures such as family, religion, and politics.
All of these massive social structures will, in time, throw obstacles
in the path of Romeo and Juliet’s love.
Peter, who cannot read, offers a touch of humor to this
scene, especially in the way his illiteracy leads him to invite
two Montagues to the party while expressly stating that no Montagues
are invited. But Peter’s poor education is also part of the entrenched
social structures. Juliet has no power because she is a woman. Peter
has no power because he is a lowly servant and therefore cannot
read.
Romeo, of course, is still lovelorn for Rosaline; but
the audience can tell at this point that Romeo will meet Juliet
at the feast, and expectations begin to rise. Through Shakespeare’s
ingenious manipulation of the plot, the audience starts to feel
the rustlings of approaching fate.