Romeo and Juliet Lord Capulet Quotes

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.)