How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the 2008 Norton edition of the play.
Quote #1
LORD CAPULET
What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!LADY CAPULET
A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a
sword?
Enter old Montague and his Wife.CAPULET
My sword, I say! Old Montague is come
And flourishes his blade in spite of me.MONTAGUE
Thou villain Capulet!—Hold me not, let me go.LADY MONTAGUE
Thou shalt not stir a foot to seek a foe.
(1.1.76-82)
Although Lord Montague and Lord Capulet are too old to fight, they want to join the young men in the big brawl on the streets of Verona. Good thing Lady Capulet and Lady Montague hold their husband's back—these guys are way too old to be mixing it up like a couple of heady teenagers.
Quote #2
CAPULET
But Montague is bound as well as I,
In penalty alike, and 'tis not hard, I think,
For men so old as we to keep the peace.
(1.2.1-3)
Now this is more like it. After being lectured by the Prince of Verona, Lord Capulet comes to his senses and acknowledges that he's too old to be caught up in the long-standing family feud. From here on out, Capulet is pretty peaceful. He even stops Tybalt from beating up Romeo at the Capulet ball (1.5).
Quote #3
CAPULET
But saying o'er what I have said before.
My child is yet a stranger in the world.
She hath not seen the change of fourteen years.
Let two more summers wither in their pride
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.PARIS
Younger than she are happy mothers made.CAPULET
And too soon marred are those so early made. (1.2.7-13)
When Paris asks for thirteen-year-old Juliet's hand in marriage, Capulet responds (pretty sensibly, if you ask us) that she's way too young to be a "bride." (He also talks about Juliet as though she's a piece of fruit that isn't yet "ripe," which is less sensible and more gross.) The conversation gets even creepier when Paris points out that there are twelve-year-olds who are already mothers. Capulet's reply seems to carry on the Juliet = a piece of unripe fruit metaphor because he implies that Juliet would be "marr'd" (bruised, tainted, ruined, etc.) if she married and had kids so young. Uh, yep. That sounds about right.