Lady Capulet Quotes

CAPULET: What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!
LADY CAPULET: A crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword?
CAPULET: My sword, I say! Old Montague is come,
And flourishes his blade in spite of me.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 1. The elderly patriarch of the Capulets shows himself to be confrontational and ready for a fight when he calls for his long sword. Lady Capulet suggests that her husband is too old for fighting, being more in need of a crutch. Capulet retorts that "Old Montague" (Lord Montague) is flourishing his blade at him. There is a certain amount of sexual innuendo in the references "long sword" and "flourishes his blade."
My maidenhead at twelve year old - Juliet's Nurse

LADY CAPULET: Nurse, where’s my daughter? Call her forth to me.
NURSE: Now by my maidenhead at twelve year old,
I bade her come.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 3. The Nurse is Juliet’s caretaker since she was a baby and a secondary mother figure for her. From the moment she speaks her first line here, we can see right away that she is a bawdy and humorous character. When Lady Capulet asks her where Juliet is, she typically answers with a dirty joke, swearing by her virginity at twelve.

Well, think of marriage now; younger than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
Are made already mothers: by my count,
I was your mother much upon these years
That you are now a maid. Thus then in brief:
The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 3. Lady Capulet, who wants Juliet to marry Paris, tells her that there are mothers younger than Juliet in Verona. She reminds her daughter that she was already her mother at Juliet’s age of almost 14 years.

This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
To beautify him, only lacks a cover.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 3. Lady Capulet uses a vivid metaphor to compare Paris to a "precious book of love" that needs only a cover – Juliet – to complete him and make him more beautiful. She is trying to persuade her daughter Juliet to marry Paris. The lines that precede this with an extended book metaphor are: "Read o’er the volume of young Paris’ face, And find delight writ there with beauty’s pen; Examine every married lineament, And see how one another lends content And what obscured in this fair volume lies Find written in the margent of his eyes."

That book in many’s eyes doth share the glory,
That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;
So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 3. Speaking to Juliet before the Capulet ball, Lady Capulet tries to get her daughter to notice Paris so that she will marry him. She metaphorically compares Paris to a book and Juliet to the "gold clasps" or cover. She says that by becoming Paris’s wife, Juliet will share in his wealth and status.

LADY CAPULET: Speak briefly, can you like of Paris’ love?
JULIET: I’ll look to like, if looking liking move:
But no more deep will I endart mine eye
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 3. Juliet quibbles and refuses a straight answer when Lady Capulet asks if she can love Paris. Juliet’s mother wants her to agree to her father’s plan for her to marry the young nobleman. But in Juliet’s clever noncommittal response, she agrees to look at Paris with the intention of liking him, if looking can cause her to like him. She uses a Cupid-like metaphor to say that her eye won’t fly flirtatious darts of love at Paris beyond what her mother consents. She puts on the appearance of obeying her parents, but at the same time she is keeping her options open and in effect disobeying them.

Well, well, thou hast a careful father, child;
One who, to put thee from thy heaviness,
Hath sorted out a sudden day of joy,
That thou expect’st not nor I look’d not for.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 5. Lady Capulet tells Juliet that her "careful" father has arranged a "day of joy" that will get her out of her depression. Lady Capulet is being unintentionally ironic and out of touch with reality regarding her daughter’s real feelings. The wedding to Paris planned by her not-so-careful father will bring misery and not "joy" to his daughter. Unknownst to her parents Juliet is already secretly married to Romeo and loves only him.

Marry, my child, early next Thursday morn,
The gallant, young and noble gentleman,
The County Paris, at Saint Peter’s Church,
Shall happily make thee there a joyful bride.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 5. Lady Capulet announces to her daughter Juliet that Lord Capulet has arranged for her to marry Paris on the following Thursday. Her words that Juliet will be a "joyful bride" are ironic, although that is not her intention. The theme of appearance vs reality is also illustrated here. Lady Capulet is not aware that Juliet is already married to Romeo and being Paris’s bride would be anything but joyful for her.

O me, O me! My child, my only life,
Revive, look up, or I will die with thee!
Help, help! Call help…
Alack the day, she’s dead, she’s dead, she’s dead!

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 4, Scene 5. Lady Capulet reacts with desperation and shock to Juliet’s death. She pleads with her to come back to life and calls out for help. Her repetition in the last line emphasizes a mother’s shock at losing her only daughter. There is dramatic irony here, because Juliet is sleeping and not dead.
Close