Paris

Question 1

‘these times of woe afford no time to woo’ - Paris, act 3 scene 4

Answer 1

• This statement reveals a lot about Paris’s character as while he is saying one thing his actions are contradicting them. * While he says that this time of sadness is not the time to try an “woo” Juliet this is exactly what he is doing.
• This suggests to the reader that Paris is not a man of his word and so is an untrustworthy character

Question 2

‘sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew -/ O woe, thy canopy is dust and stones! -/ which with sweet water nightly I will dew; / Or, wanting that, with tears’ - Paris, act 5 scene 3

Answer 2

• Paris’ lamentations here highlight the connection between Juliet’s femininity and nature (with its connotations of tenderness and innocence), especially with such phrases as * “Sweet flower” to describe her - this suggests that even in “death”, Juliet is unable to escape patriarchal norms
• The semantic field of natural terms (“flowers […] dust and stones […] sweet water”) cements this connection, whilst also depicting Juliet as having returned to nature.