Act One, Scene Three:
Paris met with my husband this morning to discuss his desire to marry Juliet. Of course, my husband was reluctant to hear his proposal. He's never quite recovered from losing all of our children to early graves, and I know that he'd like to hold on to Juliet for a few more years. He claims that Juliet, at only 13 years of age, is far too young to marry. But, of course, he recognizes that Paris, a young nobleman related to Prince Escalus, is an excellent catch.
I personally think it's rather ironic that he considers Juliet to be too young. He married me when I was her age! Of course, it's different when it's your own child, but I still believe he dotes on her too much. Not me. As Juliet's mother, I recognize the need to be practical. I was going to speak to Juliet privately about the marriage proposal but decided to include her Nurse. She's such a coarse and bawdy woman, and her non-stop comments about sex are especially irritating not to mention embarrassing, but she's been in Juliet's life so long that there's no point in excluding her.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get a real sense of how Juliet feels about the proposal. She certainly didn't say "yes," but then again she didn't say "no" either. In fact, looking back on the discussion, she spoke very little. True, it's difficult to get a word in edge-wise with her Nurse around, but Juliet seemed so quiet and submissive. I assured her that Paris possesses both good looks and a strong character. She didn't ask any questions about him, but when I asked her if she could fall in love with Paris, she did respond that if looking leads to liking she suspects she will.
Paris will be at our party tonight, so hopefully Juliet will see him and immediately fall in love. I know my husband will feel better about the match, knowing that Juliet desires it. And, of course, I will feel better knowing that my daughter will be suitably wed.
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