In Romeo and Juliet, the Capulet family is one of the families involved in the feud. The nurse acts as a maternal figure towards Juliet, with her displaying reciprocation towards her in return. On the other hand, while Lord Capulet is portrayed as having Juliet as his best interest, it is proved in the end that this is only a façade. At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare presents Capulet as a father devoted to shaping the best future for his daughter. While Capulet and Paris are discussing a marriage arrangement for Juliet, Capulet argues that she is “too ripe to be a bride”; here, Juliet is objectified to a fruit. While Capulet could simply be implying that she is not ready to send his daughter off, fearing that her innocence will turn back on her, the language treats her as a commodity whose only purpose is to be sold. Furthermore. ideas about her being an object of desire in the eyes of Capulet is emphasised when Capulet generalises women as “fresh fennel buds”. The objectification here indicates that the sole purpose of a woman is to present themselves as attractive for the pleasure of a man, ignoring the beauty within. Perhaps Capulet is in favour of performative marriage which holds more emphasis on appearance rather than genuine love. Shakespeare may be proposing the idea that Lord Capulet is only devoted to shaping his daughter in his own idealised future, ignoring her opinions, as ultimately women must obey the wishes of a man without any judgement. On the other hand, Shakespeare presents a motherly bond without fault in the following scene (Act 1 scene 3). When Lady Capulet asks for Juliet, the Nurse calls her a “lamb” and a “ladybird”. These metaphors highlight the deep emotional bond that the pair share, with the tender tone of the pet names indicating that the Nurse sees Juliet as a child in need of care and affection that she delivers. Furthermore, when Juliet is told about Paris, the Nurse comments that she “might live to see thee married”; this phrase implies that the Nurse sees marriage as a milestone in her life, reinforcing her maternal instincts. Moreover, this contrasts Lord Capulet, as she genuinely cares about her future with no ill intent. Shakespeare uses this maternal bond to highlight parental negligence, as a non-blood member has had to step in and provide the comfort and parental guidance that Juliet needs to prosper. In Act 2, Juliet reciprocates this love towards the Nurse. When the Nurse returns to her room, Juliet calls her “honey”. Similar to the Nurse, she uses pet names to display affection towards her. However, the use of “honey” in particular could imply some attachment issues. Honey is known to be sticky and stick to your teeth. So, Shakespeare could possibly be re- emphasising the consequences of parental negligence, as Juliet has developed attachment issues towards the only maternal figure in her life. In Act 4, Shakespeare proves that Lord Capulet is selfish, only using her daughter to complete his vision of things. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, Capulet tells her to “fettle your fine joints”. He dehumanises Juliet down to a prized animal, repeating the same idea from earlier, he is only valuable if she remains obedient, even if it means rejecting her own beliefs. He also tells her to “hang, beg, starve, die in the streets”, traumatising her with vivid imagery to emphasise the consequences of Juliet rebelling against the rules set by her father that she was confined in for so long. Shakespeare addresses the lack of consideration that parents put into their child’s future, blaming the patriarchal society that they grew up in. Overall, Shakespeare presents two contrasting relationship dynamics with Juliet to highlight parental negligence; he suggests that the patriarchal society is to blame for it.