In Act 3, Scene 5, Juliet is crying because Romeo had to leave her, to head to Mantua, where he’s been banished. They just had their wedding night, but when the sun came up, he had to leave quickly so that no one would see him and put him to death. Now she doesn’t know if she’ll ever see him again, and she’s terribly sad about it.
But remember, also, that her cousin Tybalt recently got killed (by Romeo—which is why he’s banished!) When Juliet’s mom finds her crying, she assumes that it’s because Juliet is still upset about her cousin’s murder.
Juliet’s mom, Lady Capulet, says:
“Well, girl, thou weep’st not so much for his death,
As that the villain lives which slaughtered him.”
What she means is, “You’re not really crying over Tybalt’s death now, it’s more like you’re crying because the guy who killed him is still alive.” Which is really funny! Because it’s Romeo who killed Tybalt. Obviously Juliet’s not upset about Romeo still being alive!
But what this misunderstanding shows us is that Juliet has a weak relationship with her mom. She doesn’t keep her mom in the loop about what’s going on in her life. If they were close, if they had the same kind of warm, loving relationship that Juliet and her nurse do, then Juliet’s mom would obviously know why Juliet is so upset. But instead, Lady Capulet doesn’t even know that Juliet loves Romeo or that they even got married.
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