Compare the ways the contrast between two fathers and their daughters are made interesting in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘An Inspector Calls’
‘Romeo and Juliet’ was written in the 16th century by William Shakespeare and ‘An Inspector Calls’ was written nearly 400 years later in the early 20th century by J.B. Priestley. In both of these plays the relationships of fathers, Lord Capulet and Arthur Birling and their daughters, Juliet and Shelia, are portrayed as being a typical father daughter relationship with seemingly very caring but slightly controlling fathers. In ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Lord Capulet seems to be very caring and considerate towards Juliet when speaking to Paris, a man that Lord Capulet would like Juliet to marry due to his status and financial position. This is shown when Capulet says “hopeful lady of my earth”, this infers Juliet means the world to him, it implies she is as precious to him as he created her and is very proud of her. It also shows that as she is his only child he wants nothing other than the best for her. We can also see that Capulet wants the best for his daughter when he is explaining to Paris how he wants him to “woo her” and to “get her heart”. This shows that Capulet wants Juliet to be in love with the man she is going to marry and wants to get married to him for her own emotional reasons and not just because her father wants her to.
Many girls in the 16th century were forced into marriages they didn’t want to be in; many didn’t have a choice of whom they were going to marry but in Juliet’s case she did have some say which was a very rare occurrence.
At the start of ‘An Inspector Calls’ we believe that Arthur Birling truly loves his daughter and he would do anything for her and support her in many ways. We can see this when he says “Sheila means a tremendous lot to me” over the engagement dinner with Gerald. It is portrayed that he truly has her best interests at heart and only wants the best for her.
Although, as Birling later reveals that he wants Sheila to marry Gerald not only for her benefit but also for his, as Gerald’s father’s business (Crofts
Many girls in the 16th century were forced into marriages they didn’t want to be in; many didn’t have a choice of whom they were going to marry but in Juliet’s case she did have some say which was a very rare occurrence.
At the start of ‘An Inspector Calls’ we believe that Arthur Birling truly loves his daughter and he would do anything for her and support her in many ways. We can see this when he says “Sheila means a tremendous lot to me” over the engagement dinner with Gerald. It is portrayed that he truly has her best interests at heart and only wants the best for her.
Although, as Birling later reveals that he wants Sheila to marry Gerald not only for her benefit but also for his, as Gerald’s father’s business (Crofts