Is Paris Juliet’s Cousin?

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William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Romeo and Juliet” is one of the most famous plays in the world, known for its timeless themes of love, loyalty, family, and fate. The story revolves around two young lovers from rival households in Verona, Italy, who defy their parents and society to be together, only to face a tragic end. However, amidst the passionate dialogues and dramatic actions of the main characters, there is a curious reference to another person who shares a name with one of them: Paris.

The Character of Paris

Paris is introduced in Act I, Scene II as a nobleman who seeks to marry Juliet, not knowing that she is already promised to Romeo’s friend Benvolio. Paris asks Lord Capulet for permission to court Juliet and offers him a dowry as well as his own merits:

“Younger than she are happy mothers made. And too soon marred are those so early made.

The earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she,
She is the hopeful lady of my earth.” (I.2.13-16)

Lord Capulet initially refuses Paris’s request because he thinks Juliet is too young and needs more time to mature:

“Let two more summers wither in their pride
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.9-10)

However, after Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment in Act III, Scene II, Lord Capulet changes his mind and arranges for Juliet to marry Paris on Thursday. This decision triggers a chain of events that leads to the climax of the play.

The Name of Paris

Paris is not a common name in English, and its origin and meaning are not clear. Some scholars suggest that Shakespeare chose the name for Paris as a symbolic contrast to Romeo, who is associated with the ancient city of Rome, while Paris is associated with the ancient city of Troy. This contrast highlights the political and cultural tensions between Italy and France, which were competing powers in Europe at the time.

However, another theory proposes that Paris is actually a relative of Juliet. This theory is based on a few clues in the play:

• Paris’s name is never mentioned in the earlier versions of the story that Shakespeare adapted from, such as “The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet” by Arthur Brooke (1562) or “Palace of Pleasure” by William Painter (1567). This suggests that Shakespeare added Paris to his version for a specific reason.
• In Act I, Scene II, Lord Capulet tells Paris that he knows his father and thinks highly of him:

“But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
My will to her consent is but a part. And she agreed within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.

This night I hold an old accustom’d feast,
Whereto I have invited many a guest,
Such as I love; and you among the store,
One more most welcome, makes my number more.16-23)

• This implies that Lord Capulet has met Paris’s father before and considers him a friend or ally. If so, it’s possible that Paris’s father is related to Lord Capulet by blood or marriage.
• If Paris is indeed related to Lord Capulet, this would explain why he is interested in marrying Juliet despite not knowing her well. In Renaissance Italy, arranged marriages between noble families were often strategic alliances that aimed to consolidate wealth, power, or influence.

The Debate over Paris’s Kinship

Despite these clues, the theory that Paris is Juliet’s cousin is still controversial among Shakespearean scholars. Some argue that there is not enough evidence to support it and that Shakespeare may have included Paris simply as a foil or rival to Romeo. Others contend that the context and language of the play suggest a familial connection between Paris and Juliet.

For example, in Act IV, Scene I, when Juliet is alone with Friar Laurence and considers taking a potion to fake her own death and escape from marrying Paris, she says:

“How if, when I am laid into the tomb,
I wake before the time that Romeo
Come to redeem me? there’s a fearful point!

Shall I not then be stifled in the vault,
To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes in,
And there die strangled ere my Romeo comes?” (IV.1.114-119)

Here Juliet imagines waking up too early from her trance and suffocating inside the Capulet tomb where her ancestors are buried. This suggests that she knows about the family vault and its location, which would be strange if she were not related to Paris or Lord Capulet.

In addition, some critics note that Shakespeare often uses kinship ties as a source of dramatic tension or irony in his plays. For instance, “Hamlet” features several instances of incestuous desires or suspicions among its characters, while “King Lear” explores the conflict between natural and adopted children for succession.

The Conclusion of the Matter

In conclusion, while it’s impossible to prove definitively whether Paris is Juliet’s cousin or not based on the text of “Romeo and Juliet”, the theory that he is related to her by blood or marriage remains a plausible and intriguing possibility. If true, this would add another layer of complexity to the play’s themes of loyalty, betrayal, and sacrifice, as well as its depiction of the social and political context in which the story unfolds.