Why do you think Capulet is letting Juliet have some say in her marriage to Paris?

[Joelle]

Capulet says, "But saying o'er what I have said before/My child is but a stranger in the world/She hath not seen the change of fourteen years/Let two more summers wither in their pride/Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride." (1.2.7-11)

Why do you think Capulet is letting Juliet have some say in her marriage to Paris, in a time when people weren't often allowed to make this decision? What does this tell you about Capulet's character, and how does it affect your opinion of his character?

[Iaan Song]

I think Capulet is a very secure person, and he is not fully confident about Juliet's marriage. Even though Juliet is old enough, sometimes, its better not to make quick decision about something and lose favor of the person.(In this case, it would be the favor of the prince's family) From that, we know that Capulet is a careful person, and he doesn't like to make quick decision that will danger his/ family's status. Therefore, those characteristics will definitely make him more interesting by letting him be the rejector.

[Courtneylp]

I think Capulet wants Juliet to have some say in her potential marriage with Paris because he wants his daughter to be happy. He also thinks Juliet might be a little too young to start thinking about marriage and a family, so letting her have a say in it, would also make her think about how important those decisions are to the rest of her life.
I think it really says something about his character that he cares so much about his daughter's happiness. I think he is an understanding guy that always wants to support his daughter's decisions.

[Ryan]

I believe that since many girls her age are getting married, Capulet is being a little more relaxed. Besides, since he has met Paris, it seems like he has approved. Yet he is still a bit hesitant, simply because of the regular protective instincts of a father. The passage Joelle quoted indicates that Capulet isn't the type of person to jump into things. He seems to really want to make sure he finds the right guy for Juliet, one who Juliet loves as well.

[Charleston]

I think that Capulet wants Juliet to be happy and marry, but doesn't think that she's quite ready yet. He says to wait another two years because he thinks that she might be too young to marry and have a family.
But maybe he wants her to marry Paris. It would mean that the Prince might favor the Capulets more.

[Joelle]

I think this shows that although Capulet is arranging a marriage for Juliet, he still wants her to be as happy as possible with the boy of his choice. Because of this, I see Capulet as a good-hearted man as well as a good-hearted father. I suppose this makes me like Capulet a bit more than the other characters due to his kindness. But my opinion could change throughout the play. I guess I'll just have to wait and see about how I feel about him, depending on his future actions.

[Naomi]

I think that even though back in the day it was popular for the head of the families to allow arranged marriages between other families.I think Capulet was someone, that also somewhat cared for his daughter and didn't want her to have a lonely life in the future never loving somebody else but of course to him as any parent even now a days. He would like to approve of the man before anything really happens.

[Robin]

Capulet is being very layed back of her daughter because usually they wouldn't allow woman to decide who they marry, it would always be arranged and he probably see that Juliet doesn't want to get married ("It is an honor that I dreamt not of") and he may think that the least he could do is let Juliet decide whether she marries Paris or not. And considering Lady Capulet was already a mother at Juliet's age, she must've had a difficult time, Capulet must've seen this.