Count Paris is the man whom Lord Capulet wants Juliet to marry. In the social consideration of the time, Paris is a good match: honest, wealthy, and of a high rank. He is related to Prince Escalus, and as such is not involved in the Montague-Capulet feud.
As far as personality, Paris may not have Romeo’s extreme romanticism, but he is truthful, loving, devout, and caring. He is also somewhat vain.
When he meets Juliet...
Count Paris is the man whom Lord Capulet wants Juliet to marry. In the social consideration of the time, Paris is a good match: honest, wealthy, and of a high rank. He is related to Prince Escalus, and as such is not involved in the Montague-Capulet feud.
As far as personality, Paris may not have Romeo’s extreme romanticism, but he is truthful, loving, devout, and caring. He is also somewhat vain.
When he meets Juliet in Friar Lawrence’s cell, he is polite and respectful of both Juliet and the Friar: “God shield I should disturb devotion!” It never occurs to him that Juliet might not want to marry him. He suggests she not deny to Friar Lawrence that she is in love with him (Paris). Despite his over-confidence, he is also concerned about Juliet: “Poor soul, thy face is much abused by tears.”
When he believes Juliet is dead, his grief is deep and genuine: he truly did love her. He goes to her tomb to grieve in private, sending his servant away and vowing to visit Juliet’s grave every night:
"Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew, --
O woe! thy canopy is dust and stones; --
Which with sweet water nightly I will dew,
Or, wanting that, with tears distill’d by moans:
The obsequies that I for thee will keep
Nightly shall be to strew thy grave and weep."
When Romeo arrives in the churchyard, Paris shows both courage and valor. He believes Romeo has come to desecrate Juliet’s grave, and so he fights to the death to protect her tomb.
Although he is a minor character in the play, Count Paris nevertheless displays a number of admirable personality traits.
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