Lord Capulet believes that his daughter is too young to marry. We learn that she is two weeks away from her 14th birthday and Lord Capulet would prefer that Paris wait two more years before marrying his daughter.
Rather than questioning or challenging Capulet's opinion, Paris responds with:
Younger than she are happy mothers made.
To which Capulet responds with perhaps his most insightful, sensitive lines of the entire play:
And too soon marred are those so early made. Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she; she is the hopeful lady of my earth.
From this exchange we learn that all of Capulet's other children have not survived and that Juliet is his only heir. Because of this, she holds a special place in his life and in his heart (although we are certainly asked to question this fact later in the play). Capulet is focused here on what is best for Juliet. But knowing her personality and her character, Capulet advises Paris to begin wooing Juliet now as he knows that his "will to her consent is but a part."
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