Audience's Response to Lady Capulet and the Nurse in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
In 'Romeo and Juliet', Shakespeare presents the audience with two very
different but equally significant female characters. By the end of the
play Juliet turns her back on both characters but due to Shakespeare's
clever presentation of the characters, one the audience agrees with
and one they do not. Shakespeare shapes the audience's response to
Lady Capulet by creating a harsh, cold woman who shows little maternal
feeling towards her daughter. However, more interesting is the
presentation of the caring Nurse who, through her acts of maternal
love towards Juliet, Shakespeare makes capture the audience's heart.
The first, and possibly most effective, technique that Shakespeare
uses to shape the audience's response is through speech and the lines
he has written for the characters. Everything that the Nurse and Lady
Capulet say is absorbed by the audience and is used when forming a
response to their characters. Shakespeare has written the Nurse's
speeches with much feeling and honesty and Lady Capulet's with a lot
less. For example, in Act 1 Scene 3 the Nurse says, 'seek happy nights
to happy days', whereas Lady Capulet says, 'Read o'er the volume of
young Paris' face'. In using the word 'happy' twice, Shakespeare shows
the audience that the Nurse's main concern is Juliet's happiness and
feelings. Lady Capulet, however, instructs Juliet with no concern
whatsoever to her feelings. Such precise word choice by Shakespeare
influences the audience. An honest, loving character receives a warmer
response than the character of Lady Capulet, who is not. Shak...
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Juliet's well fare, not just what see wants. Shakespeare shows that
the Nurse wants Juliet to be safe and happy and that she is not just
manipulated by her. As the audience wants the central characters to be
together, the Nurse is appreciated much more.
This leads back to the introductory statement of Juliet turning her
back on both strong female roles but the audience agreeing with her
ignoring her mother but feel sympathy towards the Nurse.
Shakespeare's tale of Romeo and Juliet is one of love and passion that
ends in sadness. As the Nurse helps and encourages the love and
passion and Lady Capulet is involved in the sadness, the audience are
influenced by Shakespeare to dislike Lady Capulet and appreciate the
Nurse's humorous, caring character through the many techniques that
the playwright has chosen to use.
The Nurse has a stronger relationship with Juliet over her own mother, Lady Capulet. The nurse really cares for Juliet and loves her like a daughter because she lost her daughter Susan. “Susan and she-God rest all Christian souls!-/Were of an age: well, Susan is with God…”(Ⅰ,ⅲ,20-21). The Nurse lost her daughter, Susan, and she was born on the same day as Juliet. This leads me to believe that the Nurse must be replacing her own loss with the life of Juliet. The Nurse did do many things that only mothers do. “She was wean’d,-I never shall forget it…”(Ⅰ,ⅲ,26). This quote says that the nurse will never forget the day that Juliet was weaned off of her breast milk. Breastfeeding is something
Juliet's Nurse is first introduced to the play in Act I Scene 3. It is
The Nurse was a go between the two lovers so therefore was helping and encouraging the relationship. The nurse however was very careful in her encouragement and made sure that it was as secretive as it could be ‘I am the drudge, and toil in your delight’ here the nurse feels that she is doing right by being Juliet’s messenger but as we learnt at the beginning of the play in the prologue the lovers will end in disaster. ‘a pair of star crossed lovers take their lives’ this provides dramatic irony as we are aware that once they in love it will end in disaster.
She always wanted to keep Juliet happy. As Juliet fell in love with Romeo The Nurse went behind the backs of Juliet’s parents and was sending messages between the two. “By my troth, it is well said. “For himself to mar,”/ Quoth he? Gentlemen, can any of you tell me where I/ May find the young Romeo?” (2.4.60). The Nurse was someone Juliet went to whenever she needed help, and The Nurse always delivered, but this time The Nurse helped her do something that was never thought about in the house of a Capulet, to marry a Montague. Furthermore, Juliet’s actions were very childish, but the person that was supposed to guide her did not do anything to stop her. Instead of going to Juliet’s parents and telling them what was going on between the two, The Nurse helped them get married. “Then hei you hence to Friar Lawrence's cell./ There stays a husband waiting to make you his wife.”(2.5. 60-65) She could have put it to a stop by telling Juliet she was not allowed to get married. Instead The Nurse gave Juliet her blessing and was helping her get married. By the time The Nurse realized she should not have been helping Juliet it was already too late. All in all, The Nurse failed as a God Teacher because she had the power to stop all of this, but instead she put Juliet's happiness before her best interest and that did not end well resulting in the death of Juliet
The nurse should be excused for her actions in the play. Although she made the decision to help Juliet without the consent of her parents, she was thinking of Juliet’s happiness.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Firstly, Juliet is misguided by the Nurse – a bawdy woman who is too caught up in her own sentimental feelings to support and direct Juliet through hers. She is responsible for encouraging Juliet’s marriage with Romeo (her lover) shortly after they meet, despite knowing that
This shows that the Nurse is following orders from Juliet, because she thinks it will make Juliet happy. Although she does, she does not seem to be bothered about the damage she could cause in the future. This is one reason why the Nurse could be to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Another point in the play where the Nurse contributes to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet is when the proposal of Paris comes along. At this stage in the play, Romeo has been banished.
First and foremost, following Juliet's refusal of the marriage with Paris, her father tells her that she is “one too much and that “ {he has} a curse in having her”(III. V. 166-167). Juliet considers her father's reaction as a form of abandonment. This strengthens her isolation from her parents. Juliet is also affected by the nurse's advice to marry Paris and thinks “it is more sin to wish {her} thus forsworn” (III. V. 237). Juliet is hurt by the unsettling advice the nurse gives her at difficult circumstances. This causes Juliet to isolate herself from the nurse and does not confide in her anymore. Besides the nurse, Friar Laurence also betrays Juliet at a critical moment by saying that “stay is not to question, for the watch is coming…{and he} dare{s} no longer stay”(V. III. 158-159) and leaves her. This abandonment influences Juliet's isolation from the friar. Since the Friar is one of her most trusted advisors, this heavily impacts Juliet. The betrayal of her trusted friends results in Juliet’s isolation from them.
The Nurse was also responsible for the tragic ending of the play. When Romeo and Juliet met, the Nurse became their messenger. She helped them be together even though she knew Romeo was a Montague and that Juliet's family would disapprove. The Nurse brought news to Juliet from Romeo telling her to sneak out so they could get married. She helped Juliet get out of her house by bringing her a rope ladder to climb off her balcony with and telling her parents that she went to shrift. The Nurse kept Romeo and Juliet's marriage a secret from the families. When Juliet's parents said she should marry Paris, the Nurse agreed and said that Juliet should forget about Romeo because he was in Mantua. With the Nurse no longer on her side she had no one to help her and back her up but the Friar. In this way she had a large impact on the terrible ending of Romeo and Juliet.
The Nurse was another ally to Romeo and Juliet. The Nurse loved Juliet and wanted what was best for her.
Her relationship with Juliet is very distant and weak. This is revealed by when she calls the nurse to ‘’come back again’’ when talking to Juliet. She becomes nervous and feels like she couldn’t talk to Juliet without the presence of the nurse.This suggests that she’s not used to being alone with Juliet and relies on the nurse to do the parenting. In
In spite of this, is certain that the Nurse played a serious role in encouraging the lovers? relationship to blossom. Instead of advising Juliet on the dangers of a love that is ?too rash, too unadvis?d, to sudden?, she continues to place Romeo upon a pedestal, proclaiming his ?face be better than any man?s, his leg excels all men?s, his [body parts] are past compare?. Her haste for Juliet to ?hie hence to Friar Lawrence? cell?, and preparations for ?cords? to be brought for Romeo to ?convoy [to Juliet] in the secret night?, are gestures that illustrate her desire for their relationship to progress quickly. Therefore by offering her approval of Romeo, the Nurse inadvertedly strengthens Juliet?s devo...
She loves Juliet like her own child. Throughout the play, The Nurse is very talkative. She will usually do what she believes is right or what Juliet wants, like secretly meeting with Romeo and arranging the wedding of Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the play, the relationship between Juliet and The Nurse always shows. The Nurse has a playful as well as caring relationship with Juliet.
care for Juliet. Where as the Nurse on the other hand knew when it was
...give you happiness. This is also referring back to the Romeo and Juliet effect because the nurse wants Juliet to find someone else although this just makes Juliet like Romeo even more. Juliet took this advice by staying with Romeo that led to more conflict thus leading to Juliet’s death. Therefor, the nurse is once again responsible for Juliet’s death.