The Nurse’s True Colors The well-known fatal love story, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, may not be such a romantic suicide as the play is remembered. In the story, the Nurse appears to be someone whom the Caplets can trust, and that was the mistake that led to the downfall of Romeo and Juliet. While the Nurse seems like such a wonderful and trustworthy person, she doesn't quite live up to the expectations. Since not many people can spot the way the Nurse acts, the problem leads to the death of Romeo and Juliet. The tragedy between the star-crossed lovers happens thanks to the Nurse being a people pleaser and being manipulative. Furthermore, in the scene when Juliet is given the plan for her secret marriage by the Nurse, the event causes Juliet to go against her mother’s plan for her. Especially when …show more content…
Here she could have realized the right thing to do was stick to Lady Capulet's wishes, but the people pleasing side of The Nurse caused her to not see this. She is such a people pleaser that it causes her to bend backwards or even overcommit to the marriage of Juliet and Romeo. At the same time though, she is giving up her Lady Capulet plans. The Nurse wanted to please Juliet, so she hid everything from Juliet’s mother, causing everything to happen in secret. Therefore, the Nurse being such a people pleaser leads the downfall of the two star-crossed lovers. Throughout the play the Nurse may seem very sweet and helpful, but there is another side to her, that comes forward when she convinces Juliet to marry Romeo. The Nurse persuaded and manipulated Juliet into thinking Romeo is the best man of all by stating, “Though his face is better than any men’s, yet his leg excels all men’s”(Romeo and Juliet II.v.39-41). During this time in the play, Juliet was trying to decide between following what her parents wanted for her, which is to marry Paris, or to go her own way and marry
Nurse has betrayed Juliet, she and Friar Lawrence were the two who knew and believed in Romeo and Juliet's love, and Nurse abandons Juliet in a way in this scene, telling her to marry Paris, and forget Romeo. I think that when she is saying this that she is thinking of herself, and of what she could lose if they were discovered, but at the same time she was thinking of Juliet's well-being, and that she would be safe in Verona, with Paris: "I think that you are happy in this second match, For it excels your first; or, if it did not, Your first is dead, or 'twere as good he were As living here and you no use of him. " Lady Capulet shows a very different love for her daughter to the love which Nurse shows her, she has hardly looked after Juliet for much of her life, and is distanced from her. Around the period of time when the play was set there was a social tradition for the upper classes to have a 'wet nurse'. It would not have been accepted in soc... ...
In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse, by her thoughtless support of the affair between the lovers and fickle counsel, is partly to blame for the tragedy. However, it is not one factor alone that brings about the death of Romeo and Juliet, but a combination of significant actions and underlying forces.
The theme that the best designs can go awry is evident in many societies throughout the ages. In Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse's actions exemplify this aphorism. She is cognizant of the draconian penalties that would befall the lovers if their forbidden love is uncovered. Because she loves Juliet and wants her to be happy, the Nurse decides to keep Romeo and Juliet's relationship a secret. By not informing Juliet's parents, the Nurse shows more fidelity to Juliet than to Lord and Lady Capulet. The Nurse’s assistance advances the lovers' relationship from an infatuation to a marriage, “I am the grudge, and toil in your delight;” (II. v. 75). Romeo and Juliet’s feelings for each other burgeon until the two become inseparable. Following Romeo's banishment and the announcement of Juliet and Paris's arranged marriage, Juliet seeks counsel from the Nurse as to what her next course of action should be. Benighted of the intensity of Juliet's feelings for Romeo, the Nurse tries to nullify Juliet's sadness by attempting to divert her...
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.
Mercutio and the Nurse in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the whole of Romeo & Juliet there is a strong comparison. between Mercutio & the nurse. Neither are a part of either family, but they get drawn into this family brawl.
The Nurse is Capulets servant, and she is a very good servant as she tries her hardest to please the Capulets and Juliet at the same time. She is also a very important character in the play and in the Capulets lives. Through out the play The Nurse is Juliet’s confidant. The Nurse is a crucial character who strongly influences Juliet’s thoughts and actions. The main reason why the Capulet employed her was to breast feed Juliet. The Nurse was perfect for the job because she had just lost her little baby Susan, and The Nurse will now have unwanted breast milk that is ideal for Juliet as Lady Capulet does not want the role of breast feeding. The relationship between The Nurse and Juliet is like a mother daughter relationship, she is like Juliet surrogate mother towards Juliet.
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.
The nurse has been taking care of Juliet since birth and always has the best intentions when it comes to Juliet. For example, the nurse one of the few people was aware of Juliet’s relationship with Romeo and she helped with arranging the marriage. In Act 2 Scene 6 the Nurse exchanges a message with Juliet saying, “NURSE: Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence’s cell./ There stays a husband to make you a wife./ Now comes the wanton blood up in your cheeks;/ They’ll be in scarlet straight at any news./ Hie you to church; I must another way,/ To fetch a ladder, by the which your love/ Must climb a bird’s nest soon when it is dark./ I am the drudge and toil in your delight,/ But you shall bear the burden soon at night./ Go; I’ll to dinner: hie you to the cell. JULIET: Hie to high fortune! Honest nurse, farewell.”(lines 73-83). This quote demonstrates the Nurse’s love for Juliet. In this scene, she comes back from talking to Romeo to tell the anxious Juliet the news on their marriage. This shows that, the Nurse will go out of her way to ensure that Juliet is happy. Furthermore, the Nurse is always there to protect Juliet even from her own father, Lord Capulet. In this scene, Lord Capulet has informed Juliet about her arranged marriage with Paris, knowing nothing about her relationship with Romeo. Lord Capulet and the Nurse have an argument: “CAPULET: Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch!/ I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday,/ Or never after look me in the face./ Speak not, reply not, do not answer me./ My fingers itch. --Wife, we scarce thought us blessed/ That God had lent us but this only child,/ But now I see this one is one too much,/ And that we have a curse in having her./ Out on her, hilding!/ NURSE: God in heaven bless her!/ You are to blame, my lord, to rate her so./ CAPULET: And why, my Lady Wisdom? Hold your tongue,/ Good
The nurse acts as a parental figure to Juliet, where she cares for her as if Juliet is her own child, and gives advice and help whenever she is in need for it. The nurse believes that Juliet is still gentle and young, therefore is always on the look out for Juliet, making sure she doesn 't get hurt. The nurse 's motherly love is highlighted primarily when, lack of love is shown between Juliet and her mother. Lady Capulet is shown to be neglecting love towards Juliet. This is seen in Act 1 Scene 3, when Lady Capulet sent The Nurse out and they immediately calls her back in as the Nurse knows Juliet so well. “Nurse come back again”. The strong relationship between The nurse and Juliet is so strong, that the Nurse knows Juliet better than her mother. Another factor showing the lack of love is when Juliet uses the word ' 'Madam ' ' formaly towards her mother. This points out that there is no real relationship towards Juliet and Lady Capulet; the only relationship between them is blood and name. Shakespeare portrays a distant and cold relationship between Juliet and lady Capulet. This is juxtaposed with the affectionate and loving relationship between the nurse and Juliet. The nurse helps Juliet to be with her love Romeo, even after knowing they are from feuding families. The Nurse being a Capulet servant has to side with Juliet’s father when she tells her to marry Paris “I think it best you married with the
The Nurse makes mistakes which not only confuse Juliet, but also make her lose trust. In the beginning of the play, she supports Juliet through her actions and behaviour; she helps deliver messages to Romeo in secrecy and even encourages them both to get married. However, when Juliet needs the Nurse’s support the most, she quickly abandons Juliet. She immediately switches from favouring Romeo to taking Paris’ side when asked her opinion. As Juliet is making decisions about Romeo, Nurse states, “Romeo is banish’d; and all the world to nothing, / that he dares ne’er come back to challenge you.” (3.5.214-215). She obviously does not truly understand the feelings of true love that Juliet is experiencing, and these harsh words spark Juliet’s decision to exclude Nurse from her plans. As Juliet starts to question the Nurse’s decisions, she asks, “Speakest thou from thy heart?” (3.5.226). This demonstrates that Juliet can no longer trust her Nurse with any of her secrets. Juliet feels betrayed by her Nurse, which is part of the reason she decides not to include the Nurse in her plan with Romeo and Friar Laurence. If Nurse had known what was going to unfold, she might have been able to intervene at some point, and the lives of Romeo and Juliet might have been saved. The Nurse is one of the key factors towards their death, however, the biggest factor is Juliet’s
To add to the issue, the Nurse later betrays Juliet when Juliet begs her for help. “I think you are happy in this second match, For it excels your first, or, if it did not, Your first is dead, or 'twere as good he were, As living here and you no use of him.” (3.5.226-238). The Nurse goes against her previous actions and expects Juliet to forget about Romeo by dispraising him. Juliet wants to remain faithful to her husband and this betrayal, along with Capulet’s ultimatum, causes Juliet to act hastily and want to die if she wasn’t with Romeo.
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.
Nurse was a fickle character, her changeability was significant in partly causing Juliet’s pseudo death. Juliet confided in Nurse when she met Romeo. Nurse not only encouraged the marriage, but went as far as arranging it. However, when Capulet made plans for Juliet to marry Paris, Nurse told Juliet that Paris was better for her.
The Nurse is more influential than Lady Capulet in Juliet’s life, and she even contributes to the death of Juliet.
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