Every Shakespearean tragedy needs an easy-hearted, effervescent character that will ease the ongoing tension over the course of the play. The Nurse fits this role perfectly in Romeo and Juliet, providing crucial comic relief throughout the darkest times. Some of the Nurse’s most redeeming qualities include her nurturing nature, kindness and most of all, humour. The Nurse acts as the glue that holds the characters together, tying up the entire play. One of her strongest characterizations is her close maternal relationship with Juliet.
For a woman who is not a mother, The Nurse portrays this role exceptionally well to Juliet. The Nurse raised Juliet her entire life and she knows her inside and out. This is most evident when she tells Lady Capulet “Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.” (I/iii/12) The Nurse is displaying her astounding display of knowledge of the girl she nursed and raised in place of her mother since her birth (almost) fourteen years ago, and has kept track of her age up to the hour. Not only does the Nurse closely a mother in her way of knowing Juliet very well, she is also willing to help her marry Romeo and encourage her happiness. The Nurse passes on messages between Romeo and Juliet, for instance for instance when Juliet sent her to discover the identity of the anonymous man with whom she fell in love with at the party, The Nurse returned quickly and smoothly delivered “His name is Romeo, and a Montague, the only son of your great enemy.” (I/v/136-137) If it were not for the Nurse constantly acting as a courier between Romeo and Juliet, they would have never fulfilled their destiny as star-crossed lovers.
The Nurse is also exceptionally kind to others, despite the tragic events she experienced in ...
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...th- And yet, to my teen be it spoken, I have but four, - She is not fourteen.” (I/iii/13-15) The Nurse includes little jokes like her dwindling supply of teeth into daily debacles about age. She can always be relied on to strike playful banter, making her a very easy character to like and piecing together the rough edges of Romeo and Juliet.
The Nurse is a key character in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, playing the essential part of the messenger between lovers, proving her kindness as well as maternal love to Juliet and adding important comic relief to help cast a lighter shade over the dark themes of the tragedy. If it weren’t for the Nurse in the play, the threads holding the play together may likely come loose, leaving Juliet without a mother, the star-crossed lovers’ relationship to cease, no one to crack bawdy comments and the play in tatters.
but then again she is like a surrogate mother. The nurse is still a servant and she is n no position to argue against him, because she is sticking up for Juliet would have made Lord Capulet more angry. Although Lord Capulet should not speak to the nurse like he does he should ask her to leave, but this shows how angry and violent Lord Capulet
Conversely, Juliet's mother is stiff and cold towards, and uses Juliet as a tool to make the family name look good. As we learn in towards the beginning of the story Juliet is the last child of the Capulet line, and as a result her mother also puts pressure on Juliet for having a two year engagement with the Prince. Nurse obviously seems to be closer to Juliet, than her biological mother. Hence, this is yet another character foil present in Shakespeare’s play involves Juliet’s nurse and Lady Capulet (Juliet’s mother.)
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...
his life round than just one woman. On the same night they go out Romeo first sets his eyes on Juliet and it is love at first sight. They are both for Romeo or Juliet when they most need it. The Nurse is totally devoted to Juliet and is also loyal to her.
The Nurse possesses many qualities. For example, she is very hearty towards Juliet, kind, protective, compassionate and a loving lady. In some parts of the play The Nurse can be long-winded, insensitive, arrogant, insecure and stupid at times but she loves Juliet very much, partially as she imagines that Juliet is a substitute for her own daughter Susan. She has a bawdy sense of humor, which brings out the naturalness of sex and childbearing. This is seen when she tells Juliet to look for love, - “Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days';. This displays a realistic attitude to love. Such bawdy realism is, like the ribaldry of Mercutio and company, a contrast with the tender, romantic and passionate feelings of Romeo and Juliet. The Nurse is a practical but rather stupid woman at times. 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.
The Nurse disregards Juliet’s feelings for Romeo and takes the easy option, telling her to marry Paris, “I think you are happy in this second match, for it excels your first”. Juliet despises the Nurse for saying this.
The Nurse, actually turned against Juliet at a very important time. I am not saying that the nurse was bad, but she d...
The nurse has raised Juliet since she was a baby. She plays more of a
The audience’s first impression of Juliet however, is through her interaction with her mother (Lady Capulet) and the Nurse. From the Nurse’s remarks, the audience learns that Juliet is thirteen and “Come Lammas-eve at night shall [Juliet turn] fourteen” (Act I.3.18-9). As Juliet enters the presence of her mother and the Nurse, Shakespeare portrays Juliet as a very faithful daughter. When summoned by the Nurse, Juliet comes promptly then responds politely to her mother “Madam, I am here, what is your will?” (Act I.3.7). When Juliet refers to her mother as ‘madam” (Act I.3.7), the audience also gets the impression of Juliet being compliant to her elder’s wishes. This can be observed when her mothe...
The Nurse is caring and loving to Juliet, like every mother should be to their daughter/son. However, in the film, the relationship between the Nurse and Juliet is not like it should have been like in the play. Their relationship, is not like an actual caring for each other, and they do not seem close to each other, like telling each other things and secrets, or helping out each other in their problems. The Nurse just seems like a normal nurse. This makes a huge effects on the audience because it shows the opposite of what the Nurse really is in the play. The people who have never read the play would just probably think that the Nurse is just a servant of the
The Nurse was another ally to Romeo and Juliet. The Nurse loved Juliet and wanted what was best for her.
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.
One reason why the nurse is responsible for this is because she enables Juliet to experience passionate feelings for Romeo. She complimented Romeo when she knew it was wrong. “Your love says, like an honest gentleman, and courteous, and a kind handsome, and I warrant, and a virtuous,” (2.5.40). Instead of saying negative things about Romeo, the nurse says compliments about him. She should be saying bad things to discourage Juliet from falling in love with him. One of the reasons that the nurse is responsible for the deaths is because of all the good things the nurse said about Romeo, therefore causing Juliet to fall in love with him. This causes them to have a relationship which later lead to their
She constantly repeats herself and her bawdy and vulgarity views of love and marriage are in contrast to Juliet’s purity and passion. This emphasizes how sacrificial Romeo and Juliet’s love is. The nurse doesn’t share the same views with Juliet because she love is a temporary and physical relationship,so she doesn’t understand the intense love shared between Romeo and Juliet.when the nurse arrives with news for Juliet concerning the wedding arrangements,she focuses exclusively on the pleasures of Juliet’s wedding night, “I am the drudge,and toil in your delight, but you shall bear the burden soon at night”. The nurse is a very complex character with many aspects to her personality.she displays attractive and repulsive qualities
5. 225-255). This is one of the most known parts in the play that the Nurse is well known for. She is informing Juliet of her Lord, alongwith advising her to marry the County or also known as Paris. This is where the Nurse changes her usual traits and becomes selfish and careless towards others feelings. She is aware of Juliet’s feelings in regard to Romeo, but still chooses her feelings over the romantic heroine.