The Nurse And Friar Lawrence In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

The Nurse fills the role of Juliet’s mother and Friar Laurence acts as Romeo’s father.

-Discuss the Importance of these characters in Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, follows the story of two lovers from opposing families who meet challenges concerning their love. A mother and a father is someone who protects and gives advice to their children, who plays a major role in their children’s lives and wants the best for the them and that is exactly what the Nurse and Friar Laurence do to Romeo and Juliet. They both want the best for Romeo and Juliet and the Nurse and Friar Laurence protect Romeo and Juliet as best as they can. The Montague’s and the Capulet’s are not the greatest of parents and the Nurse and Friar Laurence

picks up the roles of being the parent for each child. This makes their characters crucial and very important for Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other is very dangerous and toxic for both as their families are enemies.

The Nurse and Friar Laurence both try to protect Romeo and Juliet. When Juliet’s father, Capulet was outraged with Juliet not wanting to marry Paris, he said many awful things to Juliet and the Nurse instantly acted to Juliet’s defense and said ‘God in heaven bless her! You are to blame, my lord, to rate her so.’ As for Friar Laurence, he shows fatherly acts towards Romeo by protecting him when he was banished. Friar Laurence said to Romeo ‘I’ll give thee armor to keep off that word— Adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy— to comfort thee though thou art banished.’ The Nurse protecting Juliet from her own father and Friar Laurence hiding Romeo when he was banished shows their deep concern for the children, the protectiveness they possess for Romeo and Juliet and it also shows the importance of the Nurse and Friar

Laurence.
Romeo and Juliet both rely on other adults, specifically the Nurse and Friar Laurence, for advice and help, rather than their own parents.

This makes the Nurse and Friar Laurence major characters for Romeo and Juliet. Friar Laurence said consoling words towards Romeo when he felt guilty about killing Tybalt. Friar Laurence said ‘What, rouse thee, man! Thy Juliet is alive, For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead— There art thou happy. Tybalt would kill thee, but thou slew’st Tybalt—there art thou happy. The law that threatened death becomes thy friend and turns it to exile—there art thou happy. A pack of blessings light upon thy back, Happiness courts thee in her best array.’ For Juliet, the Nurse was the one who raised and breastfed her. In her long speech to Lady Capulet about Juliet, the Nurse states ‘'Tis since the earthquake now eleven years, and she was weaned—I never shall forget it— Of all the days of the year, upon that day. For I had then laid wormwood to my dug, Sitting in the sun under the dove house wall. My lord and you were then at Mantua. — Nay, I do bear a brain.’ Juliet’s own parents were not there for her when she was growing up and Romeo’s instinctively went to Friar Laurence for advice. If the Nurse and Friar Laurence were not a part of Romeo and Juliet’s lives, both Romeo and Juliet would be lost without the care and advice the Nurse and Friar Laurence provided. This shows their major importance in the lives for Romeo and

Juliet.
Juliet experiences more horrible things with her family, the Capulets than Romeo with the Montagues but by the actions of the Montagues and Capulets in the play, they fall short of their fatherly and motherly roles. Montague and Lady Montague cares for his son Romeo and they state after the first brawl in the play. Lady Capulet said ’Oh, where is Romeo? Saw you him today? Right glad I am he was not at this fray.’ And Montague stated when himself, Lady Capulet and Benvolio were talking about Romeo’s depressed condition ‘Both by myself and many other friends. But he, his own affections' counselor, is to himself—I will not say how true.’ This shows that the Montague family do care about their son but Romeo does not have a strong bond with his family to tell them about his reasons why he is in a depressed state. The Capulets had a terrible relationship with Juliet and does not care for Juliet. When Capulet was furious with her for not being thankful about marrying Paris, he said ‘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 blest 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!’ After the horrible words had been said to Juliet, Lady Capulet stated ‘Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.’ They say awful words to Juliet and it shows the terrible relationship they had with their daughter. The Nurse and Friar Laurence fills the empty roles of father and mother for Romeo and Juliet, as the Montagues and Capulets failed to reach the parental roles.
The Nurse and Friar Laurence have very crucial roles in the lives of Romeo and Juliet. They fill the roles of mother and father, they make every effort to protect and were the ones that gave the advice that helped Romeo and Juliet. The Nurse and Friar Laurence had a huge impact on the lives of Romeo and Juliet and therefore were extremely important characters in the lives of Romeo and Juliet.