Explore the role of the Nurse and her relationship with Juliet. Look at how it changes across the play look at how the audience react to the play as a piece of drama including social and historical background.
Romeo and Juliet is a play written by Shakespeare. It is about two feuding families, the Capulets and the Montagues, whose children fall in love. The play ends in tragedy when both Romeo and Juliet die.
At the time this play was written and set society was very different. For instance, people didn't live as long therefore got married earlier that is why is was acceptable for Juliet to marry at only 13. It was very common for richer families to employ a nurse. The childs mother would have little or no role in bringing up the child, so great bonds would be made between Juliet and her nurse. Another thing that happened was that children would always obey their parents without question; this is why when Juliet refuses to marry Paris her father gets so angry.
In act1 scene3 we first meet Juliet and Nurse and see the strong mother/ daughter type bond between her and Juliet. We can immediately see that Nurse plays a big part in the play from the way that she talks. She has to be told to be quiet by Lady Capulet, she does not act like an ordinary servant. The Nurse seems to get the respect of most characters in the play, apart from Lady Capulet. She even says "Enough of this, I pray thee hold thy peace" when Nurse talks too much to her Nurse is just another servant, but Nurse fails to notice this and talks to her as if they are equals. The amount Nurse talks shows her strong relationship with Juliet and that she is going to have a large part in the play. The Nurse's relationship with Juliet is strengthened when she talks about her own daughter Suzan and Juliet in the same way. Nurse even states that Juliet was "the prettiest babe that e'er I nursed", and was even able to remind Juliets own mother of Juliets birthday; "Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour". This scene shows Nurse not only as Juliet's friend but also as her contact with her mother.
Romeo and Juliet is a play written by Shakespeare. It is about two feuding families, the Capulets and the Montagues, whose children fall in love. The play ends in tragedy when both Romeo and Juliet die.
At the time this play was written and set society was very different. For instance, people didn't live as long therefore got married earlier that is why is was acceptable for Juliet to marry at only 13. It was very common for richer families to employ a nurse. The childs mother would have little or no role in bringing up the child, so great bonds would be made between Juliet and her nurse. Another thing that happened was that children would always obey their parents without question; this is why when Juliet refuses to marry Paris her father gets so angry.
In act1 scene3 we first meet Juliet and Nurse and see the strong mother/ daughter type bond between her and Juliet. We can immediately see that Nurse plays a big part in the play from the way that she talks. She has to be told to be quiet by Lady Capulet, she does not act like an ordinary servant. The Nurse seems to get the respect of most characters in the play, apart from Lady Capulet. She even says "Enough of this, I pray thee hold thy peace" when Nurse talks too much to her Nurse is just another servant, but Nurse fails to notice this and talks to her as if they are equals. The amount Nurse talks shows her strong relationship with Juliet and that she is going to have a large part in the play. The Nurse's relationship with Juliet is strengthened when she talks about her own daughter Suzan and Juliet in the same way. Nurse even states that Juliet was "the prettiest babe that e'er I nursed", and was even able to remind Juliets own mother of Juliets birthday; "Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour". This scene shows Nurse not only as Juliet's friend but also as her contact with her mother.
