EXPLAIN AND DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF THE NURSE IN ROMEO AND JULIET

had a daughter the same time Juliet was born who sadly died. This also explains why she is so close and fond of Juliet and treasures their relationship. The way Juliet speaks to her mother is very formal. She calls,   ‘Madam’ and this is the opposite of the way she talks to the nurse. Juliet speaks to the Nurse very openly and in a more relaxed way: there is a more calming atmosphere around them. The Nurse uses many loving gentle words when she is referring to Juliet. When she is talking about Juliet in act 1 scene 3 she says, ‘thou was the prettiest babe e’er I nurs’d. And I might live to see her married at once,’ This is another way she expresses her bond and feelings for Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ At the end of this scene we also see another side of the Nurse and what she brings to the play. We see that she is very witty in the play and bring a lot of humour and is very sexual minded and humorous in the play. ‘Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.’ The Nurse closes the scene with these words in this first act we have learnt a great deal about her character through her language and the position she holds in the Capulet household. The next time we see the nurse is in Act 1 scene 5. She interrupts the first kiss Juliet and Romeo share.’ The nurse knows what is going on at this point and that she has interrupted the young lovers in an embrace. She does what she thinks is best and tries to protect Romeo by telling him who and what Juliet is; a Capulet. This shows that the nurse is very caring and has a soft touch but also she is not afraid of being open and honest. She may like Romeo but she knows that if Romeo and Juliet get together there will only be trouble for them. ‘Her mother is the lady of the house.’ The Nurse is answering the questions she is asked by Romeo and she explains that Juliet is the daughter of the host and the man that she will marry will have to be rich. At this point in the play the parents have set their sights on Paris to marry Juliet. He is a family friend. Also Juliet’s mother got married at the age Juliet is at now. When Juliet is talking to Romeo later on in the scene she looks out for them and acts as a spy in order to help Juliet. This shows her closeness to Juliet as it is a big secret and Juliet feels it ok for the nurse to know. The Nurse also tries to help Juliet further by explaining the situation Juliet is in and by telling her that Romeo is a Montague. ‘His name is Romeo, and a Montague.’ With the closeness Juliet and the Nurse have we can see that Juliet feels comfortable around her. This continues for a large part of the play. In act 2 scene 2 the Nurse interrupts Romeo and Juliet again. Throughout the play the Nurse is very busy and active and always seems to interrupt Romeo and Juliet at crucial parts. In this scene Romeo and Juliet discuss the idea of marriage and they decide to get engaged. ‘Thy propose marriage, send me word tomorrow.’ The Nurse hears of their engagement and even though she knows that its wrong she does not object and does hat Juliet wishes, showing her close and caring relationship with her young charge. In act 2 scene 4 the Nurse meets Romeo again as she is used as a messenger for Juliet. ‘Here’s goodly gear!’ Here Romeo is calling the nurse. ‘A sail, a sail!’ Romeo is mocking her as she is rather large lady. Romeo is pretending she looks like a ship by the way she looks in her clothes. Romeo at this point in the play is also present on stage with his two friends Peter and Mercutio. The Nurse loves the attention she is getting from the three men and starts being sexual towards them. She is not used to getting this much attention so is enjoying every minute of it. ‘Where may I find the young Romeo?’ Dramatic irony is used as she doesn’t remember what Romeo looks like even though she saw him the night before but we know she is actually talking to the man himself. Here she serves to act as a figure of comedy for the audience, to offer some light relief for the audience in this tragic play. She is also acting here as a messenger for Juliet, another of her vital roles in the play. She speaks a great deal of her fondness for Juliet. Letting both Romeo and the audience know how much she cares for her. In this scene the nurse organises Romeo and Juliet’s wedding knowing well that it against her employers wishes. She is also very funny throughout this scene as she is joking with the other characters. Romeo offers the Nurse money for her trouble but she refuses as she thinks it’s a labour of love. ‘Well sir, my mistress is the sweetest lady…’ Here, once again, she shares with the audience how much she loves praises and cares for Juliet. We also see more comedy from the Nurse when she teases and keeps Juliet in suspense about the arrangements with Romeo and the wedding. She plays games with Juliet. This is also shown by the way she brings the news about Romeo’s banishment to Juliet. With Juliet agog to know what is going on the nurse teases her and keeps changing the subject, showing us how comfortable she feels in this close intimate relationship. Act 3 scene 2.Later on in the play the Nurse changes her feelings. We hear that Tybalt has died and Romeo has fled. She can also be a bit extreme with the some of the things she does. Even though she is very upset about Romeo’s murder of Tybalt she still follows Juliet’s instructions, ‘O find him. Give him this ring to my true night.’ Showing she will do anything for the young girl. In Act 3 scenes 3 the nurse has arrived at Friar Lawrence’s cell to speak to Romeo. She sees him in distress and gives him the ring. She loves to hear Friar Lawrence speaking. That night with help from the Nurse Romeo and Juliet are able to spend the night together. In the morning Lady Capulet is calling for Juliet and serves once again to help the young couple out: it is because the Nurse they are allowed to spend their one and only night together. The nurse warns Juliet. This shows that the nurse does still care for Romeo and Juliet. In Act 3 scenes 5, when Juliet is rowing with her father the Nurse sticks up for her and shouts at Capulet. ‘God in heaven bless her! You are to blame my lord.’ Capulet later replies to the Nurse. ‘Peace, you mumbling fool!’ Capulet says what he thinks about her. At this point the Nurse is losing respect from her employers. Juliet’s parents then leave their daughter and the only person left for her to confine in is the Nurse.  ‘Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.’ Her father and mother have walked out on her. ‘Comfort me. Counsel me.’ Juliet is desperate and turns to the Nurse for comfort. Here the Nurse changes her opinion of Romeo as he has killed Tybalt. Tybalt is part of the Capulet family. The nurse then give a sensible speech to Juliet but not very emotional. ‘O, he’s a lovely gentleman! Romeo’s a dishclout to him.’ She has changed her feelings towards Romeo and now wants Juliet to marry Paris. For the first time in the play we see that Juliet feels she can no longer have faith in the nurse and so she goes to Friar Lawrence for help. The Nurse plays a critical role in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. She has a relationship with the major characters in the play and helps with a secret love affair between Romeo and Juliet. She also is humorous, witty and flirtatious which gives the audience some amusement throughout the play. She is Juliet’s confidant and closest friend, however her lack of understanding of true love and passion comes between her and Juliet, to the extent that the heroin feels that she could no longer trust her life-long friend. There is no doubt however, that without the Nurse, the tale of Romeo and Juliet the two star-crossed lover, could never have taken place.