The next time we see the nurse is after Romeo and Juliet meet again and declare their love for each other (Act 2 Scene 4). Romeo has been to Friar Lawrence and he agrees to help them. The nurse plays the main part in this scene as without her Juliet wouldn’t have be able to get the wedding arrangements from Romeo. The nurse is more or less betraying the Capulets as she is going behind their backs to help their daughter marry someone else. Her main function in this scene is receiving information from Romeo to give to Juliet. At the beginning of this scene Mercutio and Benvolio are looking for Romeo. When Romeo appears, the nurse and her man Peter arrive shortly after. She orders Peter to give her, her fan. Mercutio starts to mock the nurse. What the nurse is wearing is described as ‘a sail’ and ‘a shirt and a smock’. This could suggest that the nurse got dressed up to meet Romeo, and make a good impression. The nurse seems flattered by Mercutio’s sexual teasing but she doesn’t really retaliate, as she knows she is there for an important reason and sticks to it. She muddles up her words saying that she desired ‘some confidence’ with Romeo when really she probably meant to say that she desires some conference with him. When she muddles up her words this shows that she could be to flattered that she doesn’t know what she is saying. The audience will find Mercutio’s mockery humorous and with the nurse not retaliating and Mercutio continuing to mock her they will also find that amusing. Mercutio carries on with his teasing by saying:
‘A bawd, a bawd, a bawd’.
Finally Mercutio and Benvolio leave, leaving Romeo and the nurse to talk in privacy. The nurse complains that she:
‘must stand by too and suffer every knave to use me at his pleasure’.
Although she complains about Mercutio she likes the attention. She also acts like a mother to Juliet as she warns Romeo not to make a fool of Juliet. ‘If ye should lead her in a fool’s paradise’. The nurse has a very strong opinion of how she thinks Juliet should be treated and if anyone treated her badly she would not be very happy about it. The nurse is continuously looking out for Juliet she would do anything for her. This shows that the nurse is quite caring. She is proud of Juliet and sees her as her own daughter, although her daughter is irreplaceable. The nurse makes a prophetic comment by saying that Romeo and rosemary begin with the same letter, really meaning something completely different. The audience would think that the nurse is really caring and that all she wants in her life is for Juliet to be happy. What ever that take then the nurse will help all she can.
The nurse appears further on in the next scene Act 2 Scene 5. We see more of the nurse’s comedy in this scene. Juliet is left impatiently waiting for the nurse to return with the information. The audience are anxious to know how Juliet will react to the news, as they already know. When the nurse finally returns late in a mischievous mood she procrastinates telling Juliet what Romeo has said. She moans how her ‘bones ache’ and how she is ‘out of breath’. The nurse tells Juliet that she is impressed by Romeo and encourages Juliet’s expectations. Juliet gets excited by this and the nurse does not want this so she changes the subject by asking irrelevant questions like ‘what have you dined at home?’ Juliet is in so much suspense to know what Romeo has said, but she stays calm with the nurse, as Juliet knows that if she did not the nurse would keep her waiting longer. Whilst the nurse is complaining and delaying the news to Juliet she compliments Romeo, highlighting that ‘his face be better than any man’s’ and that he is ‘gentle as a lamb’. The audience would find the nurse very comical. Finally the nurse gives in and informs Juliet of the wedding arrangements. In this scene she teaches Juliet a lesson not to be selfish and to care for others. She cannot help but say something funny. The nurse says that ‘he is not the flower of courtesy’ but warrants him as she knows he is a good man. Earlier in the play she agreed that Juliet should marry Paris but now she is giving Romeo her blessing. The nurse seems to like Romeo a lot as she has helped him and Juliet a lot in the play. This shows that she is happy for him to be with Juliet. Juliet is overwhelmed by the news and the nurse notices the ‘wanton blood’ in her cheeks. At the end of this scene the nurse cannot resist being bawdy as she jokes to Juliet saying:
‘fetch a ladder…your love must climb a bird’s nest’.
The nurse is happy for Romeo to be with Juliet and shows that she respects and trusts Romeo by helping them get married.
The next scene in which the nurse appears is Act 3 Scene 2. Since we last seen the nurse Romeo and Juliet married. Romeo was banished from Verona for killing Tybalt as Tybalt killed Mercutio, Romeo’s friend. The function of the nurse in this scene is to again be a messenger and also tells Juliet that she will bring Romeo to her. The scene starts off with Juliet alone in her room, still unaware of Tybalt’s death. The nurse arrives with the rope ladder. The nurse is upset about Tybalt’s death but Juliet assumes that Romeo is dead. The nurse is grieving and Juliet assumes that both Romeo and Tybalt are dead. The nurse then tells Juliet that:
‘Tybalt is gone and Romeo banished, Romeo that killed him, he is banished.’
Unlike in the previous scene the nurse was in she didn’t want to tell Juliet the news she wanted to keep her in suspense. Whereas in this scene she just cannot tell Juliet as she is so upset and hurt. The nurse is confused and very emotional in this scene and she seems to need brandy to help her cope. As she can’t cope she calls for Peter to bring her a brandy. She nags about all men saying ‘There’s no trust, no faith, no honesty in men, all perjured’. The nurse has experienced a lot in the play and this could have just been a spur of the moment thing as she doesn’t know what she is saying as she is confused. Juliet is devastated by the news and threatens to kill her self but the nurse changes her mind as she promises her that she will find Romeo and send him to her that night. Juliet replies with ‘O find him! Give this ring to my true knight,’ In comparison to the scenes so far, this one has no humour at all it has all been about sadness and death. The audience would be sympathetic towards both Juliet and the Nurse, as they know that they are both going through a dreadful time.
The next time we see the nurse is the next scene Act 3 Scene 3. In this scene the nurse is a messenger once again she also stops Romeo killing him self and gives him a ring from Juliet. This is yet another scene without humour as the nurse is more serious and goes about what she is doing to make Juliet happy again as that is all she ever wants. She goes to Friar Lawrence’s cell to find Romeo and finds him there weeping just as Juliet was. They are both weeping, as they cannot be together as they wish as Romeo has been banished. Juliet is also grieving for Tybalt. As Romeo is upset he attempts to kill him self, showing his cowardly side. The nurse however stops him for the sake of Juliet, as she knows how devastated she would be. She passes the ring onto Romeo as Juliet asked her to. The nurse warned Romeo and Juliet when they first met that their names could only bring trouble. The nurse realised in the last scene that the only thing that would make Juliet happy at this moment in time is for her to see Romeo. All the nurse ever wants is for Juliet to be happy so she arranges for Romeo to visit Juliet that night. The audience would still be sympathetic from the last scene and would see the nurse’s point of view when she realises that Juliet will only be happy if she sees Romeo.
The next time we see the nurse is Act 3 Scene 5. The function of the nurse in this scene is for her to warn Juliet that her mother is coming so that Romeo can leave and she also gives Juliet advice. The nurse warns them of Lady Capulet showing that she cares for them both. If the nurse didn’t warn them then Lady Capulet would have found them both together and things would change dramatically. Juliet's mother enters the room. When the father enters towards the end of the scene, an argument brakes out. Juliet's father swears at the Nurse. He also curses Juliet:
‘Disobedient wretch’.
The two of them are shocked by this outrage, but the Nurse stands up for herself, whereas Juliet whimpers in the corner, hiding behind the Nurse. Juliet wants comfort from the Nurse. The Nurse, however, has no comfort to offer Juliet, which is a surprise to the audience. She thinks of the grief and shock at the events of the previous day. As the nurse has always been on her side the audience wonder how she is going to help Juliet in this situation. Juliet feels the Nurse has betrayed her and her loyalty now lies toward the Capulet household, where as before her loyalty lied with Juliet. I think the Nurse still has Juliet's best interest at heart and has not betrayed her in any way. I feel the only reason the Nurse is telling Juliet to marry Paris as opposed to Romeo is because then she will still keep a good relationship with the Capulet family and so she doesn't end up on the streets, with no money and not a healthy life. As ‘Romeo is banished’, he cannot provide a good home and family for Juliet while Paris can and Juliet does not break her bonds with her family. I still believe the Nurse has changed her mind and not her heart, as I believe the Nurse still thinks Romeo is a better gentleman and Juliet will love him more than any other man. However this motivates Juliet to acting and she seeks help elsewhere.
Then nurse has lost Juliet’s confidence and trust at this point. Juliet decides to seek the help of Friar Laurence; thereafter she no longer involves the Nurse in her secret plans. At the end of this scene the nurse speaks to Juliet for the last time saying ‘Marry, I will, and this is wisely done.’ As Juliet feels so isolated she starts to argue with the nurse and says ‘Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend!’ The nurse and Juliet have never argued ever before, they normally have closeness between them. This could suggest the end of Juliet and the nurse’s closeness. This is the last scene in which we see Juliet and the nurse together.
That is the last scene in which we see the Nurse, Act 4 Scene 5. The nurse tries to wake Juliet on her wedding day but she does not wake so therefore the nurse believes Juliet is dead. The nurse’s mood starts of sexual but soon changes. The nurse is traumatised by this and cries for help. The nurse mourns for Juliet with the Capulet family. The Friar attempts to offer them consolation saying that Juliet is in a better state now that she is in heaven. However the Friar knows otherwise; that Juliet is really is a deep sleep and will awaken after time. He talks to the Capulet’s as if she is dead. The nurse shows a lot of emotion in this scene, her relationship with Juliet was still unclose due to their argument and didn’t and will not have a chance to change this. Due to Juliet’s ‘death’ the nurse and Juliet will never have the same closeness again. The audience would also know of Juliet’s plan and by sympathetic towards mainly the nurse as they knew how much she cared about Juliet and how she only wanted her to be happy.
Throughout the play, she appears, however when she loses Juliet's trust, she is lost from the play. The Nurse plays a critical role in Romeo and Juliet. Her relationship with major characters and her part in the secretive romance of the two lovers cause the play's actions to move quickly and in a powerful way. The Nurse acts as Shakespeare's pawn to guide the events of the play in a dramatic manner. The audience reaction to this scene would be shocked, as they would never think that Juliet and the nurse would ever be like this after such a long time of being so close.
All of this portrays the Nurse's importance in the play. Without her, the play would be less entertaining as she adds humour to the play, but also makes the sad moment even more depressing as when Juliet dies, we feel sorry for the Nurse the most as she has brought her up from when she was born and she has to witness her tragic death, which she may feel partly responsible for, as she advised Juliet to forget about Romeo and wed Paris. The plot could not have been developed and the story could not have been facilitated if it was not for the essential character of the Nurse!
