Although Friar Lawrence agrees to the marriage in the end, he seems to know that things will go wrong, and even though he is hoping that the wedding will have happy results, he says many things that suggest he knows that things will end up disastrously. The advice he gives to Romeo just before he gets married is particularly relevant, “these violent delights have violent ends.” Act 2 Scene 6, this is a reminder for the audience of what the prologue says about how the “star-crossed lovers” are doomed to fail. Also, the Friar is worried that Romeo is so wrapped up in his feelings that he will let things get completely out of control, so he warns him to keep control of his passions, “Therefore love moderately – long love doth so: to swift arrives as tardy as too slow.” Act 2 Scene 6. The audience trust the Friar, and are relying on him to help and guide Romeo and Juliet in the right direction with their love.
His plan to reconcile the two families, however, soon comes to grief. He is left to be the one who tells Romeo that he is banished, and when he does so he is taken aback with by the force of Romeo’s emotions, and so looks for another solution and a way of helping him. Here the audience again see the caring nature of the Friar. He creates a new plan, which is that Romeo must go to Mantua until he is allowed back into Verona, “Beg pardon of the prince, and call thee back”.
The Friar is now deeply involved with the tragedy, and when Juliet comes to visit him he comes up with another plan, which is even more risky than the first two. At this stage, some of the audience may wonder whether the Friar may be thinking of saving himself, not just Juliet.
The plan goes wrong when Romeo does not receive the message in Mantua. The Friar hurries to the vault to be with the waking Juliet. He tries in vain to persuade Juliet to leave the dead Romeo and escape with him, but she refuses so he deserts her. Eventually he reveals the truth to Prince.
There is dramatic irony in this scene when Romeo enters the tomb and believes Juliet is dead. The audience are expecting Juliet to wake up and escape with Romeo, but she doesn’t awake while Romeo is there. He drinks a potion and dies, and then Juliet wakes up and finds her Romeo dead, so she stabs herself. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony throughout the play when the audience are aware of something the characters are not.
The Nurse occupies a similar position in Juliet’s life to the Friar in Romeo’s. She enjoys her power over Juliet, which is illustrated in her teasing. The Friar enjoys teasing Romeo as well as he does this early on in Act 2 however, unlike the Friar, the Nurse does not have a public position, so when things go wrong, she lacks the courage to face the consequences of her actions.
Juliet’s Nurse is a common character, who usually speaks in prose, along with the servants. To the audience she appears as a comedy character, and lightens the tone of the tragedy of the play. She is always flustered and over the top, and is extremely garrulous. Juliet has been brought up by the Nurse for most of her life, and has a strong, loving relationship with her, contrasting with the relationship between Juliet and her parents. The Nurse is Juliet’s closest friend and confidante, she has been Juliet’s wet nurse and to the audience she comes across as a mother figure. We know how close they are because the Nurse can provide us with plenty of detailed information about Juliet, and she even knows her exact age, “I’ll lay fourteen of my teeth”. Act 1 Scene 3. We also see the closeness of their relationship when we are told that the Nurse has pet names for Juliet, and in Act 1 Scene 3, she calls her a “lamb”, “ladybird” and a “pretty fool”.
Juliet isn’t even allowed out of the house without permission, she has to send the Nurse to take messages to Romeo, as she cannot go herself. The Nurse wants to help Juliet marry Romeo, but it seems she has to because Juliet is the boss and she is the servant, “I am the drudge and toil in your delight”.
The Nurse plays a major role in organising the marriage between Romeo and Juliet, as when Juliet falls in love with Romeo, she asks the Nurse to discover his identity for her. This is a significant event for the audience as it is the first time Juliet has not drew the Nurse into her confidence, it appears that she has never before concealed any secrets from her. Nevertheless, the Nurse seems happy to act as the messenger, and flirts with Romeo, which leads the audience to believe she likes men. When she comes back, she enjoys the power of the news she is carrying, and deliberately refuses to offer straight answers to Juliet.
When the Nurse starts talking, it is extremely hard to stop her. She repeats herself over and over again. “O day, O day…” Act 4 Scene 5, and never gets to the point. This makes her really bad at telling stories because she takes so long to get to the point. The Nurse seems to enjoy arranging the marriage between Romeo and Juliet and does not seem to be worried that they wish to be married so hastily.
When we meet her again, she is bringing Juliet the news of Tybalt’s death. By this stage it is clear to see that the Nurse has turned against Romeo and is convinced that Juliet must share her feelings. She says, “will you speak well of him that killed your cousin?” suggesting she is hoping Juliet will turn against Romeo. As an audience, we hope that Juliet will continue to love Romeo and it will all work out for them in the end.
Later on, the fact that Juliet will not stop weeping forces the Nurse to go and fetch Romeo from Friar Lawrence’s cell. When the lovers have said their goodbyes, she and Juliet’s parents enter Juliet’s room to inform her that the marriage to Paris has been brought forward. The Nurse betrays Juliet and thinks that Juliet would be better to marry Paris, and she advises Juliet to just do as her parent’s say, “I think you are happy in this second match, for it excels your first.” Act 3 Scene 5. Juliet thinks that the Nurse is being a hypocrite, but we know that she is just trying to be practical and sensible.
The Nurse’s last duty in the play is to be the one who discovers the drugged, sleeping Juliet. Her grief is intense but it seems a fair price to pay for her betrayal.
The Nurse and Friar Lawrence are the only two people that know Romeo and Juliet’s secrets and the Nurse is impressed by the way he talks, “O Lord, I could have stay’d here all the night to hear good counsel.” Act 3 Scene 3. This shows the audience how uneducated the Nurse is, as she is impressed by the Friar just because he has as educated voice.
I believe that Romeo and Juliet died as a result of Friar Lawrence’s haphazard plan. He should not have suggested such a dangerous plan, as he was playing with their lives, and also, the Nurse should have stopped Juliet from getting involved with a Montague, or backed her up when she said she wouldn’t marry Paris, although if Juliet wasn’t frightened of her parents, then she would not have had to go along with Friar Lawrence’s risky scheme, and maybe things would have worked out between the pair.
