The Nurse plays a large role in introducing Romeo and Juliet and then also in allowing them to be together. The Nurses first act in bringing them together is by telling both Romeo and Juliet who the other was and also had to tell them which family each was born into. She does this during the party at Capulet mansion in act 1,scene 5. In this scene we also learn a bit more about the Nurses personality and how she doesn’t always think through the consequences of her actions. Because when she first heard that Juliet was to be married to Paris she was really pleased for Juliet and had nothing but compliments to say about Paris, “He is a man of wax.” But as soon as she sees the love between Romeo and Juliet she forgets about Paris and is more than happy to act as a messenger between the two and help them to arrange their wedding.
The next time that we meet he Nurse is in act 2,scene 4 she enters the scene in all her finery, with her hand man Peter. The scene is set in a square in Verona. She is looking for Romeo so she can find out the plans for the upcoming wedding between Romeo and Juliet. When the Nurse finds Romeo he is with his friends Benvolio and Mercutio. She is pretending to be noble this shows the comical role of the nurse in the play as the audience would find this funny. But Romeo and his friends see through her and begin to poke fun at her. She pretends to act shocked, which would be comical to the audience, but we know from earlier in the play that she is really finding this banter amusing. But once she has Romeo alone we see the closeness of her relationship with Juliet shining through, “But first let me tell ye, if ye should lead her into a fools paradise, as they say, it were a very gross kind of behaviour.” But once Romeo has reassured her of his good intentions she is back on side and willing to continue with the wedding plans.
Next time we see the Nurse is back at Capulet’s mansion in act 2,scene 5 when she has returned from her visit to Romeo. She at this point in the play knows more than Juliet does, as she now knows about the wedding plans. This she uses to her advantage, as now she has power over Juliet and she tries to make it last as long as possible. So, when Juliet enquires about Romeo’s plans the nurse goes on about being out of breath and avoids the subject and then completely throws the subject off by enquiring on the whereabouts of Lady Capulet. At this point Juliet is starting to get annoyed with the Nurse and demands to know what Romeo said.
At this point the Nurse sees the longing in Juliet’s eyes and tells her of Romeos plans for them to be married.
The Nurse is also involved in act 3, scene 5 when Juliet says that she does not want to marry Paris and her father Capulet begins to shout at her and threaten to abandon her if she does not go through with the marriage. Now we see her closeness with Juliet kick in again. She attempts to stand up to the brunt of Capulet and is very quickly reminded of her place in the family and how she is a servant and has no right to question Capulet’s authority. After the argument ends you can see how this affects the Nurse as when Juliet begs her to help get her out of her marriage to Paris the nurse says, “Romeo is banished, and all the world to nothing that he dares ne’er come back to challenge you; Or if he do, it needs must be by stealth. Then since the case so stands as now it doth, I think it best that you married with the county. O, he’s a lovely gentleman!” Showing that she has remembered her place in society.
The final appearance of the Nurse is in act 4, scene 5 when she discovers what she presumes to be Juliet’s dead body and we see her true feelings for Juliet in the form of true grief. “O lamentable day.”, “O heavy day”, “O hateful day! Never was seen so black a day as this.” This shows the Nurses true feeling for Juliet she was as close to her as a mother and took the death as if she were Juliet’s mother.
So in conclusion the Nurse is a vital part of the play, for the comedy that she brings in. And also because without the Nurse Romeo and Juliet would of never got together in the first place.