How Shakespeare Portrays the Nurse as a Servant in Romeo and Juliet

How Shakespeare Portrays the Nurse as a Servant in Romeo and Juliet

The nurse was a servant in the Capulet’s household. Her main job is to

look after Juliet, and she has done since Juliet was a baby. When

Juliet was a baby the nurse had the duty to breast feed her

“When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple

Of my dug, and felt it bitter, pretty fool.”

This was a reminiscence of the nurse when the wormwood was put on the

nurse’s nipple to stop Juliet from breast feeding. Even though Nurse

has an important role in the household she is still treated and

behaves like a servant.

“Nurse, give leave awhile,

We must talk in secret.”

Here we can see Lady Capulet is giving orders to Nurse which shows she

behaves as a servant.

Although Nurse is a servant she does have privileges herself. She is

included in family discussions which other servants wouldn’t be.

“Nurse, give leave awhile.

We must talk in secret. Nurse come back again,

I have remembered me, thou’s hear our counsel.”

Using this quotation again, we can see that Lady Capulet perhaps

realises that it’s the nurse that raised Juliet, and possibly wants

Nurse’s opinion on what the subject she will proceed on to talk about.

Another privilege of the Nurse shown in the play is that she has a

servant of her own.

“My fan Peter.”

This is an example of one of the orders Nurse gives to her servant,

showing that she is privileged. In the play we can see that the nurse

is at times, thought of more than just a servant. She has opinions

that is heard by the Capulet’s and she also says what’s on her mind

when it is perhaps not needed, but the Capulet’s don’t seem to mind

her speaking out of line, or when they do tell her to be quiet she

sometimes just ignores what was said.

“Lady Capulet: Enough of this, I prithee hold

thy peace.