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Why does juliet have a nurse? What is the nurse’s role in the household
Nurse's role in Juliet's life
Why does juliet have a nurse? What is the nurse’s role in the household
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A key difference between William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Arthur Brooke's The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet is the character and role of Juliet's Nurse.
In Shakespeare's rendition of Brooke's poem, the Nurse prides herself for raising Juliet (Act I, scene iii, 16-48). She even feels as though she is above Lady Capulet because she breast-fed Juliet, something that Lady Capulet would never do. The Nurse has essentially raised Juliet and helped shape her into the teenager she is now. The depth of this relationship causes the Nurse to have a maternal relationship with Juliet, which is in contrast to the cold, impassionate relationship Juliet has with her actual mother. The Nurse regards Juliet as her daughter, especially since her own daughter has died, along with her husband, before the start of the play. Juliet is the only person left in Verona that the Nurse loves, and it is this love that motivates the Nurse to aid Juliet on many occasions. She voluntarily acts as a messenger between Romeo and Juliet (Act II, scene iv) and vows to keep quiet about their relationship. It is Juliet's dependence on the Nurse that allows the audience to better understand Juliet's hopelessness when the Nurse refuses to continue to help her and instead advises her to marry Paris (Act III, scene v, 215- 228). The fact that Juliet has lost the one person who constantly supported her creates a feeling of pity Juliet as she makes a desperate attempt to marry Romeo all by herself.
The loving, compassionate, and wise Nurse in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is not at all the one expressed in Brooke's The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet. In this version, the Nurse's motive behind her involvement is not due to a wish to see Juliet h...
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...hes the lesson of respect of social class.
Although the Nurse still meets a tragic end in Brooke's poem, she teaches the audience a slightly different lesson. In Brooke's version, the Nurse acts on the behalf of Juliet greedily and without compassion, which results in her exile at the end of the poem for being a cause of the tragedy (2986). Though her exile, Brooke illustrates the evil of greed as the Nurse, being only a servant, had no reason to get involved in Juliet's love affair, but does so anyway because of the money involved. The Nurse finds herself in a bad situation because of her greed, and therefore is exiled.
Interestingly enough, both Brooke and Shakespeare, though creating different versions of Juliet's Nurse, manage to teach a lesson to the audience through her faults, revealing the truth that it is ultimately one's faults that reveal their fate.
The Nurse has a stronger relationship with Juliet over her own mother, Lady Capulet. The nurse really cares for Juliet and loves her like a daughter because she lost her daughter Susan. “Susan and she-God rest all Christian souls!-/Were of an age: well, Susan is with God…”(Ⅰ,ⅲ,20-21). The Nurse lost her daughter, Susan, and she was born on the same day as Juliet. This leads me to believe that the Nurse must be replacing her own loss with the life of Juliet. The Nurse did do many things that only mothers do. “She was wean’d,-I never shall forget it…”(Ⅰ,ⅲ,26). This quote says that the nurse will never forget the day that Juliet was weaned off of her breast milk. Breastfeeding is something
the Nurse wants Juliet to be safe and happy and that she is not just
Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet were aided in their love. It was according to Romeo and Juliet love at first sight and with the help of Juliet’s closest companion the nurse and Friar Lawrence it was made possible for the lovers to exchange vows and continue their relationship behind the twos houses backs. The nurse plays a role in Juliet’s life ‘when it did taste the wormwood on the nipple’ we find out that Juliet’s and the nurse have ad a close and long term friendship with Juliet even feeding off her as a baby, this close relationship is important alter on in the play when the nurse betrays Juliet’s trust.
The nurse should be excused for her actions in the play. Although she made the decision to help Juliet without the consent of her parents, she was thinking of Juliet’s happiness.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Firstly, Juliet is misguided by the Nurse – a bawdy woman who is too caught up in her own sentimental feelings to support and direct Juliet through hers. She is responsible for encouraging Juliet’s marriage with Romeo (her lover) shortly after they meet, despite knowing that
The Nurse loves Juliet very much, but abandons her responsibility of looking after her when she allows her to become involved with Romeo. Anyone can see that the relationship is going to cause trouble. The Nurse then furthers her involvement in matters by helping to arrange the wedding between Romeo and Juliet. In her defence, you could say that she did not have much choice in the matter, as Juliet was in control, “I am the drudge and toil in your delight”.
The Nurse was also responsible for the tragic ending of the play. When Romeo and Juliet met, the Nurse became their messenger. She helped them be together even though she knew Romeo was a Montague and that Juliet's family would disapprove. The Nurse brought news to Juliet from Romeo telling her to sneak out so they could get married. She helped Juliet get out of her house by bringing her a rope ladder to climb off her balcony with and telling her parents that she went to shrift. The Nurse kept Romeo and Juliet's marriage a secret from the families. When Juliet's parents said she should marry Paris, the Nurse agreed and said that Juliet should forget about Romeo because he was in Mantua. With the Nurse no longer on her side she had no one to help her and back her up but the Friar. In this way she had a large impact on the terrible ending of Romeo and Juliet.
Secondly, the imbecile wet nurse of Juliet plays an unsupportive parental role during Juliet’s misery of losing Romeo in ba...
The Nurse was another ally to Romeo and Juliet. The Nurse loved Juliet and wanted what was best for her.
The theme that the best designs can go awry is evident in many societies throughout the ages. In Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse's actions exemplify this aphorism. She is cognizant of the draconian penalties that would befall the lovers if their forbidden love is uncovered. Because she loves Juliet and wants her to be happy, the Nurse decides to keep Romeo and Juliet's relationship a secret. By not informing Juliet's parents, the Nurse shows more fidelity to Juliet than to Lord and Lady Capulet. The Nurse’s assistance advances the lovers' relationship from an infatuation to a marriage, “I am the grudge, and toil in your delight;” (II. v. 75). Romeo and Juliet’s feelings for each other burgeon until the two become inseparable. Following Romeo's banishment and the announcement of Juliet and Paris's arranged marriage, Juliet seeks counsel from the Nurse as to what her next course of action should be. Benighted of the intensity of Juliet's feelings for Romeo, the Nurse tries to nullify Juliet's sadness by attempting to divert her...
The Nurse’s actions impacts Juliet’s decision to both marry Romeo and fake his death before marrying
In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse, by her thoughtless support of the affair between the lovers and fickle counsel, is partly to blame for the tragedy. However, it is not one factor alone that brings about the death of Romeo and Juliet, but a combination of significant actions and underlying forces.
The Nurse possesses many qualities. For example, she is very hearty towards Juliet, kind, protective, compassionate and a loving lady. In some parts of the play The Nurse can be long-winded, insensitive, arrogant, insecure and stupid at times but she loves Juliet very much, partially as she imagines that Juliet is a substitute for her own daughter Susan. She has a bawdy sense of humor, which brings out the naturalness of sex and childbearing. This is seen when she tells Juliet to look for love, - “Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days';. This displays a realistic attitude to love. Such bawdy realism is, like the ribaldry of Mercutio and company, a contrast with the tender, romantic and passionate feelings of Romeo and Juliet. The Nurse is a practical but rather stupid woman at times. She loves Juliet like her own child. Throughout the play The Nurse is very talkative. She will usually do what she believes is right or what Juliet wants, like secretly meeting with Romeo and arranging the wedding of Romeo and Juliet.
To add to the issue, the Nurse later betrays Juliet when Juliet begs her for help. “I think you are happy in this second match, For it excels your first, or, if it did not, Your first is dead, or 'twere as good he were, As living here and you no use of him.” (3.5.226-238). The Nurse goes against her previous actions and expects Juliet to forget about Romeo by dispraising him. Juliet wants to remain faithful to her husband and this betrayal, along with Capulet’s ultimatum, causes Juliet to act hastily and want to die if she wasn’t with Romeo.
...give you happiness. This is also referring back to the Romeo and Juliet effect because the nurse wants Juliet to find someone else although this just makes Juliet like Romeo even more. Juliet took this advice by staying with Romeo that led to more conflict thus leading to Juliet’s death. Therefor, the nurse is once again responsible for Juliet’s death.