Discuss the role of the nurse in "Romeo and Juliet"
.... She's not fourteen." She then goes onto describe Juliets childhood until finally Juliet says, "And stint thou too, I pray thee, Nurse, say I." Lady Capulet asks the Nurse to leave at the beginning of Act 1 scene 3 because she wants to talk to Juliet in private, but then she thinks better of it and asks the Nurse to come back. "This is the matter, Nurse, give leave a while...Nurse,come back again." This tells us alot about the Nurse's relationship with Juliet. The Nurse is more of a mother to Juliet than Lady Capulet ever was, even Lady Capulet knows this. The Nurse bought Juliet up, she even nursed her, "For I had then laid wormwood to my dug." From this scene the audience gather the impression that the Nurse is going to be the comedy character in Romeo and Juliet. But not for her wit or intelligence but for her tendency to repeat things and her vulgarity. The second scene the Nurse appears in is Act 1 scene 5, this is the Capulet party scene. The fact that the Nurse is actually at this party clarifies that the Nurse is definately a Capulet. Notice at the end of the scene Juliet asks the Nurse who Romeo is, "What's he that follows there, that would not dance?" This shows that Juliet views the Nurse as more of a friend than anyone else. This also tells us something about the Nurse, whoever Juliet asks about the Nurse knows the answer, "The son and heir of old Tiberio." The Nurse may not know as much as anyone else but she does know about Verona and it's society. The only person that Juliet tells about her love for Romeo and plans to marry is the Nurse. The Nurse may be hired by Lady Capulet but the audience are made to feel that her loyalty lies with Juliet. She sends the Nurse to see Romeo and arrange their marriage, while the Nurse is there she warns Romeo not to take advantage of Juliet's innocence,"If ye shall lead her into a fool's paridise, it were a very gross kind of behaviour." This is a very protective gesture towards Juliet, and furtherns the understanding of Juliet and the Nurse's relationship.It gives the impression that the Nurse is the only one in the play looking out for Juliet and looking out for her best interests. Juliet trusts the Nurse to get the message to Romeo and keep it confidential, this makes the audience think that the Nurse is part of the secret and makes us look at her again from our first impression and maybe amend it.The audience begin to empathise more with the Nurse as she is essential to the plot in addition to being funny. The Nurse is the communication link between Romeo and Juliet, she helped to put them together. She even helped them to spend their wedding night together. "I must another way, To fetch a ladder, by which your love Must climb a bird's nest soon when it is dark." So, when the Nurse tells Juliet to marry Paris, "I think its best you married with the county." The audience feel betrayed aswell as Juliet. They think the Nurse that they've built a picture of in their minds is a lie. It feels that the Nurse has turned her back on Juliet and that she is now alone in her love for Romeo. She has no-one supporting her now. This is the point where Juliet stops trusting the Nurse and doesn't include her in her pl...