ftp.barnyard.co.uk/2015.02.ftp.barnyard.co.uk.tar/ftp.barnyard.co.uk/cpm/walnut-creek-CDROM/MBUG/MBUG186.ARC/NURSE.CHR

Text File | 1979-12-31 | 2KB | 47 lines

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From the playwright's point of view the Nurse serves many
purposes in the play.
She is useful in moving the plot forward by being a messenger
between Romeo and Juliet and she also stands out as a direct
contrast to Juliet's own character.

She is also a comic character and her words act as a release
for the audience after the tension in the more serious scenes.
Last but not least she serves to heighten our sympathy for
Juliet by playing the part of the betrayer.

However Shakespeare also gives her some depth of character of
her own and her part is a challenging role for any actress.
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We laugh at the Nurse as a garrulous old busybody with a
coarse sense of humour.
These qualities are very obvious when we first meet her in
Act I scene iii where not even Lady Capulet's coolness can
stop her talking.

She is obviously very fond of Juliet whom she has been caring
for since birth.
She is delighted to hear that Juliet may be married and her
comments serve as a contrast to Juliet's own thoughts as the
Nurse obviously thinks of marriage solely in terms of sex.

Her good relationship with Juliet is further shown when she
teases Juliet by deliberately holding back Romeo's message.
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We are at first sympathetic towards the Nurse and laugh good-
naturedly at her jokes and her mis-use of words.
Perhaps because Juliet trusts her we also come to trust her.

And so it comes as a shock to us as much as it does to Juliet
when the Nurse betrays her.
Having been abused and ordered about by her parents Juliet
turns for comfort to the Nurse in Act III scene v.
Instead of consoling her the Nurse shows great insensitivity
for Juliet's feelings by advising her to forget Romeo and
marry Paris.

Despite her closeness to Juliet she will never be able to
understand the depth of Juliet's love.