Preview

Romeo and Juliet - 'the Nurse Fills the Role of Juliet’s Mother and Friar Laurence Acts as Romeo’s Father. Discuss the Importance of These Characters in Romeo and Juliet. '

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1023 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Romeo and Juliet - 'the Nurse Fills the Role of Juliet’s Mother and Friar Laurence Acts as Romeo’s Father. Discuss the Importance of These Characters in Romeo and Juliet. '
The Nurse fills the role of Juliet’s mother and Friar Laurence acts as Romeo’s father. Discuss the importance of these characters in Romeo and Juliet.

In Shakespeare’s marvellous play Romeo and Juliet, we witness an unreal love affair between two teenagers in Fair Verona who are guided by two major characters: the Nurse, and Friar Laurence. Both of these characters each help accompany both Romeo and Juliet in their four day adventure through the ups and downs of one of the most powerful forces on the planet, which is love. These two characters, the Nurse and Friar Laurence, are incredibly important in the mystical journey of Romeo and Juliet, as they provide a loving factor that neither parent of Romeo nor Juliet could provide: parental guidance. The Nurse was able to fill in the role of Juliet’s mother when Lady Capulet was absent from Juliet’s younger years, when she was finding her feet so to speak. Friar Laurence acted as a sort of peace keeper and adviser to Romeo during Romeo’s later years. The Friar filled in the role of Romeo’s father through the tough times Romeo was faced with in both his later years, as well as his final days.

The Nurse acts as a mother to Juliet in many ways all throughout the play, and even before the play. When Juliet is in a time of hardship, it is the Nurse she turns to as opposed to her mother. The motherly figure in a girl’s life is often dependent upon whom she feels fits the position best, and in this case, it is the Nurse, not her true mother being Lady Capulet. It is evident that Juliet feels this way about the Nurse because in the scene in which Juliet is faced with the rage of her Father forcing her to marry Paris, she clearly turns away from her Mother for guidance. Instead, she asks the Nurse to comfort her. “What say’st thou? hast thou not a word of joy? Some comfort, Nurse.” Juliet clearly says to the Nurse, asking her for comfort. Not only this, however the Nurse practically raised Juliet to be the girl that she

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The story of Romeo and Juliet is the best tragedy ever to be written. The tale of two adolescents taking their lives because of their love for one another has inspired a lot of controversy as to whether the adults surrounding these adolescents could have done something to prevent this tragedy. The truth is the adults in the situation are ultimately to blame for the deaths of their love struck teens. This essay will explain why Friar Laurence, Nurse and to a lesser extent Mercutio, caused the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare, Nurse has a major role in the play. She is the messenger between Romeo and Juliet. Nurse planned the wedding of the Romeo and Juliet. Moreover, she was the one to figure out that Juliet is dead. She shows motivation in a lot of ways but most significantly in family obligation, loyalty and much more. The Nurse keeps the secret hidden from everyone about Juliet. Because of the Nurse, Juliet’s parents does not find out about her marriage and do not get suspicious. In the play, the Nurse has a goal and a motivation for keeping Romeo and Juliet together. She is motivated by love, passion, misunderstanding, and fear.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo & Juliet we look at two star-crossed lovers, from opposite sides of an ancient grudge in the town of Verona and their struggle between fate and freewill. Shakespeare deliberately creates characters that can be held accountable for the tragic deaths of the central roles. Their untimely demise can be attributed to four contributing factors: The poor advice of Friar Lawrence and the Nurse, the two feuding households, the impulsive behaviour of our chief protagonists and the cruel bitter irony of fortune.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare follows two ill-fated lovers who marry against their feuding families’ wishes. In the tragedy, Juliet makes several impulsive decisions. The Nurse sticks by her side and tries to help with the consequences of Juliet’s hasty decisions. Yet, when the hard times progress, the Nurse feels the need to share her feelings about the predicament. The Nurse uses her motherly instincts to protect Juliet; yet, Juliet misperceives the advice as betrayal and is unaware that these suggestions encourage her own well-being.…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was written in the Elizabethan era towards the end of the sixteenth century. The play presents a poignant tragedy the magnitude of which transcends the passage of time and culture. Among the themes of universal relevance that contribute to the tragedy are fate and the personality flaws of key characters. At the conclusion of the play, these themes combine to evoke profound sorrow both within the audience and among the play’s surviving characters.…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Romeo is the son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague but is also best friends with Mercutio and his cousin Benvolio. Romeo has a stronger bond to Friar Lawrence than he does with his parent and this makes the Friar the father figure of Romeo just like how the nurse is for Juliet. Verona respected and loved him; in addition, he was also a handsome man who falls easily in and out of love. During the play, Romeo’s character evolves from adolescence to adulthood as a result of his love for Juliet and his inherited involvement in the feud between the Capulets and Montagues.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Friar and the Nurse were in Romeo and Juliet's lives for a long time and they were involved in their lives. The Friar…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the nurse, Juliet’s guardian and confidante, plays an essential role in the romance and ultimately the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The nurse, who obtains the paramount qualities of vulgarity, fierceness, and compassion, provides stability in the relationship between the two star-crossed lovers and realism and humor to the story. Firstly, the nurse’s vulgarity brings about comic relief. While telling Lady Capulet and Juliet a story about raising Juliet, she makes a sexual comment, saying that Juliet “wilt fall backward when {she} hast more wit,” (I, III, 45). She, being a low-class nurse, directs the remark toward Juliet, whose blood is purple. Although the nurse lacks sophistication and respect, the…

    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    2. What role do Friar Laurence and the Nurse have in the events of the play? Do you feel that they are responsible for ultimately helping or hurting Romeo and Juliet? Please use and cite at least one(1) quote from the play. Answer should be at least one(1) paragraph.…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Nurse, Juliet’s confidante, nanny and best friend, could also be accused of being highly responsible for the death of Romeo and…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the duration of the play, it is obvious Juliet’s Nurse always wanted the best for Juliet, as their bond was always tight; however, the Nurse’s support for Juliet also played a large role in the disastrous death of both Juliet and her lover, Romeo. Throughout the text, the Nurse constantly went back and forth organising for Romeo and Juliet to meet, acting as their ‘go-between.’ A crucial part of the play is the wedding of Romeo and Juliet, which would not have been possible unless the Nurse delivered messages between them. As the play progresses, it was in fact the Nurse’s idea to bring Romeo to…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a tragedy about two young lovers, whose passionate love is ended by the fated death of both parties. The sad conclusion of their young love is also caused by many others besides the protagonists Romeo and Juliet; some shall be pardoned; while some shall be punished. Juliet’s beloved mother-figure- the Nurse, does not deserve the audience’s scorn. Friar John, the Franciscan monk who plays a part in the death of Romeo, should also, be forgiven. Friar Laurence and Capulet, on the other hand, have many faults that contribute to the end results, of which I will discuss further.…

    • 2388 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is about ‘two star crossed lovers’ separated by their families’ hate toward each other. The author William Shakespeare develops this drama toward the conclusion of the lovers’ inevitable deaths. From time to time, it seems that fate is against Romeo and Juliet. On the other hand, there are times when involvements of other characters change the direction of the play. Two of the characters that shape the tragedy are Juliet’s Nurse and Friar Lawrence. These two characters had motivation and decisions which affected the outcomes of Romeo and Juliet.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Shakespearian play Romeo and Juliet is a well known story about star-crossed lovers whose fates end in tragedy. The deaths of these two lovers can be held responsible on two main characters, Friar Lawrence and the Nurse yet out of the two, who is more liable? Friar Lawrence is a priest who marries the two lovers, gives Juliet a fake potion to prevent her from marrying Paris, fails to send the letter to Romeo telling him about his plan and selfishly runs away from Juliet in fear that he would get into trouble for his involvement. The Nurse is Juliet’s lifelong caregiver who helps Juliet and her lover get married, becomes their “messenger” and later on in the play, changes her mind on who Juliet should be with. The physical actions and guidance of both the Friar and Nurse demonstrate their liability for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Although, it is undeniable that Friar Lawrence is more to blame than the Nurse on the deaths of Romeo and Juliet through his guidance, advice and physical actions throughout the play.…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The nurse is responsible of Romeo & Juliet is because she secretive. To begin the nurse didn't tell anyone about the marriage of Romeo and Juliet. "Pray you sir, a word-my young lady told me to find you. What she told me to say. I will keep to myself for now". First the nurse knows more than Juliets mom. So the nurse is like a mother to Juliet. She's trustworthy to Juliets marriage. In addition the nurse & friar Laurence…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays