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Origins
The Nurse is a character in Arthur Brooke's poem The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, which served as Shakespeare's main source text. The Nurse plays a similar role in Brooke's poem, though she is less critical of Paris and is banished for the events that took place.1
Role in the play
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The Nurse is sent by Juliet in act two, scene four to seek out Romeo the night after their first kiss and exchange of vows. The Nurse finds Romeo in act two, scene four and soon after returns to Juliet with news of Romeo's continued affection. It is because of the Nurse's approval that Juliet ultimately decides to go through with marrying Romeo.
Later, the Nurse is present at the death site of Tybalt. Overcome with grief, she runs to Juliet and cries that "he's dead, he's dead, he's dead! We are undone, lady, we are undone! Alack the day! he's gone, he's kill'd, he's dead!"2 The Nurse is the one to deliver the news of Romeo's banishment to Juliet; in spite of Tybalt's murder coming from Romeo's hands, she seeks out Romeo at Friar Lawrence's cell for one final night with Juliet before he flees to Mantua.
When Juliet learns that her parents expect her to marry Paris, the Nurse urges the girl to go ahead with the marriage. Even though Juliet was already married to Romeo, the Nurse felt that Juliet would never see her husband again. Following this, Juliet feels betrayed and decides never to share any more of her secrets with the Nurse.
The Nurse discovers Juliet under the spell of Friar Lawrence's potion in act four, scene five, and the grief of her death as seriously as she mourned Tybalt. She is, finally, present at the real deathbed of Romeo, Juliet, and Paris, though speechless. Indeed, she loses perhaps the most dearest friends of anyone, having suffered through the deaths of her husband, Susan, Tybalt, Romeo, and Juliet.
Analysis
In choosing forms, Shakespeare matches the poetry to the character who uses it. Friar Lawrence, for example, uses sermon and sententiae forms, and the Nurse uses a unique blank verse form that closely matches colloquial speech.3
The Nurse is quick to become swept up in the romance of the title characters. While Friar Laurence agrees to marry Romeo to Juliet in an attempt to mend the dispute between the two families, the Nurse sees their union as one of legitimate romance. The Nurse recognizes that Juliet shows no interest in Paris' courting and is the only member of the older generation to take Juliet's feelings into consideration…that is, until she suddenly betrays Juliet's trust by saying that she should marry Paris. Only to the nurse does Juliet confide her feelings about both Paris and Romeo. The formal language Juliet uses around Paris, as well as the way she talks about him to her Nurse, show that her feelings clearly lie with Romeo.4
The Nurse also admits to being something of a fool, proclaiming that "were not I thy [Juliet's] only nurse, I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat."5 She is implied to be ugly by Mercutio, who urges the Nurse's servant Peter to fetch her fan quickly, "to hide her face; for her fan's the fairer face." Mercutio also mentions her age, calling her an "ancient lady" as he exits from the same scene.
The Nurse is also a frequent user of malapropisms, once again indicating her lower intelligence.
Performance history
A short sample of famous screen Nurses follows:
- Miriam Margolyes in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.
- Pat Heywood in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film.
- Edna May Oliver in the 1936 film.
- Flora Robson in the 1954 fim.
Notes
References
- Halio, Jay (1998). Romeo and Juliet. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1. ISBN 0-313-30089-5.
