Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Friar Laurence and the Nurse Essay
The Nurse and Friar Laurence have a great influence on the outcome of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s famous play, Romeo and Juliet. Their words and actions have an enourmous impact on the two main characters. The Friar acts as Romeoââ¬â¢s friend, philosopher, and guide. This is a parallel role to the Nurse who advises Juliet. They continuously work together to find ways for the young adults to marry in hopes of uniting the two and bringing peace to Verona. Their roles as parent figures compel them to help the two adolescents marry. The Nurse and Friar Laurence are kind and meaningful characters who positively contribute to the alliance and temporary happiness of Romeo and Juliet. The Friar elicits the emotions in Romeo that are usually reserved for a father. He is ready with a plan to help the secretly impassioned lovers. ââ¬Å"But come on, inconsistent young man, come with me. Iââ¬â¢ll help you with your secret wedding. This marriage may be lucky enough to turn the hatred between your familiesâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ He feels able to bring the years of feuding between the Montagues and the Capulets to an end by helping Romeo and Juliet to marry. The Nurse is a trusted family servant to Lord Capulet in Verona and she maintains an active voice in their family affairs. Lady Capulet involves the Nurse in her discussion with Juliet about her possible marriage to Paris. She has been with the Capulet family for at least fourteen years, the entirety of Julietââ¬â¢s life. The Nurse had a daughter, Susan, born on the same exact day as Juliet. Susan died, and since her death the Nurse has taken care of Juliet and become more like a mother to her than Lady Capulet. The Nurse was actually Julietââ¬â¢s wet nurse, and it is proven that a bond between a baby and one who feeds it is very strong. She uses many terms of endearment; when calling on Juliet: ââ¬Å"What, lamb? What ladybird?â⬠When Juliet speaks to her mother she speaks very formally, calling her ââ¬Å"madam.â⬠The conversation between Juliet and her mother is stilted and proper, whereas the Nurse is very open with her opinions, advice, and feelings with Juliet. When talking about Paris, she talks like a schoolgirl gossiping about Parisââ¬â¢ looks: ââ¬Å"A man, young lady! Lady such a man as all the world ââ¬â why, heââ¬â¢s a man of wax.â⬠It is the Nurse who tells Juliet that Romeo has been banished after killing Tybalt. ââ¬Å"Tybalt is gone, and Romeo banished; Romeo that killââ¬â¢d him, he is banished.â⬠The Nurse is the only guest at Romeo and Julietââ¬â¢s wedding and it is Friar Laurence who marries them. Each of these characters, therefore, has a central role in the play. It is Friar Laurence who gives Juliet the sleeping draught to be used to convince her famnily that she is dead. His letter to Romeo goes missing and this is key to Romeoââ¬â¢s suicide when he too believes that Juliet has taken her own life. It is the Nurse who finds Julietââ¬â¢s body. The two older characters whose words and actions are most central to the play, then, are the Nurse ââ¬â a positive maternal role model to Juliet ââ¬â and Friar Laurence ââ¬â a positive paternal role model to Romeo.
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