Who Was Susan In Romeo And Juliet?

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Discuss the role of the nurse in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, paying particular attention to three scenes in which the nurse plays an important role. You may wish to focus on the way she adds humour to the play and the dramatic impact she has on the audience

In this essay I am going to discuss the role of the nurse through three scenes where the nurse plays an important role.

‘Romeo and Juliet’ is undoubtedly one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, it is based upon Arthur Brookes poem ‘The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet’ written in 1562.

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‘Romeo and Juliet’ is set in fifteenth century Verona, Italy and makes the ideal setting for such a vibrant and extravagant play. There have been many different versions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, dating back from ‘the globe’, too Baz Lurhmann’s interpretation of the play.

Like all Shakespeare’s works, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is set out into five different scenes.

The first act is an exposition of the rest of the play, as we discover the situations and dispositions of the main characters, and it shows the basic plot, which makes the rest of the play easier to understand.

It introduces the rivalry and trouble between the two families. We are introduced to the Nurse, through her long-winded speech on the wet nursing and growth of Juliet. In this way we are told of Juliet’s age and her therefore eligibility for marriage. Her bawdiness is an opposite of Juliet’s mother and can be seen as light relief and as a reminder of the real purpose of marriage.

It becomes apparent that the nurse is very close to Juliet and is impressed by the suitor whom Juliet is being persuaded to marry.

” A man, young lady! Lady, such a man as all the world… why, he’s a man of wax!” (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 73-74)

This is also the act where Romeo and Juliet first meet and fall in love.

In act two Romeo and Juliet exchange vows, and through the nurse and the friar they arrange to marry. The Nurse must first endure the mocking of Romeos friends. The Nurses role is one of a go-between and she is portrayed as one who is enjoying the power it gives her.

“O God’s Lady dear!

Are you so hot? Marry, come up, I trow.

Is this the poultice for my aching bones?

Henceforth do your messages yourself.” Act 2, Scene 4,lines 62- 65.

The scene concludes with Romeo and Juliet marrying.

Act three begins with a fight that results in by the end of the day in the death of Juliet’s cousin and Romeos friend. It effectively kills any hope of the two families finding peace and is also the end of any hope for Romeo and Juliet. It is also the beginning of the end for the loyalty of the Nurse. She is clearly upset and angry about Tybalts death by Romeos hands but is still prepared to help Juliet for one last time.

“Will you speak well of him that killed your cousin?”Act3, Scene2,line96.

After Romeo and Juliet, part she is confronted by her family who insist that she marries Paris. Again the Nurse plays a vital role as she betrays the lovers by advising Juliet to marry Paris and forget Romeo. Juliet at that moment becomes alone and estranged from her only confidante.

Act four sees Juliet turn to the Friar who offers her a way to escape marriage to Paris. In this way she must feign death as the family prepares for her wedding. Juliet has shunned the nurse, tricking her in the same way as the rest of her family.

Act Five is where fate catches up with Romeo and Juliet. It is fate that stops the message of Juliet’s deception to reach Romeo. It is also fate that Juliet stirs only moments after Romeo kills himself believing her dead. Juliet is betrayed by the last time when the Friar hides and is unable to prevent her real suicide. By the end of the last scene five of Verona’s young people are dead and it is only at this point that the warring families stop.

When the nurse first emerges in act one scene three she is characterized as a vulgar commoner, but the effect the unnamed servant has on the play is momentous. Shakespeare changes her status from a lower class maid, to a member of the Capulet household.

“No less nay bigger. Women grow by men” (Act one, Scene 3, Line 93)

This demonstrates the nurses crudeness and her use of sexual implication. The nurse has obviously brought up Juliet since she was a child and has even breastfed her.

“Though wast the prettiest babe that I ever nursed” (Act one, Scene three, Line 58)

The nurse also refers to daughter Susan who had passed away.

“well, Susan is with god; she was too good for me”

This also shows that the nurse takes dignity in her reminiscence. The nurse uses Juliet as a substitute for her daughter Susan, and would do anything to please and fulfil her wishes.

The nurse helps lady Capulet communicate with her daughter because it is implied that she cannot talk to her face to face. This also demonstrates how loving the nurse is towards the family and how the family see her as a member of the Capulet’s.

The nurse irritates Lady Capulet because she doesn’t stop talking, which brings hilarity to tragedy.

“enough of this; I pray thee, hold thy peace”

Here is a fine example of what lady Capulet of the nurses long, base speeches and her sexual insinuation.

During the ‘masked ball’, when Romeo and Juliet first meet, the nurse acts a go-between for them. Romeo and Juliet both ask several questions concerning each other separately. The nurse gives her typical answer.

“I tell you he that can lay hold of her, shall have the chinks”

She is also rebuking Juliet for talking to Romeo after she found out that he was from the Montague family sect. She also appears in the ‘Balcony Scene’ and she is calling for Juliet. To juxtapose the romantic interaction, if the nurse wasn’t there, then Lady Capulet would have been calling her and their romance would have been discovered.

The nurse is a source of mockery when she goes to see Romeo. The ridiculers are Romeo’s friend Mercutio and his cousin Benvolio

“Good Peter to, hide her face; for her fans the fairer of the two”

Here they are stating that the fan looks better than her. The nurse forewarns Romeo about the consequences of leading Juliet astray.

“If ye should lead her in a fools paradise”

This enhances our understanding of the play by indicating that if Romeo mistreats Juliet, the nurse will not let him of easily. In this way, the nurse asserts her concern and support for the well being of Juliet while maintaining her authoritative role. The nurse is also showing her hilarity by having by having an argument with the Montague’s. The nurse has been very courageous to venture into the Montague territory and has undertaken all this for Juliet. This again shows how thoughtful and considerate she is to her surrogate daughter.

The most humorous scene is act two scene five. The nurse is bantering about whether or not Romeo has given the answer concerning the wedding propos. The nurse deviates from one point to another to get on Juliet’s nerves, and make her worried about whether or not her lover has accepted her request of marriage. The nurse falsely claims that she is of ill health. This is also done to make Juliet uncomfortable. When the nurse finally tells her she spits it out quickly, thus shocking the desperate Juliet.

In the next scene that we meet the nurse,,, is when she narrates the death of Juliet’s cousin to the daughter of Montague. She is astounded when she finds out what happened. This scene shows another episode in the play when the nurse is emotional and not full of comedy. People may think the nurse is overreacting compared to the death of Juliet. The nurse also has to break the news that Romeo murdered Tybalt after an argument with his friend.

“Oh Tybalt, Oh Tybalt, the best friend I had”

She promises Juliet that she will go to Romeo and give him the ring from her

“Hie to your chamber, ill find Romeo to comfort you”

Once again she is used as a go-between once again in the play. This is one of her most important roles.

The nurse’s betrayal begins in act three scene five. The nurse decides that Juliet would be better of with Paris

“I think it best you marry with the county, O, he’s a lovely Gentleman”

She also changes her mind about what she thinks of Romeo, calling him a “Dishcloth” compared to Paris, the nurse changes her loyalty. During the first part of the play, it is evident that the nurse is encouraging a union of a marriage between Romeo and Juliet. Act three Scene Five suggests a movement of loyalty. This may be because the nurse relives she is deceiving her employers.

At this point, Juliet has lost her only confidant and no longer has a “shoulder to cry on”.

The last time we see the nurse is when Juliet has taken the poison and is pretending to be dead. The nurses reaction is genuine distraught and devastation

“Alas, Alas! Help! Help! My lady’s dead! …, Most lamentable day! …Most woeful day …Ever did I yet behold”.

From this, you see that the nurse is feeling guilty about betraying Juliet.

In the final scenes, the nurse is not included. You could argue that Shakespeare ignored her character because she betrayed Juliet.

In conclusion the role of the nurse is an important one as it is she who creates tension. The audience is able to gain a further understanding into the roles of both Romeo and Juliet, because of the way they interact with the nurse.

Although it may not apparent at first, it is clear that the nurse is the character who makes the play work. Her role is such that if her character were absent from the play, the play would definitely not have concluded in the way it does. It is the nurse who has a major role in developing the relationship between Romeo and Juliet, and at the same time it is her who is partly responsible for their deaths. Despite this, it can be argued that the nurse has many functions. To summarize, these are that of a go between, a surrogate mother and to add humour to play. She creates dramatic irony and enables development of the plot and other characters.

Overall, Shakespeare uses the nurse as a toll to move the play forward. The nurses role is of paramount importance and it can be said that the play would not function without her.

Roman Owens
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