The Nurse In Romeo And Juliet

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