Friendship In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

The key to being a good friend is to be loving and kind towards one another. Keeping each other’s secrets, and being there for each other by helping out are actions that can make someone a good friend. While reading Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, it was clear that the Nurse and Juliet had a strong bond and trusting relationship. Although this was written in the late 1500s, the similarities between modern-day friendship and the Shakespearean time period are evident. The values of friendship have not changed over the years because friends still show love for one another in the same ways. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was conflicted because she had to keep her feelings about Romeo a secret from her family. This caused her to seek someone to

Juliet told the Nurse about her love for Romeo and how they were going to get married against their parents wishes, and the Nurse helped her by going to talk to him about their wedding. She said “Is your man trustworthy? Did you never hear it said “Two can keep a secret if one doesn’t know it”?” (2.4 205-206). This reveals the Nurse’s loyalty to keeping Juliet’s secrets. She wants to make sure that Romeo’s men will keep a secret because she will keep Juliet’s secret but it is difficult to if someone else spills the beans. A modern-day example of this is in the television show “Pretty Little Liars” where all four main characters keep secrets and are willing to take them to their graves if need be. Even if they are in a situation that could get them into a lot of trouble such as being questioned by the police, they stay loyal to each other. Throughout the story, it was clear to see that the friendship in Romeo and Juliet are extremely similar to those friendships presented in the modern world. The values of friendship haven’t changed over the years because friends still show love to each other in the same ways such as being there to comfort one another, and keeping secrets for each other. Thankfully, many people still have these unspoken values which make them caring and trustworthy friends. Everyone should try to live by these standards of friendship if they want to be a good friend to