How Did The Nurse Influence Romeo And Juliet

Ella Knickmeyer
English 9-3A
Ms. Darken
1/11/23

How Did Adults Influence Romeo and Juliet?

What happens when two teenagers do not receive the love and support they need from the adults in their lives? In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, tragedy happens. In this play, teens from warring families fall in love, but face adversity in many ways and eventually both take their own lives. Throughout the play, the Nurse, Lady Capulet, and Friar Lawrence all have a strong influence on Juliet and Romeo and fail miserably to use it in a positive way, which eventually leads to their demise. The Nurse is undeniably Juliet’s mother figure, however, she does not provide her with the care a girl needs from her mother, which plays a role in Juliet’s

One scene where this is particularly evident is the one in which she is delivering the news to Juliet of her prospective suitor. She says, “Well, think of marriage now; younger than you…are made already mothers…The valiant Paris seeks you for his love”(1.3.70-75). Lady Capulet is encouraging her thirteen-year-old daughter to marry and have children. Regardless of the historical societal norms, Juliet had just said she did not dream of marriage, and Lady Capulet ignores her daughter's wishes. Although Juliet agrees to consider Paris because she feels it is her duty, this push from her mother which blatantly ignores her feelings likely causes her to feel betrayed and alone, contributing to her feeling she has no one without Romeo at the end of the play, which is what causes her to kill herself. Another instance of Lady Capulet betraying Juliet is when Capulet threatens to disown Juliet if she does not marry Paris, and Juliet looks to her mother for help. Lady Capulet refuses to speak to her, saying, “Speak not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee”(3.5.222-223). She essentially abandons her child at a time when Juliet feels entirely alone. This selfish act of self-preservation is the ultimate betrayal of her daughter and the reason Juliet has to take the potion that sets off the chain

The first in the Friar’s series of grave mistakes is marrying Romeo and Juliet. He says, “So smile the heavens upon this holy act, that after-hours with sorrow chide us not”(2.6.1-2). In the same breath as he blesses the marriage, he expresses fear that it is a bad idea. As an educated adult, leader of the church, and moral man to the couple, he should have listened to his gut, refused to marry the two, and made them understand they were being ridiculous, instead of giving in to the whims of children, which he may do simply because of a desire to be recognized as the ender of the decades-old vendetta between the Capulets and Montagues. Another awful plan imagined by the most educated character in the play is the one to fake Juliet’s death. Friar Lawrence explains to Juliet, “Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilling liquor drink thou off”(4.1.93-94). The poison plan is inherently flawed, as well as completely unnecessary. Juliet could simply leave Verona to meet Romeo. Capulet’s threat of disowning her would come true, but even if the Friar’s plan were to play out perfectly, Juliet would no longer live with the Capulet family anyway. This terrible idea allows for the miscommunication that results in Romeo’s suicide, and consequentially Juliet’s. Friar Lawrence’s final contribution to the tragic end of the play is when