the nurse

• What is the relationship between Juliet and the Nurse?

  The Nurse was Juliet's wet nurse and they have a close relationship, with the Nurse essentially acting as a surrogate parent to Juliet.
• Why does Shakespeare use blank verse for the Nurse's dialogue in Act 1 Scene 3?

  Shakespeare uses blank verse for the Nurse's dialogue to highlight her importance as a character, rather than just a source of comic relief. The blank verse symbolizes the Nurse's close relationship with Juliet, transcending her lower class status.
• What is a malapropism?

  A malapropism is the misuse of a word for humorous effect, where the word used sounds similar to the correct word but has a very different meaning.
• How does the Nurse's use of malapropisms contribute to the comedy in the play?

  The Nurse's use of malapropisms, such as saying "protest" instead of "propose", adds humor and comedy to the play, lightening the mood.
• How does the relationship between Juliet and the Nurse change over the course of the play?

  As Juliet matures and becomes a woman, she starts to distance herself from the Nurse, who represents her childhood. This is seen when Juliet sends the Nurse away on the night she fakes her own death.
• Why is the Nurse's absence from the final scene of the play significant?

  The Nurse's absence from the final scene is significant because she represents the nurturing and comedic attributes that are lost in the tragic social order presented at the end of the play.
• What are the three main types of speech used by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet?

  • Blank verse: Iambic pentameter without rhyme, used for upper-class and noble characters
  • Prose: Ordinary written language without a specific rhyme scheme or metrical structure, used for lower-class characters and comic scenes
  • Rhymed verse: Lines that rhyme, often in iambic pentameter, used for specific effects
• How does the Nurse's role in the play evolve over time?

  • At the start, the Nurse represents nurturing and comedy, acting as a surrogate parent to Juliet
  • As the play progresses, the Nurse's relationship with Juliet weakens as Juliet matures and distances herself from the Nurse
  • By the end of the play, the Nurse's absence from the final scene symbolizes the loss of the nurturing and comedic attributes she represented