Nurse Flashcards
(18 cards)
Overview
Overview
Shakespeare uses the character of the Nurse as a vehicle to bring attention to the capacity for those of lower social status to demonstrate acts of love and care towards others. Initially, the Nurse is introduced to the audience as a pseudo-maternal figure as she treats Juliet almost as her own daughter. She also inadvertently acts as comedic relief at various points in the play which sometimes seeks to frustrate other characters. It is the Nurse who discovers Juliet’s ‘dead body’ at the close of the play with her reaction making clear how distraught she is to have lost someone so dear to her.
Opening quotes
‘Now by my maidenhead at twelve year old, I bade her come. What, lamb! What, ladybird!’
‘Susan and she - God rest all Christian souls! - were of an age’
‘Go girl, seek happy nights to happy nights to happy days’
Middle quotes
‘I anger her sometimes, and tell her that Paris is the properer man’
“These sudden joys have sudden ends.’
‘Will you speak well of him that kill’d your cousin?’
‘To comfort you, I wot well where he is. Hark ye.’
Ending quotes
‘Why, lamb! Why lady! … Why, love, I say! madam! sweet heart!
‘O woe! O woeful, woeful, woeful day!’
‘Never was seen so black a day as this’
Beginning Opening
At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare initially presents the Nurse as a humorous and affectionate maternal figure, whose excitable nature and emotional warmth establish her as Juliet’s closest confidante.
‘Now by my maidenhead at twelve year old, I bade her come. What, lamb! What, ladybird!’
- Shakespeare introduces the Nurse as a melodramatic and deeply affectionate character through her use of exclamatory phrases and animal imagery, which reflect her motherly fondness for Juliet.
- The terms “lamb” and “ladybird” both carry connotations of innocence and fragility, establishing the closeness of their bond.
- She is prone to rambling , perhaps to capture her emotional exuberance and excitement
- Furthermore, the Nurse’s reminiscence of her virginity at twelve subtly reinforces the patriarchal norms surrounding female chastity and youth, while also offering the audience a glimpse into her own lower-class background and personal history
“Thou wast the prettiest babe that e’er I nursed.
- Here, the Nurse is depicted as a pseudo-maternal figure, her speech laced with nostalgia and pride.
- The superlative “prettiest” expresses deep personal affection, suggesting Juliet holds a unique place in the Nurse’s heart.
- Through this fond anecdote, Shakespeare positions her as Juliet’s primary caregiver, arguably more emotionally invested than Lady Capulet, highlighting how surrogate family bonds can be more emotionally significant than blood relations.
- This emotional intimacy reinforces the Nurse’s role as Juliet’s true confidante.
‘Susan and she - God rest all Christian souls! - were of an age’
- Shakespeare uses dashes and exclamation to add emotional weight to this anecdote, revealing the lingering grief the Nurse feels over her own daughter’s death.
- The deliberate mention of Susan — a lost child — parallels Juliet’s age and subtly underscores the close pseudo-maternal bond
- The fragmented syntax exposes the Nurse’s vulnerability, setting her apart from the more emotionally restrained upper class
- Shakespeare crafts a woman whose love is shaped by personal loss, inviting the audience to empathise with her need to fill the maternal void left by Susan’s death.
‘Go girl, seek happy nights to happy nights to happy days’
- This line reveals the Nurse’s earthy humour and sexual openness, contrasting starkly with the chastity idealised by Juliet’s parents.
- The imperatives “go” and “seek” express her enthusiastic encouragement, demonstrating her genuine care and desire for Juliet’s happiness.
- The repetition of “happy”, indicates nurse’s geuine care for her although it carries an ironic undercurrent in light of the play’s tragic ending.
- The Nurse’s permissive attitude toward love and sex also challenges the era’s expectations of female propriety, while also providing comedic relief
Middle opening
As the play progresses, the Nurse’s guidance becomes increasingly conflicted, revealing the tension between her genuine care for Juliet, yet she remains loyal
‘I anger her sometimes, and tell her that Paris is the properer man’
- By admitting to angering Juliet, the Nurse is portrayed as a realistic, caregiver—not blindly supportive, but someone with her own beliefs and biases.
- The adjective “properer” highlights the Nurse’s practical worldview, suggesting she values social stability over romantic passion, showing the clashing views and how generations differ
- Despite her disapproving, she respects Juliet’s wishes to be with Romeo as she delivers Juliet’s letter to him anyways, highlighting her as trustworthy as Juliet confides in her and not Lady Capulet
“These sudden joys have sudden ends.’
- Shakespeare uses foreshadowing in conjunction with oxymoronic language to express the nurse’s perceived dangers of impulsivity
- This line shows a rare moment of wisdom, implying that even the Nurse recognises the dangers of impulsive love, an attribute often linked to Friar
- The repetition of ‘sudden’ connotes instability, creating the impression that joy can swiftly turn into tragedy.
- Her rare prudence is drowned out by her usual rashness, but it adds nuance to her character, demonstrating that she is not entirely oblivious to the consequences of romantic haste.
‘Will you speak well of him that kill’d your cousin?’
- The rhetorical question underscores the Nurse’s re-alignment with family honour , revealing a shift from her earlier blind loyalty, while also showing the extent of the conflict as the nurse is not a capulet, yet still has a sense of family loyalty
- This change in attitude can be seen as a betrayal from Juliet’s perspective, but from the Nurse’s point of view, it seems logical and highlights her understanding of right and wrong.
- Shakespeare shows her as a character caught between affection and morality, torn between loyalty to Juliet and societal expectations.
‘To comfort you, I wot well where he is. Hark ye.’
- In this moment of quiet devotion, the Nurse returns to her role as Juliet’s emotional support, going above and beyond her expectations for Juliet’s happiness
- The expression “wot well” illustrates her humble speech and eagerness to act, even when conflicted.
- Her willingness to let go of patriarchal and generational differences juxtaposes with parents of Juliet, emphasising how she prioritises Juliet’s emotional wellbeing over all else
Shakespeare paints her as a loyal yet fallible character, capable of making mistakes but ultimately driven by love.
Ending opening
By the end of the play, the Nurse’s emotional devastation at Juliet’s apparent death highlights the depth of their bond, reinforcing her role as a surrogate mother whose grief is genuine
‘Why, lamb! Why lady! … Why, love, I say! madam! sweet heart!
- The repetition of affectionate nicknames and exclamation marks create a sense of escalating panic and urgency.
- These terms echo her earlier endearments, reinforcing how her affection for Juliet has remained throughout the whole play.
- The fact that juliet stays a “lamb” ( a term connoting gentleness and innocence ) foreshadows her premature death.
- Her frantic speech conveys genuine care, but also a lack of control, showing how powerless she becomes by the play’s climax.
- Shakespeare uses this to underscore how even those with the purest intentions are unable to alter fate, reinforcing the tragedy’s inevitability.
‘O woe! O woeful, woeful, woeful day!’
- Here, the Nurse’s grief is conveyed through intense repetition and limited vocabulary, which reflects both her emotional devastation and social class.
- Her language lacks the poetic elegance of other characters, but enhances the authenticity of her mourning.
- The overuse of “woeful” paints her as overwhelmed and helpless, heightening the emotional impact.
- Shakespeare contrasts her visceral lament with Lady Capulet’s more detached response, reminding the audience that love and grief transcend class boundaries.
‘Never was seen so black a day as this’
- Shakespeare uses hyperbolic language and colour imagery to communicate the Nurse’s profound sorrow.
- The metaphor “black a day” associates Juliet’s death with the extinguishing of light and joy from the Nurse’s life, suggesting Juliet brought hope that has now vanished.
- This evokes empathy amongst the audience , particularly given her earlier memories of Susan, and positions Juliet as her second lost child.
- The Nurse’s devastation is a testament to her enduring love, and her grief reflects the far-reaching emotional toll of the play’s central conflict
