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Role of the Nurse and / or Confidant in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and in Jean Racine's Phaedra The nurse in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet plays a very significant and controversial role as well as it does in Jean Racine's Phaedra. She plays a role of a good friend and counselor in many tricky issues that arise as the stories go. These significant characters of the stories embody to a great extent unconditional love and genuine friendship in order to point out the importance of female dissent from male power. Nurse is the only person that knows about the feelings that Romeo and Juliet have. Romeo and Juliets families hate each other, so they do not tell their parents, because they would be extremely angry that they were in love, and would not let Romeo and Juliet see each other. Throughout the play we see the Nurse as a comedian, or in some parts, such as Tybalts death, a serious character.
I see the nurse as motherly, as she treats Juliet as if she were her own daughter, and knows her a lot better than Juliets mother. Juliets mother did not even know her own daughters age. The nurse often acted before thinking about the problems they would cause. When Juliet and Romeo first met, the nurse asked him his name, and even though she found out he was a member of the Montague's, which was the hated family of Juliets family, she still told Juliet. Juliet said, My only love, sprung from my only hate which shows that she was very upset, and confused about what to do. The Nurse doesnt see what is so awful about it, and helps Romeo and Juliet meet in secret.
The nurse also helped Romeo and Juliet marry in secret. This shows she was more like a friend than a nurse to Juliet, as she risked her job to help Juliet. Juliet asked her to go and find Romeo, and see if he had made arrangements for their marriage. Romeo had, and said, Bid her devise some means to come to shrift this afternoon, And there she shall at Friar Lawrence cell Be strive and married. The nurse was protective of Juliet, because after Romeo had told her about the marriage arrangements she asked him if he was trustworthy, she said, Is your man secret? Did you neer hear say, Two may keep counsel, putting one away?
Romeo replied, Warrant thee, my mans as true as steel. On the other hand Racine's tightly structured dramas of obsessive and destructive love, particularly in women, remain among the masterpieces of world drama. According to Racine, passion is a very strong emotional feeling that will drive someone to use up everything, including their power, family, wealth, reputation and even commit suicide. In Phaedra, Phaedra is so much in love with her stepson Hippolytus that she can not eat or sleep. In fact, she was going insane due to her passion for him and actually wants to kill herself because of it. Her maid says to her, What frightful evil does your heart intends?
You their by wrong the gods who authored you; betray the spouse to whom your faith is due; betray your children by the same stroke, and thrust their neck beneath a heavy York. Yes, on the day their mothers life is done, proud hope will stir in someone elses son-foe, the foe of all your lineage, whom an Amazon once carried in her womb; Hippolytus... (Racine 168). Still she did not want to live without Hippolytus and went to confront him with her feelings for him. Just as Phaedra was ready to reveal her true feeling she learns that he is in love with someone else. This made her feel very jealous and ashamed so she decided to keep it quiet. Meanwhile her maid was filling Phaedra's husbands ear with tales of his son approaching his wife in an inappropriate manner.
He eventually punished his son by sending him to his wrongful death. Phaedra felt so bad she confessed the truth to her husband and restored Hippolytus good name as she tarnished her own. In the end she ends up killing herself. The nurse is a comical character and liked to tease Juliet, as shown when she returns from meeting Romeo. She gets Juliet excited and says to her, Your love says, like an honest gentleman, And a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome Juliet really wants to know what Romeo said, but the nurse teases her and changes the subject by asking where Juliets mother is. Juliet gets really angry, but when she finally finds out that the marriage ceremony has been arranged she is so happy, and forgives the nurse.
After the marriage, the nurse soon abandons Juliet. Romeo was to soon be banished as he had killed Tybalt, Juliets cousin. Juliets parents, who did not know that Juliet married Romeo, came and told her she was to marry Paris in three days. Juliet was completely against the marriage and told her father, Capulet, what she thought about it.
He is furious and is adamant that Juliet will marry Paris, and says, My fingers itch. And hits Juliet. The nurse stands up for Juliet and says God in heaven bless her! You are to blame, my lord, to rate her so.
But there is nothing else she can do to stop it, as Capulet warns her, Peace, you mumbling fool. Capulet is so angry with Juliet he leaves with his wife saying, Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee. The nurse does not understand Juliets emotional love for Romeo because the Nurse only thinks love is physical. Because of what the nurse thinks about love, she betrays Juliet by saying she should marry Paris. I think you are happy in this second match, For it excels your first, or if it did not, Your first is dead, or there as good as he were As living here and you no use of him.
Overall, I dont think the Nurse was a bad person for betraying Juliet by saying she should marry Paris. She just wanted Juliet to have the best life that she could. I think the Nurse had a good heart and thought it was the best option. She didnt want to do any harm to Romeo and Juliet. She only wanted things to go right for the two young teenagers. Romeo was banished, and so it would make life very difficult for the two teenagers to stay together.
Juliet was still loved by her unsuspecting parents and she was meant to marry Paris in a few days time. Also both their parents would be angry if they found out that Romeo and Juliet were married, because their families hated each other, and they would feel betrayed because their romance had been in secret. Similarly the confidant in the Phaedra made it possible for the main character to be harmed but in this case there was a situation of jealousy. Overall both these stories represent rather controversial relationship between real friends that do not really control the situation and thus have not had a good idea how to act in extreme situations in order to have happy ending. Bibliography: William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. Jean Racine, Phaedra.
Will Find, Controversies of W. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. From Ontario Literary Review Magazine, issue April 2000.
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Research essay sample on William Shakespeare Romeo Romeo And Juliet
