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The Nurse In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse is Juliet’s bawdy, lower-class confidant, and in Act 2 she shows the same rough and unfiltered personality as in Act 1. Throughout, it is clear that she loves Juliet but lacks the sophistication and poise of a noblewoman to raise Juliet as a well-behaved Capulet. In Act 2, Scene 4, the Nurse’s altruistic protection of Juliet seems fueled by her desire for personal respect as a laborer of the Capulet House. For example, she loses her composure when Benvolio and Mercutio taunt her for her age, large size, and low social status because she is accustomed to higher respect. The boys compare her veils to "a sail,” implying she is large as a ship, which provokes a misdirected pompous tone from her when

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