The Treatment of Women in Romeo and Juliet Essay

The nurse's key capacity inside the play is to go aboutas a go-between for Romeo and Juliet and is the maincharacter other than Minister Laurence to know about their wedding. The nurse, in spite of being a worker in the Capulet family unit, has a part comparable to that of Juliet's mom and views Juliet as her own particular girl. The nurse's association with Juliet centers consideration around Juliet's age. In Juliet's first scene, the nurse over and over affirms that Juliet has not yet had her fourteenth birthday celebration. As opposed to Juliet's childhood, the nurse is old and appreciates grumbling about her a throbbing painfulness. Juliet's dissatisfaction at relying upon the nurse as her courier is utilized to comic impact in Act II, Scene 5 when Juliet is compelled to tune in to the nurse's ailments while attempting to coax from her thenews of her wedding designs: The nurse, as Mercutio, loves to talk finally. She frequently rehashes herself, and her indelicate references to the sexual part of affection set the optimistic love of Romeo and Juliet separated from

First off, Lady Capulet was never a mother who was present or involved with her only child. Even if this were customary of a wealthy parent at the time, there is still an extreme lack of connection. When Lady Capulet first calls Juliet forth to broach the idea of a union with Paris, she asks the nurse to leave them alone, “Nurse, give leave awhile. We must talk in secret.” Although almost immediately she calls her back, “Nurse, come back again” (Rom.1.3.8-9). Lady Capulet appeared to not even be comfortable enough to be alone with Juliet

The nurse is very loyal to Juliet as shown in the past quote. The nurse is taking a chance at talking to Romeo for she knows that he is of the house of Montague and god knows the penalty for the interaction between.

Through the Nurse’s characterization, we see here that she wants Juliet to be protected. Juliet, in this case,

The idyllic housewife, Lady Capulet, is a loving, virtuous, and obedient wife who is completely supportive of her husband's wishes above the well-being of her daughter. Throughout the entire play, Lady Capulet is an extension of her husband, promoting his judgments and requests. She acts as his ambassador when she informs Juliet of Paris' desires and intentions. Comparing Juliet to other girls her age already married, Lady Capulet encourages her to "love the gentleman" (1.3.81) and to "behold him at [the] feast" (1.3.82). As she talks highly of Paris, she fulfills her motherly duties by giving her tips on how to find love with a man (1.3.83-86). Lady Capulet then disappears until act three scene four, where Capulet instructs her with direct orders to go to Juliet and "prepare her" for her "wedding day" (3.4.31-32). Immediately, Lady Capulet submits to his authority and carries out the order. When Juliet claims she is not well, Lady Capulet scolds her for lamenting too long over Tybalt's death. She tells her that a reasonable amount of grieving is a sign of love, but too much is foolish. Lady Capulet remains conservative in the advice she gives to her daughter, no doubt with her husband's wishes in mind. She chooses not see her daughter's pain in deference to her husband's wishes.

he is later in the play. He thinks that Juliet is too young and if she

Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in the 16th century, at a time when the role of the woman was to be subservient to men and act as a wife to their husband and a mother to their children. Women were expected to conform to the expectations of society, and were seen as possessions by their fathers and husbands. Fathers arranged their daughters’ marriages, usually for financial or social gain for the family. In Romeo and Juliet, the unfair treatment of women is conveyed through characters such as Juliet, a young girl who is growing up within the expectations of society, and Lady Capulet, who represents a traditional side of love, and values social position rather than men themselves.

Throughout Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women were supposed to play had an influence on the fate of their lives.

Without the help of the Nurse, Romeo and Juliet would not have married or had a way to interact with each other. This is clearly shown in Act II Scene V where the Nurse talks to Romeo about the marriage plans. “I will tell her, sir that up do protests, which, as I take it is a gentlemanlike offer.”(836) If the Nurse had not been present as a messenger, communication between Romeo and Juliet would have been difficult and extremely risky. The Nurse is a mother figure to Juliet because, she takes care of Juliet and gives her advice. There are many situations where Juliet relies on the Nurse. For instance on her wedding night, the nurse helps Romeo by getting him a ladder to Juliet’s room. Thus, the Nurse influences the story by bringing the two young lovers together and helping them marry.

First of all, The Nurse supports Juliet throughout the majority of the play, but her unsound advice is a notable reason for the young lovers’ downfall. For instance, Juliet appreciates The Nurse’s help during the beginning of her and Romeo’s relationship, but what Juliet is blind to is the damage that The Nurse does as she unintentionally leads Juliet to her death when she says “Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence’ cell;/ There stays a husband to make you a wife” (Shakespeare, II, v, 68-69). In essence, the wedding that The Nurse encourages Romeo and Juliet to have reflects her negative influence on their relationship as Juliet is left increasingly vulnerable to Romeo’s impulsivity, which is an extremely relevant cause of Juliet’s eventual demise. Additionally, both Romeo and Juliet are significantly affected by the immature behavior of their kin. Specifically, Juliet displays her eradicated ability to form rational decisions when she speaks of the pressure her family puts on her as she says “My only love sprung from my only hate!/ Too early seen unknown, and known too late!/ Prodigious birth of love it is to me/ That I must love a loathed enemy” (Shakespeare, I, v, 138-141). This internal conflict that arises when Juliet discovers that Romeo is a Montague is of significance

“An honour! Were not I thine only nurse, I would say thou hadst suck’d wisdom from thy teat” (1.3. 452). Her relationship with the Nurse was the opposite of the one she shared with her true parents and this lead Juliet to going to her Nurse whenever she had a predicament. This was counter-productive because these predicaments that she went to her Nurse for help lead to her dying because it was the Nurse’s obligation to side with Juliet and do what she was asked, even if it opposed what her parents would have approved. These jobs that Juliet set her Nurse out to complete were rebellious of what her parents would have wanted her to be doing. It was still a healthier relationship than the one that Juliet shared with her mother and father, which was significant considering the fact that she was a teenager when she faced all the issues that came with her forbidden love.

This is not a sign of bad parenting but merely the fact that lady Capulet has not been there whereas the nurse has. So the nurse may feel more responsibility towards Juliet as she has brought her up. Lady Capulet seems not to be able to be around her daughter without

The Role of the Nurse in Her Relationship with Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare's Juliet completely breaks with convention and culture by assuming female sovereignty. A daughter in Juliet's social class should marry a man of her father's choosing. Juliet refuses to marry Paris, forcing Capulet to give her an ultimatum:

A woman during the 16th century did not have the freedoms that a woman today enjoys. During Shakespeare’s life wives were not allowed the independence they take pleasure in today. Therefore, the role of the mother for Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is not commanding or authoritative because of the time period Shakespeare lived.