The Nurse Vs. Friar

Everyone has a reason for what they do. Even though an expected outcome is not always clear, people only do things for the benefit of others or for themselves. This also applies to the Friar and Nurse in the play Romeo and Juliet. Feeling a sense of parental responsibility, the Nurse and Friar Lawrence try and unite the lovers; however, the Nurse only does it to seeks Juliet’s happiness, whereas the Friar does it to establish peace in Verona, as well as for fame and glory.

With the knowledge of Juliet’s love for Romeo, the Nurse, as a mother figure, helps to join the couple because she believes it is the only way Juliet will be happy. When Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet, argues about her daughter’s marriage to Paris, she tells the Nurse to leave Juliet and her alone and then to “come back again” (I. iii. 9) to “hear [their] council” (I. iii. 10). Lady Capulet is weak as a parent because of her feeble attempts to talk to Juliet alone and her weakness and insecurity alone with her own daughter. When she allows the Nurse to join in their conversation about Juliet’s marriage, a very important part of Juliet’s future, it reveals that the Nurse is much more than a servant; she possesses maternal qualities as well. When Romeo and Juliet are separated, Juliet pleads with the Nurse to find Romeo and “give [the] ring to [her] true knight” (III. ii. 143) in order to “comfort [her]” (III. ii. 140). The Nurse immediately complies with Juliet’s demands because she wants to help Juliet in any way possible, but is not her only motivation in doing so. She is very conscience of Juliet’s feelings and does everything in her power to unite Romeo and Juliet because it makes Juliet happy, and Juliet’s happiness is the most important to the Nurse. The Nurse not only has a parental incentive to comfort and guide Juliet, but to bring her happiness as well.

Although the Friar agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, he realizes that his actions will not only make Romeo content, but they can benefit him also. Romeo finds it hard to talk to his friends after the Capulet party and immediately consults the Friar about his problems when the Friar says “Wast thou with Rosaline?” (II. iii. 44). Romeo speaks to the Friar privately about Rosaline whilst his father