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A Comparison: Friar Lawrence vs the Nurse Essay

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A Comparison: Friar Lawrence VS The Nurse Thesis: Both Friar Lawrence and The Nurse are loyal to Romeo and Juliet (respectively), they have defended, protected and have helped upkeep their well being, but do not always make decisions in their best interests, which in fact lead to both of their demises. In Romeo and Juliet, a story where two lovers are destined to be together, but their heritage prevents them, Friar Lawrence and The Nurse are similar to fathers and mothers, wise guardians, trusted companions to these two. Or are they reckless, hasty, and thoughtless? They have spent their lives with Romeo and Juliet, watching them grow and guiding them along their paths of life. But now they allow these “star-crossed lovers” to …show more content…

This proves that The Nurse does not have any pre judgmental thoughts about Romeo, that she believes in him, and is substantial because it solidifies that she is kind not only just to Juliet (Act 3, Scene 3, line 85-173). The Friar actually accompanies her in this scene, acting out the same behavior, attempting to keep Romeo from slipping into a deep depression at the thought of never seeing Juliet again. And When The Nurse is commanded by Lord Capulet to bring forth the news to Juliet that she must marry Paris, though reluctant as she is, she agrees that marrying Paris would be in her best interests, and The Nurse tells Juliet what she must do which is critical because it validates that The Nurse will do anything to keep Juliet from harm even if she does not like it. Although marrying Paris is not something Juliet wants to do, The Nurse knows that that is what is best for her, and Juliet lies and tells her that she will marry him (Act 3, Scene 5, Lines 176-246). The Nurse, a woman who is supposed to help guide Juliet on the right path, yet mistakenly confuses Juliet’s needs with her father’s wants. Although the Nurse does not realize it, the attempt at provoking Juliet to marry Paris could have further convinced Juliet that she did not want to live with her family any longer, and ask Friar Lawrence for help, which is important because this resulted in her death (Act

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