Growing Up and Letting Go

     My favorite scene in Act 2 is Scene 5. In this scene, Juliet is awaiting news form Romeo. She's sent her Nurse to retrieve news from Romeo about their marriage. Juliet is impatiently waiting for news that Romeo plans to follow through with his promises from the night before. She sent her Nurse, her most trusted confident, to act as the go-between. I like this scene because of the relationship between Juliet and the Nurse that it shows. The Nurse is Juliet's second mother. She thinks of Juliet as her daughter as she lost her own several years ago. Their relationship is clearly important to both of them. In this scene, they both are affectionate toward one another and are comfortable enough to tease each other.
     In the beginning of the scene, Juliet is complaining about the Nurse's slow pace. She calls her "lame" and then says that many old folks "feign as they were dead, unwieldy, slow, heavy, and pale as lead." She sent Nurse to meet with Romeo at nine that morning, but three hours later, she has yet to arrive. When she finally does, Juliet notices that she looks sad. She is immediately concerned that the news is not good and voices these concerns. The Nurse responds not with placations, but with complaints about  how "aweary" she is and "how [her] bones ache!" Juliet becomes more agitated and begs for good news. This back and forth continues for over thirty more lines. No news is shared and Juliet is only further exasperated. My favorite line in this scene is when after the Nurse refuses again to share because she is out of breath, Juliet says, "How art thou out of breath, when thou hast breath to say to me that thou art out of breath?" This quote sums up their dynamic. The Nurse calls attention to herself by any means necessary, and Juliet has to reason with her like a child to get what she wants. The Nurse is lonely, and gaining the attention of her ward that is fast approaching adulthood would be rare.
     The Nurse compliments Romeo, saying that "his face be better than any man's, yet his leg excels all men's, and for a hand and a foot and a body, though they not be talked on, yet they are past compare." She acts as if she doesn't approve of Romeo, but then 'concedes' that he's handsome beyond compare. She's egging Juliet on. She's starting her story and recounting her experience with Juliet's love, but directly following these complements, she asks Juliet if she had "dined at home."Juliet continually brings the conversation back to Romeo and her potential marriage, but to no avail. The Nurse agains complains of her aches and pains. Juliet replies to this complaint in a sweet tone. She's trying to get the Nurse to reveal her information and begging hasn't worked before so she asked nicely. It's a funny image, a  thirteen year old girl reasoning with a grown woman like a toddler.
     The Nurse does finally relent and tells Juliet of Romeo's plans to marry that day in Friar Lawrence's chambers. This whole conversation is Nurse delaying the marriage of Juliet because she knows that she is almost grown and that means she won't need Nurse anymore. Nurse acts as a symbol of her adolescence, a reminder that Juliet is still young enough to need a constant caretaker. This scene is a turning point for Juliet. After this point, she is pushed into adulthood. Nurse loves Juliet. She is all she has since her daughter has passed and now she is losing her. I like this scene because it appears to just be comedic relief, but there is a deeper, almost unnoticeable, sadness about the situation.