The Nurse Quotes and Analysis – Romeo and Juliet (AQA GCSE)
By Julie at GCSE Ninja (a parent, not a teacher or examiner) · Updated 2 November 2026 · 6-minute read
The Nurse is Juliet’s talkative, loving carer. She helps Juliet marry Romeo, then advises her to marry Paris. These Nurse quotes show how Juliet is left completely on her own.
The quick version
- Who she is: Juliet’s nurse, who helps her marry Romeo and then turns against the marriage.
- Learn three quotes: “shall she be fourteen”, “I am aweary” and “married with the County” (below).
- The exam move: show how the Nurse goes from helper to betrayer, so Juliet's isolation becomes the point.
Quotes · From helper to betrayer · Exam answer · Marks · Test yourself
3 The Nurse quotes to learn
Learn these three first. If you have time, open the box underneath for more.
“Even or odd, of all days in the year, / Come Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen.”
Act 1 Scene 3
Say this: A chatty, precise detail shows years of affection. It also reminds the audience that Juliet is only fourteen.
“I am aweary. Give me leave awhile.”
Act 2 Scene 5
Say this: She delays her news. The comedy hides a power imbalance: Juliet must wait. Juliet answers “I would thou hadst my bones, and I thy news.”
“I think it best you married with the County. / O, he’s a lovely gentleman!”
Act 3 Scene 5
Say this: The key betrayal. “I think it best” sounds gentle, but it asks Juliet to abandon Romeo, and the gushing exclamation shows she does not understand. (“The County” means Paris.)
Check the sequence: Juliet calls her “Ancient damnation, O most wicked fiend!” soon after. Quoting both shows the damage.
More The Nurse quotes (open if you have time)
“’Tis since the earthquake now eleven years, / And she was weaned (I never shall forget it)” (Act 1 Scene 3) Her memories are tied to Juliet’s childhood. The Nurse sees Juliet as her own child.
“There’s no trust, / No faith, no honesty in men. All perjured, / All forsworn, all naught, all dissemblers.” (Act 3 Scene 2) A list of five accusations. Her anger at men shows her emotion, but she is speaking at the worst moment for Juliet.
“Shame come to Romeo!” (Act 3 Scene 2) Juliet replies “Blistered be thy tongue / For such a wish!” This is the first time Juliet turns on her.
“Romeo’s a dishclout to him.” (Act 3 Scene 5) A blunt insult to the husband she once helped. It confirms her change of side.
Checked against the Folger Shakespeare Library text. Editions differ slightly, so check your own copy. “/” marks a line break.
From helper to betrayer
The idea that lifts an answer is change. Follow the Nurse from loving carer to the person who lets Juliet down:
Four moments that show the Nurse's change.
To read these scenes, use the free Folger Shakespeare Library text: Act 2 Scene 5, Act 3 Scene 2 and Act 3 Scene 5.
How to use The Nurse in the exam
AQA gives you an extract, then asks you to write about it and the whole play. Two of the scenes AQA has used for extracts, Act 2 Scene 5 (June 2024) and Act 3 Scene 2 (November 2021 and June 2023), are scenes in which the Nurse appears, so she is useful evidence from the rest of the scene. None of the four papers named her. Here is our own practice question in that style (not an AQA question). When you have tried it, test yourself on real AQA English Literature past papers:
Your 5-minute plan
- Write one sentence that answers the question.
- Pick three moments: early, middle, late.
- For each, choose one quote and one method.
- Find the idea that links them (trust, family, isolation).
- Write your opening sentence before you start.
A model paragraph (our own example)
Shakespeare presents the Nurse as Juliet’s closest companion who ultimately cannot protect her. In Act 1 Scene 3 her chatter, “Even or odd, of all days in the year, / Come Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen”, gives a precise date for Juliet’s birthday, suggesting years of affection and reminding the audience how young Juliet is. In Act 2 Scene 5 she delays her news with “I am aweary. Give me leave awhile.”, and Juliet’s reply “I would thou hadst my bones, and I thy news” shows how much power the Nurse has over her waiting. By Act 3 Scene 5 that closeness becomes betrayal: “I think it best you married with the County” is gentle advice, but it asks Juliet to abandon Romeo, and the exclamation “O, he’s a lovely gentleman!” sounds blind to what Juliet feels. Juliet’s answer, “Ancient damnation, O most wicked fiend!”, shows the Nurse has lost her. This presents the adult world as unable to understand Juliet, which makes her isolation complete.
This is our own example, not an official AQA answer.
Where marks are won and lost
Romeo and Juliet is one choice in Section A. The question is worth 30 marks plus 4 for spelling, punctuation and vocabulary (AO4). The 30 split into 12 for your response (AO1), 12 for methods (AO2) and 6 for ideas and contexts (AO3). Top band: 26 to 30 marks.
Won marks
- An opening argument that answers the question
- Showing change across the play
- Quoting both the Nurse and Juliet’s reaction
- Context only when it helps the answer
Lost marks
- Learned structures and stock openings
- Calling her “just funny” without saying why it matters
- Retelling the story instead of arguing
- Talk about films, costumes or directors
Sources: AQA mark scheme 8702/1, June 2023 and June 2024; AQA Report on the Examination, June 2022 (Shakespeare section). In the four Romeo and Juliet papers we checked (November 2021, June 2022, June 2023, June 2024), three asked about Juliet and one about Romeo; none named The Nurse. AQA does not publish future questions, so do not rely on a pattern.
Test yourself
Cover the answer. Say it out loud. Then open it.
1. How old does the Nurse say Juliet will be?
Fourteen: “shall she be fourteen” (Act 1 Scene 3).
2. What does the Nurse say in Act 2 Scene 5 to delay her news?
“I am aweary. Give me leave awhile.”
3. Who is “the County”?
Paris.
4. How does Juliet answer the Nurse in Act 3 Scene 5?
“Ancient damnation, O most wicked fiend!”
5. What does Juliet say in Act 3 Scene 2 after “Shame come to Romeo!”?
“Blistered be thy tongue / For such a wish!”
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Quick FAQ
Why is the Nurse important in Romeo and Juliet?
She is the person closest to Juliet. Her change of side in Act 3 Scene 5 leaves Juliet alone.
Is the Nurse a comic or a serious character?
Both. Her chatter is funny early on, but her advice in Act 3 Scene 5 has serious effects.
Will the Nurse come up in the exam?
We cannot know. AQA questions start from an extract and change each year. Learn her as evidence for family, trust and isolation.
Where next
Read the Juliet page, to see the girl the Nurse lets down:
Read the Friar Lawrence page, the other adult Juliet turns to:
See every Romeo and Juliet character in one place:
More characters:
Practise the method on real papers:
Sources checked. Quotes: Folger Shakespeare Library text. Exam facts: AQA 8702/1 mark schemes for June 2023 and June 2024, and AQA Report on the Examination, June 2022.
How this page was made: written by Julie at GCSE Ninja with AI assistance. Quotations were checked against the Folger Shakespeare Library text on 2 November 2026. Please check them against your own copy.
GCSE Ninja is written by parents, not teachers or examiners, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by AQA. Model answers are our own examples, written to AQA’s published mark scheme. They are not official AQA answers and we cannot guarantee any grade. Please check quotations against your own copy of the text.
