Juliet tells her nurse that she and Romeo are in love. The nurse likely already suspects an attraction between them when she sees them talking at the Capulet party. Romeo asks the nurse about Juliet, and Juliet asks about Romeo’s identity. When the nurse tells Juliet that Romeo is a Montague, Juliet replies:
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.
The nurse exclaims at these statements, but Juliet says it was a rhyme she learned “Of one I danced withal.” As Romeo confides in the friar, Juliet evidently reveals their love to her nurse. The nurse seeks out Romeo on Juliet’s behalf and asks him about his intentions. Romeo says that they plan to marry in secret.
Even though the nurse supports their relationship, she advises Juliet to marry Paris after Romeo is banished for killing Tybalt. She still defends Juliet against her father’s wrath and serves as a liaison between the two lovers, but the nurse sees that it is very unlikely for Juliet and Romeo to be reconciled. Because of this, she is not privy to Juliet’s final plans, and therefore is as heartbroken as Juliet’s parents when Juliet fakes her death.
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