Exploring Juliet’s Nurse

National Curriculum Links

• Reading (KS3):
  • Understand the relationship between texts, contexts, and literary traditions
  • Analyse and evaluate how authors use language, form, and structure to achieve effects and influence readers
• Writing (KS3):
  • Plan, draft, and write imaginative, informative, and analytical texts
• Spoken Language (KS3):
  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations, and debates

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this 50-minute lesson, students will be able to:

• Analyse the complex relationship between Juliet and her nurse in Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare), with reference to specific textual examples.
• Compare and contrast the Nurse’s type of love with other forms of love portrayed in the play, using appropriate subject terminology.
• Develop critical thinking through role-play and creative writing to deepen understanding of character motivations and relationships.
• Use evidence from the text to support their ideas in discussions and written work.

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Resources Needed

• Copies of Romeo and Juliet Act 1, Scene 3 (Nurse and Juliet interaction) and selected excerpts from other key scenes involving love (e.g., Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting, Lord Capulet’s protective love).
• Whiteboard and markers (or digital equivalent)
• Graphic organiser for comparing types of love
• Role-play character cards (Juliet, Nurse, Romeo, Capulet)
• Writing materials or laptops/tablets for pupils’ creative responses

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes): “Types of Love” Mind Map

• Begin with a quick whole-class brainstorm: What kinds of love do we see in Romeo and Juliet? Write on the board key words (romantic, familial, friendship, loyalty, etc.).
• Focus the discussion by asking: How is love shown between Juliet and her Nurse? How might it be different from the romantic love between Romeo and Juliet?
• This primes students for the detailed text exploration.

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2. Main Activity 1 (15 minutes): Close Reading & Analysis

• Distribute the excerpt from Act 1, Scene 3 where the Nurse talks to Juliet.
• In pairs, students annotate the text focusing on:
  • Language used by the Nurse (terms of endearment, humour, storytelling)
  • Juliet’s responses and what this reveals about their relationship
• Questions to consider:
  • How does the Nurse’s love show as maternal, protective but also playful?
  • What makes this relationship different from other adult/child relationships in the play?
• Teacher models a short annotation to show use of subject-specific terms like affection, intimacy, protector and foil.
• Pairs feed back key points; teacher charts main ideas on the board.

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3. Main Activity 2 (15 minutes): Comparative Graphic Organiser & Role Play

• Hand out a graphic organiser to compare “The Nurse’s Love” vs. “Romantic Love.” Categories: Language, Emotion, Function in plot, Loyalty.
• Students complete in small groups using prior knowledge and the text excerpt.
• Then, role-play: groups perform short improvisations imagining the Nurse giving Juliet advice vs. Juliet talking to Romeo about love.
• Reflect: How does the Nurse’s advice show a different form of love? What does it reveal about social roles and expectations?
• This dual approach encourages empathy and deeper text engagement.

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4. Plenary (10 minutes): Creative Writing Extension

• Ask students to write a letter from the Nurse to Juliet after Act 3, Scene 2 (before Juliet’s marriage to Paris), expressing her love, worries, and hopes.
• Encourage use of language and tone matching the Nurse’s character, reflecting her unique form of love and concern.
• A few volunteers share their letters aloud, highlighting how this type of love differs from others in the play.

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5. Assessment

• Formative assessment through: paired annotations (reading skills), group graphic organiser (analysis and synthesis), role-play (spoken language), and creative writing (imaginative use of language).
• Teacher observes and gives immediate feedback during activities.
• Collect creative letters to assess understanding of character voice and relationship dynamics.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide scaffolded sentence starters for annotation and writing (e.g., “The Nurse shows her love by…”, “Unlike Romeo’s love, the Nurse’s love is…”).
• Challenge: Ask higher-attaining pupils to consider how Shakespeare’s portrayal of this relationship challenges Elizabethan views on love and class.
• Use mixed-ability groupings to support peer learning.

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Reflection & Follow-up

• Consider a follow-up lesson analysing Juliet’s relationship with her parents to contrast familial love further.
• Extend learning by comparing the Nurse’s English characterisation with motherhood and nurturing figures in other Shakespeare plays or contemporary texts.
• Use students’ creative letters as prompts for a personalised drama or writing portfolio.

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This lesson offers a nuanced literary exploration while practising key curriculum skills: reading comprehension, analysis, speaking and listening, and creative writing—all tightly aligned to the National Curriculum’s KS3 English objectives. The layered approach—textual, comparative, performative, and creative—caters to diverse learning styles and ensures rich engagement.