Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has all been in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not already been exhausted? Which best explains the purpose of the rhetorical device used in this excerpt?

the answer is, a) she is angry with elnora for not standing up for herself.

the tone of the passage is sympathetic to the forbidden love of romeo and juliet. the nurse plays a significant role in the play. she is responsible for making their meeting again possible. additionally, there is a sense of warning in the choice of words of the nurse. she seems to be authoritative when she calls romeo "scurvy knave", and at the same time the fact that she addresses to him as "sir" reflects respect. the nurse is "vexed", this word describes her confused state of mind. on the one hand, she finds romeo a fine and eloquent man, but on the other, it is thought that man's nature forces men to try to trick women.