Preview

Friar Lawrence In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
911 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Friar Lawrence In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet
In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence and the Nurse are to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet in both direct and indirect ways. To begin, Friar Lawrence decides to marry Romeo and Juliet because of his idealistic views on ending the brawl between the two houses, without thinking of the repercussions. After deliberating over marrying Romeo and Juliet, Friar says,“[i]n one respect I’ll thy assistant be:/For this alliance may so happy prove/To turn your households’ rancour to pure love.” (II.iii 90-92) Friar Lawrence believes that Romeo’s love for Juliet is superficial and transparent, however, the idea of uniting the Montagues and Capulets is far too tempting. Although this could lead into disastrous results, …show more content…
When Juliet asks for help from the nurse about how to change her father’s mind about her upcoming marriage, the nurse herself gives up on all hope and this is reflected upon Juliet as well. With no one left to depend on, Juliet becomes mentally incapable of dealing with the crisis in her hands. The nurse and Friar Lawrence are both very important people to Romeo and Juliet, thus having important roles in their deaths. Friar Lawrence is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because of his shoddy planning, and disregarding the fact that marrying the two wouldn’t be very logical in favour of uniting the two houses. Although he thinks Romeo is a fickle boy, who does not really know what it means to love a woman, he does not emotionally manipulate Romeo, and has good intentions at heart. Despite his intentions to help the couple, he is rash, and made life-changing decisions far too quickly for a positive outcome. However, the deaths of Romeo and Juliet can also be blamed on the nurse, in an indirect

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    I believe that Friar Laurence is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Laurence was the one that gave Juliet the potion that made her appear dead, therefore misleading Romeo and causing him to kill himself. Friar Laurence says “Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilled liquor drink thou off; When presently through all thy veins shall run A cold and drowsy humor; no pulse, no warmth, no breath.” When Friar Laurence was figuring out this plan he could had come up with something safer or a backup plan just in case something went wrong. He also should had thought of the pros and cons of this plan before he went through with it because he was faced with a huge problem when the plan could not get through to Romeo and…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Tragedies happen all the time in the world, books, and even plays. But these bad things always happen to everyone; there is no such thing as a perfect life. In the magnificent play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the tragic death of these two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, takes place at the end of the play. Although there are many people to blame for their deaths, one person can for sure be blamed for this. Friar Lawrence is the character most responsible for the two star-crossed lovers deaths at the end of the play. For one thing, he never made sure that the letter got sent to Romeo, and that he kept their marriage a secret to the two families.…

    • 122 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In one of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays, Romeo and Juliet; enters Friar Lawrence, a man who has one of the most essential responsibilities in the whole play, ultimately influencing the outcome of the protagonists’ lives (Boyce). At every crucial moment of the play, Friar Lawrence has been a part of, starting with marrying the two couples, and moving forwards until he gives Juliet the sleeping potion, which proves that all though he is trying to unite the families, he does it in a way that makes the play turn into a tragedy (Sparknotes). Morally right or wrong, Friar Lawrence is the symbolic mentor, who Romeo goes to for each time a plan, or help, is needed.…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence was a monk, and a counselor, who came up with intricate plots and concocted a seemingly magical elixir in order to solve problems that the lovers encountered. Friar Lawrence had a profound impact on the outcome of this Shakespearean play; however, in a way that led to catastrophe. There are many factors that caused the deaths of the lovers, but two of the most important were how Friar Lawrence disregarded his own logic, and how he missed numerous opportunities to save the lovers.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This tells us that he is thinking about himself only and not how this can affect Romeo and Juliet and their families. Secondly when Romeo killed Tybolt and he got banished from Verona, Friar Lawrence still told Romeo not to give up and go to Juliet. “Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed, Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her: But look thou stay not till the watch be set, For then thou canst not pass to Mantua; Where thou shalt live, till we can find a time To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends, Beg pardon of the prince, and call thee back “(III iii 150-156). This quote shows us that Friar Lawrence is still trying to make Romeo love Juliet despite that their love would have caused more problems for example the death of Tybolts death. Thirdly When Romeo leaves Verona Friar Lawrence gave Juliet a 24 hour sleep potion to trick her family into thinking she was dead…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “But come, young waverer, come, go with me,/ In one respect I’ll thy assistant be;/ For this Alliance may so happy prove/ To turn your households’ rancour to pure love”(II, iii, 92-95). This was when Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet. Friar Lawrence was a little shocked that Romeo quickly got over Rosaline and immediately fell in love with his enemy, but he agrees to Romeo’s request anyway because he believes it will turn the hatred of their families into love. Friar Lawrence should have rejected Romeo and told their parents or someone about their relationship. This is one of many chances Friar Lawrence had to change the outcome of the play, but…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play, “Romeo and Juliet,” Friar Laurence is usually not considered a main character, although he has a large role in the story. He is also much different than most of characters in the play. Friar Laurence’s good character traits were greatly contrasted by the Capulets, the Montagues, and Juliet’s nurse. He is one of a kind.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Friar Lawrence is a very important character in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ because he is the sole figure of religion in the play, allowing us to infer a lot about the role religion played in daily life and Shakespeare’s views on it. In the play, the Nurse addresses the Friar as ‘lord’. This metaphor illustrates how religion was a major part of people’s lives at the time the play was set. When referring to Jesus we would often use the term ‘lord’; the same way that the Nurse refers to the Friar. The fact that a catholic priest has knowledge about poisons capable of faking death is out of place, thus making the reader question why he has this knowledge. The fact that the Friar has devised this plan, which could be described as a cure, if very similar to the way Jesus would help people in biblical times. Another piece of evidence to show this is how Romeo always compares his experiences with Juliet using a religious term. He says he’d like to ‘worship’ her body and refers to her as a ‘saint’ when they first meet in the play. Contrastingly, the Friar uses marriage as a way to help create peace in the city which you would not expect from a priest. Instead, you would expect him to marry them because they love each other and not to use them as a tool to get what he wants. This could show how people had started to lose their faithfulness at the time of the play. During the Renaissance era when ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is set society would have been dominated by Catholicism but this shows that there may have been a little more freedom of speech and thought in society.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Blinded by his good intentions, Friar Lawrence is unable to recognize the dangers of his actions, resulting in the tragic outcome of the protagonists. As Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, he has only the best intents, hoping to, “turn [their] households’ rancor to pure love” (2.3 98-99). The extreme contrast between the “rancor” and “pure love” that the Friar discusses emphasizes that he only wants to help the Capulet and Montague families to resolve their issues for the sake of their children. When Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, he is is mainly focused on bringing their families together. He understands that this newly found unity between them could potentially end the feud. While he means well, he is unable to see the dangers that will…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Friar Lawrence has a rather strange position in the play Romeo and Juliet. His Character is a very considerate cleric who helps Romeo and Juliet throughout the play. He completes their marriage and gives generally good advice, especially in regard to the need for control. He is the sole character figure of religion in the play. Without Friar Lawrence Romeo and Juliet would not have been able to get married. But Friar Lawrence is also one of the most devious and civil of characters in the play. For example, he marries Romeo and Juliet as part of a plan to end the civil strife in Verona. Also, Friar souls Romeo into Juliet’s room and then out of Verona. He devises the plan to reunite Romeo and Juliet through the misleading ruse of a sleeping…

    • 208 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespearean’s play Romeo and Juliet , one of the main characters, Juliet takes her own life near the end of the play. Friar Lawrence’s involvement is directly responsible for the death of Juliet. He makes not just one, but three mistakes that all lead to Juliet’s death. He gave a poison to Juliet. He trusted someone else to deliver a critical letter to Romeo. Also, he fled when Juliet was in the most danger at the sepulcher. Had he not made these three grave mistakes, Juliet might not have died.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Romeo And Juliet Theory

    • 1849 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In the beginning once Friar Lawrence found out about Romeo and Juliet when they went to him, he thought it was a good idea. Romeo one morning after being with Juliet, goes to see Friar Lawrence, who decides to help Romeo but only for one reason. He says “In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; For this alliance may so happy prove, To turn your households rancour to pure love.” (Shakespeare. 120). He basically said that he will help Romeo for only one reason that is, he thinks this marriage alliance could turn the hatred between the two families into happiness and end the fued. He is a character such as Nurse, one that helps Romeo and Juliet during the whole play. Friar Lawrence is actually the one who comes up with the plan. In the movie Romeo and Juliet the 1996 version, he says “Hold, then. Go home, be merry, give consent To marry Paris. Wednesday is to-morrow. Let not the Nurse lie with thee in thy chamber. Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilled liquor drink thou off.” (Romeo + Juliet 1996). He then goes on by saying her body will be at rest while she goes into a pleasant sleep. After this he explains his plan to Juliet and each detail not knowing what could go wrong. This plan that Friar Lawrence made affected the most out of everything because this is when things started going downhill even more. He did not think of the many problems that could happen and all the things that…

    • 1849 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Silent Murder

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I believe that Friar Lawrence is responsible for Romeo and Juliet's death because he did not think through his decisions. The ideas that Friar lawrence gave to Romeo and Juliet caused them to make poor decisions because they are still young and don't know right from wrong. In the No Fear Shakespeare story Friar Lawrence informs Juliet about an plan. The plan would make sure Juliet…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence plays a dominate role in the eventual death of Romeo and Juliet even though he is not on stage for most of the play. There are basically three major parts that lead to the tragedy; the marriage, the plan, and the inevitable deaths in all which Friar Lawrence plays a vital role.<br><br>Friar Lawrence plays an essential role in the marriage of young Romeo and Juliet. At Romeo's request Friar Lawrence states, "In one respect I'll thy assistant be; for this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households to pure love" (Act 2 Scene 3.) Friar Lawrence believes that this holy marriage would bring the Capulet family and Montuague family closer together, for he anticipates that the families will stop hating each other and be peaceful. His attempts to make the marriage of Romeo and Juliet are admirable but poorly planned. Friar Lawrence performs the marriage rites to unite them in holy marriage. Romeo and Juliet are now husband and wife. They have known each other a sum of two days. Friar Lawrence plays a vital role in the marriage of Romeo and Juliet.<br><br>Friar Lawrence plays a significant role in the plan for Juliet to "sleep." Friar Lawrence calms a frantic Juliet by giving her and telling her to "Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilled liquor drink though off" (Act 4, Scene 1). Later, Juliet is uneasy and unsure of the effects of the potion. She hopes that this is only a temporary sleep and not a permanent one. He also tells Juliet that "Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, and hither shall hem come; and he and I shall watch thy waking, and that very night shall Romeo bear thee to Mantua" (Act 4, Scene 1.) Unforeseen to neither the Friar nor Juliet that an error such as the one of Friar John's would prove to be deadly. Poor Romeo was not able to receive the letter. Friar Lawrence plays a significant role in the plan for Juliet to "sleep."<br><br>Friar Lawrence plays an…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Romeo and Juliet” has many important characters. The most important of these are obviously, Romeo and Juliet. However, two characters that are almost as important, but extremely under appreciated, are Friar Lawrence and The Nurse. These two characters play similar roles but are first shown to be polar opposites. Shakespeare uses these characters very well to move the story along. Shakespeare also uses these characters as metaphors. The Nurse is supposed to be the heart and Friar Lawrence, the head. The Nurse and Friar are used not only to manipulate the characters but they are also used to affect how the audience is feeling. Both these characters have extremely important roles throughout the play, both very similar and both different.…

    • 1683 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays