Friar Lawrence In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

1044 Words3 Pages

“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star cross’d lovers their life, whose misadventured piteous overthrows. Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife.” (Romeo and Juliet, Prologue 5-8). There are many minor characters that are involved in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, but the Friar is most responsible because of his mindless ideas and actions. Friar Lawrence is the cause of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. He marries the two lovers in secret, comes up with a faulty plan for Juliet, and abandons Juliet in the tomb when she needed him the most. In marrying Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence contributes to their deaths because he is aware that they had just met, that their families are feuding, and that they are …show more content…

His plan is very sudden, it involves many lies, and he neglects to include important details when carrying out the plan. Friar Lawrence is never usually one to rush into things without reason. He comes up with Juliet’s plan to take a vial that will make her appear dead the day before her wedding, have her parents mourn her death, and wake up to run away to Mantua with Romeo. This plan is very sudden and not well thought out. There are many flaws in his plan that he may have not even noticed. When Friar Lawrence is telling Juliet of the plan he speaks about many lies that need to be told. Juliet does not want to marry Paris, but the Friar tells her to lie and give consent to be married to him. “Hold, then. Go home, be merry, give consent/ To marry Paris…” (Romeo and Juliet 4.1 89-90) Juliet may not be able to carry out that lie until the wedding resulting in a flaw in the plan. In Act 5 Scene 2, Friar John comes back to Friar Lawrence and tells him that he could not deliver the letter to Romeo. Friar Lawrence did not inform Friar John that the letter was important before he sent it out, nor does he try to let Romeo know of the plan in any other way afterwards. Because Romeo does not know of the plan, he will not be there when Juliet awakens and he may find out that she is dead from someone else. After …show more content…

He takes his time before coming in to save Juliet, he abandons Juliet when he hears the watchmen coming, and he leaves her knowing that Juliet is already considering killing herself if she can not be with Romeo. When Friar Lawrence first gets to the graveyard, instead of rushing in to be there for Juliet as she awakes, he takes his time speaking to Balthasar. “Bliss be upon you! Tell me, good my friend, / what torch is yond, that vainly lends his light/ to grubs and eyeless skulls? As I discern, / it burneth in the Capels’ monument.” (Romeo and Juliet 5.3 124-127) When the watchmen come in, Friar Lawrence only once tries to take Juliet away before fleeing. “I hear some noise. Lady, come from that nest/ Of death, contagion, and unnatural sleep. / A greater power than we can contradict hath thwarted our intents. Come, come away” (Romeo and Juliet 5.3 151-154). Friar Lawrence should have known that Juliet is planning on killing herself. In Act 4 Scene 1, she speaks to Friar Lawrence of killing herself if she can not be with Romeo “Be not so long to speak; I long to die/ If what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.” (Romeo and Juliet 4.1 67-68) Therefore, Friar Lawrence should have known and watched over her more carefully. In the tomb, Friar Lawrence abandons Juliet. That will be the final time Juliet and Friar Lawrence will speak to each

Open Document