How Friar Lawrence is Responsible for Romeo and Juliet's Death

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy- but it did not have to be. Romeo and Juliet is the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, who are the son and daughter of two feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Written by the famed playwright Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet take place in the 14-15 century in the cities of Verona and Mantua, cities in northern Italy. After a series of events that involves Romeo getting banished from Verona and Juliet getting forced to marry a count, Paris, they kill themselves. It has been argued for centuries about who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. But, once reading the book thoroughly and consulting several sources, it is obvious who is solely to blame- Friar Lawrence. Because of the actions of Friar Lawrence, the play ended with two grieving families instead of two happy newlyweds. Although many characters contributed to their deaths, only Friar Lawrence was solely responsible for them. Friar Lawrence’s cowardice, secrecy, and miscommunication led directly to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
The first factor that played a key part in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet is the fact that Friar Lawrence was a coward. When Juliet awakened after her two-day sleep only to find Romeo and County Paris dead, she is in a very unstable state. Instead of being responsible and staying with Juliet to comfort her and make sure that she doesn’t harm herself or others, he tells her that he will make her a nun “Come, come away. Thy husband in thy bosom there lays dead and Paris too. Come, I’ll dispose of thee among a sisterhood of holy nuns.” (5. 3.166-169). The only selfish reason he wanted to make Juliet a nun is so that no one ever finds out that he secretly married Romeo and Juliet...

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...uliet because he was a coward, secretive, and had a lack of communication with the other characters. Friar Lawrence had the potential to prevent the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and instead, because of his choices, he caused them. Yes, the other characters may have contributed to Romeo and Juliet’s death, but Friar Lawrence caused it. The blame rests solely on his soldiers.

Works Cited

Aubrey, Bryan. “Critical Essay on ‘Romeo and Juliet’.” Drama for Students. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Vol. 21. Detriot: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
Stirling, Brents. “They Stumble that Run Fast.” EXPLORING Shakespeare. Detriot: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
Kerschen, Lios. “Critical Essay on ‘Romeo and Juliet’.” Drama for Students. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Vol. 21. Detriot: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Dec 2013.