I believe that Friar Lawrence, who was a wise, well respected friar, responsible for the marriage of Romeo and Juliet in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, made the correct decision to marry them. It is understandable, that at first, Friar Lawrence expresses his concern about their rapid approach to marriage; stating that Romeo has had a drastic change in heart and Romeo should be careful (2.3.65-68). Although he is on edge about how quickly Romeo had moved on from Rosaline, he ultimately complies with the marriage request and officiates their wedding in hopes of ending the ancient family feud. I think that Friar Lawrence’s complete intention was to help Romeo and Juliet and unite their families. For example, Friar Lawrence states, “So
Friar Lawrence in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet "We still have known thee for a holy man"
Despite his initial disapproval, Friar Lawrence agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet in hopes that “this alliance may so happy prove/ to turn [their] households’ rancor to pure love” (II.iii.98-99). Although Friar Lawrence has good intentions, as he does not gain anything from the marriage, by supporting Romeo and Juliet’s infatuation, his actions will eventually create more harm than benefits, as it allows their impulsive behavior to persist. By marrying Romeo and Juliet in secret, it is evident that Friar Lawrence knows that the wedding is a bad idea, but due to his indecisive personality and the inability to make a solid choice, Friar Lawrence blindly follows through with the marriage. In addition, he does not analyze the consequences of his actions prior to his agreement to marry them, only to later express regret and warn Romeo about the dangers of their infatuated love and their impulsive behavior. Friar Lawrence’s indecisive personality is evident in his soliloquy through the excessive use oxymorons in between rhyming
Friar Lawrence plays a very important role in the play between Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare has presented Friar Lawrence with much to blame for the horrific ending of their lives. Not only was Friar Lawrence the brains behind the plan of getting them together after his banishment, he was also the man who agreed to the marriage in the first place. ‘for doting, not loving, pupil mine’ Romeo holds a lot of respect for Friar Lawrence and he is a father figure towards him in the play. Friar Lawrence’s opinions therefore are considered by Romeo, so therefore he should have been more careful in his decisions of marriage.
Friar Lawrence does not have very much time on stage, but the time he does have is crucial to the plot line. Through his words, Friar Lawrence demonstrates that he is well intentioned, yet sometimes shortsighted, and is not afraid to take risks to help others. He may do something out of the ordinary, if he thinks the outcome will help someone for whom he cares. For example, when he says "In one respect I'll thy assistant be;/ for this alliance may so happy prove, / to turn your households rancor to pure love" (II.iii.97-99), he is saying that the only reason he will marry Romeo and Juliet is that he hopes that the marriage will end the hostilities between the two houses. When he says "Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, / and hither shall he come; and he and I/ shall watch thy waking, and that very night/ shall Romeo bear thee to Mantua" (IV.i.116-119), his intention is clearly to comfort and reassure Juliet.
A hero is described as someone who, in the opinion of others, has "special qualities and is perceived as a role model.” In the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence fits this definition of a hero. Friar Lawrence is a selfless character who is always trying to help others and make people happy. In the play, the Friar does heroic acts, such as marrying Romeo and Juliet and by doing that hoping to end the feud between the Capulet and Montague families. Also, he comes up with a plan for Juliet not to kill herself and have her escape to be with Romeo, and finally he admits to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. All three of these deeds deem The Friar as the hero in Romeo and Juliet. The author, William Shakespeare uses literary
Friar Lawrence is a fallacious mentor. This is seen when he agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet. “Come, come with me, and we will make short work./For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone/Till holy church incorporate two in one.”(2.2.35-37) This was an ill-conceived decision because the families are unaware of this so it will not actually break the tension between the two rival families. This creates dishonesty and unfaithfulness to their families which evidently ends tragically. When Friar Lawrence married Romeo and Juliet he inferred that the feud between the families would end; however, this was not the case because they kept it a secret. “This shall determine that.” (3.1.28) Romeo challenges Tybalt to a fight to the death even though Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin and they are married. This proves that Friar’s plan was faulty and unsuccessful because there is still great conflict between the two rival families. Friar’s unhelpful mentoring is shown when he agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet and when he wrongly infers that the feud between the families would
Had Friar Lawrence not been involved with Romeos and Juliet's decisions, the story may not have had a tragic ending. In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence should be blamed for the death of the two main characters. The first mistake Friar Lawrence makes, is secretly marrying the two lovers without the parents consent right after Romeo had just loved his "perfect" Rosaline. Then, he agrees, to the Capulet’s, to marry Paris and Juliet. Lastly, the worst mistake was giving Juliet the sleeping potion.
Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays ever written. It's a story of two star-crossed lovers whose lives end tragically because they do not understand the hatred of their older generation keeping them apart. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is the cause for the lovers' tragic death because he married the two of them, he did not go to Mantua to send his message to Romeo and he fled the scene when he realized he could not save his plan.
Although Friar Lawrence is a member of a religious order, he too is also to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The Friar can be described as quick to think or secretive. For example, he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet without even informing the parents about the marriage. Friar Lawrence says to Romeo before the marriage, “So smile the heavens upon this holy act, that after-hours with sorrow chide us not!” This shows that Friar Lawrence, the adult in the situation, knew of the consequences they would have to face if they were caught (2.4.1-2). He even has the secretive idea to hide the marriage from both families. He knows that the families were not fond of each other, but still thinks it is right for him to marry them without notifying the parents. If Friar Lawrence had decided to inform the parents that Romeo and Juliet were going to be married, he would not be in this mess. Near the end of the play, Friar Lawrence realizes the mistake he made by marrying Romeo and Juliet. He admits to his actions saying, “Miscarried by my fault, let my old life be sacrific’d some hour before this time, unto the rigor of severest law” (5.3.267-269). Friar Lawrence took the blame for his impulsive actions because he knows it was mainly his fault for marrying Romeo and Juliet, and he does not want to feel guilty anymore. Although Friar does not die, he is going to be jailed for his
In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence greatly influences the Romeo and Juliet and brings the plots to the dramatic results. Without the presence of Friar Lawrence, the story will not be so unpredictable and the tragedy may not have occurred. Initially when Romeo comes to Friar Lawrence and asks for wedding, Friar suspects Romeo’s quick changes, but is reluctant to help Romeo for this marriage. Since Romeo sincerely asks for his help, Friar finally agrees to Romeo’s plan and 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” (2.3.98-99). In Friar’s viewpoint, this marriage should be a benefit for the city of Vernoa. Friar hopes that with this marriage, it will calm the two feuding families down and allow them to get together again. This action seems to be incorrect for Friar, because he is trying to solve a larger ...
Friar Lawrence thought it was a good idea to keep Romeo and Juliet’s relationship a secret. He was unaware that this would be a cause of their deaths. Friar Lawrence said to Romeo when he gave consent to marry Romeo and Juliet, “come, young waverer, come, go with me, in one respect I’ll thy assistant be, for this alliance may so happy prove to your households’ rancor to pure love” (II. iii. 83-93). Friar Lawrence believed that he was doing the right thing. He believed that if he married and Romeo and Juliet he would be ending the feud between the two families. Instead of saying no that he won’t marry them and they should wait Friar should’ve warn both of their parents about what the lovers were planning. He just decided to marry them even though they had known each other for only a couple hours and without their parents consent. Another time that Friar Lawrence was secretive about Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, which then led to their deaths, was after Romeo killed Tybalt and was banished and then later on Lord Capulet decided to accept Paris’ request to marry Juliet. Juliet went to Friar Lawrence and he told her this after she threatened to kill herself “ Hold, daughter. I do spy a kind of hope, which craves as desperate as an execution as that is desperate which we would prevent… if Thou hast the ...
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.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.
In Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence has a major role. As a member of the Order of St. Francis, a group of wise and generous priests, Romeo and Juliet trusted Friar Laurence completely, turning to him for advice, and solutions. He was there throughout Romeo’s and Juliet's lives; he married them, came up with a plan to keep them together, and was a friend throughout their tragedies. However, Friar Laurence’s rash action in marrying Romeo and Juliet, his shortsighted plan for rescuing Juliet from an unwanted marriage to Paris, and his fear of committing sin all contributed to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
The Friar was supposed to be a responsible adult and a man of God. This means that people would have come to him to confess their sins. Romeo and Juliet were young and naive and Friar Lawrence understood that very well. He also understood their personalities and circumstances, but still chose to marry them in hope that it would end the feud between the two families. As an adult he was also supposed to be a lot smarter ands wiser. Neither of those qualities were shown in any of his decision making.
Friar Lawrence is perhaps one of the most ambiguous characters in Romeo and Juliet. A quick Google search for “Friar Lawrence character analysis” would only affirm that fact. The Friar “advances the plot with his wisdom and religious powers” (Castanalysis.com), yet “he is the most scheming and political of characters in the play” (Sparknotes.com). How innocent was he in the destruction of young Montague and Capulet, and what kind of a personality did he truly have?