An Exploration of Parental Failure Within Romeo & Juliet
The concept of a moral compass is derived from the potent lessons that one should learn throughout their childhood and adolescence from parental figures; when one lacks this sense of guidance it can dramatically affect one’s ability to form a sound sense of judgement which could expose one to unfavourable consequences. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the theme that when young people are faced with a lack of parental guidance the effects can be detrimental their futures is demonstrated thoroughly. The first reason for the tragic outcome of the play can be traced back to the selfishness of several supporting characters that bear significant roles in the coming of age of both
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To begin, the setting is used to demonstrate what little regard Friar Laurence h44as for Juliet’s safety. The use of the death stained tomb represents the extent of Friar Laurence's self-centeredness when he leaves Juliet to face her husband’s death alone in a place of which his first judgement is “Alack, alack, what blood is this, which stains/ The stony entrance of this sepulchre?” (Shakespeare, V, iii,140-141). A selfish act is demonstrated when the Friar flees the tomb to avoid facing potential consequences. This influences Juliet’s short-sighted decision to end her own life as she is left without guidance in the most devastating time of her life in a setting tainted by Paris’ bloody death and Romeo’s suicide. Furthermore, in Elizabethan times, society praised patriarchy in the respect that a women’s significance was only in relation to the men in her life, such as her husband or father; Lady Capulet disregards Juliet’s wishes as she attempts to force society’s sexist notions on to her daughter in a bid to remain as a prominent family. Lady Capulet’s selfishness contributes to the irrational decisions Juliet makes as she is more concerned for her daughter to marry high upon societies ranks rather than assuring her daughter is content in life. This is demonstrated when she says “The County Paris, at Saint Peter’s Church,/ shall happily make thee a joyful bride” (Shakespeare, III, v, 115-116). Lady Capulet’s shallow perspective of Juliet is demonstrated as she is so invested in ensuring her daughter marry Paris, relative of the prince, that she overlooks how Juliet does not reflect her feelings that marriage should be about social stature, and she foolishly believes that Juliet could be made content by marrying a man simply because of his rank in society. This
Romeo and Juliet’s impulsive behavior is strongly influenced by their infatuation and the irresponsible encouragements of their adult figures, ultimately resulting in their tragic downfall. Despite only meeting twice, Romeo and Juliet are extremely attracted to each other, and the emotional factor motivates them to get married. They did not consider the consequences of their actions or ask their parents for their approval of the wedding, instead, they choose to get married in secret due to the grudge. The grudge creates a physical barrier between Romeo and Juliet’s communication and interactions, due to their family’s blind hatred towards each other. Despite the possibility of getting killed, Romeo is willing to cross the Capulet’s gates in hopes of catching a glimpse of
Youth and Age Should Friar Lawrence and the Nurse have been more careful about the way they encouraged Romeo and Juliet’s love? To what extent does Shakespeare present them as being to blame?
The Extent to Which Friar Lawrence is Responsible for the Deaths of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's first authentic tragedy. It is about two lovers who commit suicide when their feuding families prevent them from being together. The play has many characters, each with its own role in keeping the plot line. Some characters have very little to do with the plot; but some have the plot revolving around them. While the character of Friar Lawrence spends only a little time on stage, he is crucial to the development of the conclusion of the play. It is Friar Laurence’s good intentions, his willingness to take risks and his shortsightedness that lead to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
They were more interested in the wealth and respectability of a husband than the daughter’s happiness. Their idea of a happy marriage would be that the woman would learn to love the husband. Is it very important for a modern audience, who wish to get a deeper understanding of Shakespeare’s scenes and characters, to understand the society of Romeo and Juliet. Otherwise, unwillingly, the audience may unfairly judge a character. They may see a character’s actions as unreasonable, as they would be considered in a modern society, when in fact they may have been perfectly reasonable in Shakespearean times.
Had Friar Lawrence not been involed with Romeos and Juliets 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 does, is secretly marrying the two lovers with out 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 he giving Juliet the sleeping potion. All of his actions combined lead to the main character’s suicidal action.
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.
The saying: love you to death, actually comes to life. We all need to learn to live, love and laugh in our daily lives. Life goes by way too quickly. Life still goes on even if you're angry with someone. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, by: William Shakespeare, the Montagues and Capulets spent their entire lives fighting. So much anger, hate and even love between the two families. Nobody would ever forget the past and move on, they hold on to those grudges. In this play, Romeo and Juliet, it was never Romeo and Juliet to blame for their suicide. Romeo and Juliet’s death was all to do with fate.
Social conscience and responsibility are key attributes that define a human being. There has always been a severe lack of these characteristics in the society we live in which has lead to immense consequences. The impact of the people in everyday-life is enormous on young individuals. This is best demonstrated in the classic play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare in which there are several key secondary characters whose decisions contribute to the tragic demise of the play's protagonists, Romeo and Juliet. The outcome of the play could have been significantly altered and the tragedy could easily have been averted if only the characters of the Capulets, the Nurse, and Friar Lawrence were more responsible and made better decisions relating to young lovers.
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.
Throughout history never has there been a piece of literature as well known for its tragic end as that of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Although many factors contribute to the grief and misfortune that this play represents, human actions play the principle role in the final outcome. At first glance, one may look over the character of Friar Laurence dismissing him as only a minor player in the plot. However, upon closer examination, it becomes obvious that the Friar plays an essential role in the development of the play and, although has good intentions, is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
The writer uses thoughtful dramatic irony to display the impetuous behavior of the two teens. The play is written to call attention to the way young lovers act and how people must think before they act in response. An example of the cunning dramatic irony is when Juliet first meets Romeo and they do not know the others identity. Before they find out whose family name they belong to they profess their love for one another, later realizing that it may have been a mistake. Although, the entire time, the audience is well aware of whom they both are and what they are doing. Romeo states, “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt.”(1.5.117-118.). Juliet later says. “My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is me, that I must love a loathed enemy.”(1.5.137-140.)Another way the play shows the dramatic irony is when Juliet’s family saw that she had died in her sleep. The viewers know that Juliet has consumed a potion from Friar Lawrence that has temporarily put her to sleep to avoid her marriage with the county Paris. In the book Juliet’s fam...
When we first meet Juliet Capulet, we find her cocooned within the safety of her parents’ position and wealth, and the mothering love of her best friend, a woman known to us only as “the nurse”. It is the latter’s friendship which appears to better define the young protagonist. For with her parents, Juliet is nothing more or less than a dutiful, obedient daughter and this we learn of her almost immediately after meeting her: “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move,
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?
Reckless actions lead to untimely deaths. In Shakespeare’s tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, both protagonists fight for their hopeless love. Bloodshed and chaos appear inevitable in fair Verona; Romeo and Juliet come from enemy households, the Montegues and the Capulets, who have sworn to defeat one another. The young and handsome Romeo weeps over his unrequited love for Rosaline, until he lays his eyes on Juliet. Strong and independent, Juliet seeks to escape her family’s will to marry her off to Paris, a kinsman of the Prince. Fate ties these adolescents’ lives together binding them to witness the ill-fortunes of Romeo and Juliet’s love. Romeo and Juliet prove themselves woefully impulsive through their words and actions, which ultimately lead them along a series of unfortunate mishaps.