Romeo And Friar Lawrence Should Not Be Friends

1383 Words3 Pages

Romeo and Friar Lawrence should not be friends. A dependable friend will give level-headed advice and help. This is not what is happens between these two characters, though. Despite this, Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence to talk about all of his problems throughout the play “Romeo and Juliet”. The opposing opinions and unfavorable advice between Romeo and Friar Lawrence can be blamed for the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet. In this play, Romeo relies on Friar Lawrence for crucial advice on several life events and issues, but these characters have drastic differences in their viewpoints on family feuding, marriage, and youth culture.
The Capulets and Montagues have been fighting for decades and have an ancient grudge, and Romeo and …show more content…

For example, Friar sees the common trait among all young adults/teens as being impulsive, and he sees Romeo as being impulsive in wanting the marriage. He says, "Thy old groans ring yet in my ancient ears. / Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit / Of an old tear that is not washed off yet. / If e'er thou wast thyself and these woes thine, / Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline. / And art thou changed? Pronounce this sentence then: / Women may fall when there’s no strength in men," (2.3.74-80). In this quote, Friar Lawrence scolds Romeo for being so quick to take back his love for Rosaline and immediately offer it to a new girl. In the last sentence he states that when men are unreliable, it causes women to be unfaithful or lose their reputation. Therefore, he is not saying that Romeo is the only indecisive youth, but that other young men do it too. Romeo, on the other hand, sees the importance of his youth focused on love and passion and these are the reasons he wants to marry Juliet. Romeo does not see himself as impulsive at all. Instead, he sees himself as simply in love and this is the reason he acts the way he does. When he threatens to kill himself in Friar Lawrence's cell after being banished, he says that Friar would not understand because he is not young and in love. He states, "Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel. / Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love, / An hour but married, Tybalt murdered, / Doting like me, and like me banished, / Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair / And fall upon the ground, as I do now, / Taking the measure of an unmade grave." (3.3.64-70). Romeo pins the focus of his youth and the reason for his decisions and actions on his feelings and love, but Friar Lawrence focuses on the impulsivity that is part of being young. What Friar doesn’t focus much on, is that impulsivity isn’t a phase that only young people experience and later grow out of, but he shows this trait

Open Document