Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is one of English literature’s immortal love stories. In Act II, Scene 3, the character of Friar Lawrence, a wise and respected clergyman, is introduced. He makes this speech when Romeo confides in him about his new love for Juliet, whom he had met just the night before, and asks the Friar to marry them that very day. Friar Lawrence is shocked at the fickleness and inconsistency of Romeo’s affections for Rosaline, his previous love. The main theme of this speech is the dangerous impulsiveness and unreliability of young love. The Friar’s tone of disbelief, shock, and disappointment effectively reprimands Romeo for his impulsiveness and his speech ends with a stern reminder of the importance of consistency in a relationship. The last line of his speech sends out a very strong message of reliability and consistency to all men if they want their women to remain faithful to them. In this passage, Shakespeare uses the techniques of figurative language and structural elements to highlight the theme of dangerous impulsiveness of young love. For the purpose of emphasizing the theme of dangerous impulsiveness of young love, Shakespeare has effectively used the technique of figurative language in this passage. Verbal irony and visual imagery are two main examples of figurative language used in Friar Lawrence’s speech. He laments, ‘How much salt water thrown away in waste/ To season love, that of it doth not taste!” [II.iii.71-72]. This verbal irony effectively emphasizes Romeo’s futile agony and distress at the loss of Rosaline whom he had never truly loved her. He had shed so many tears in vain to “season love”, which was so easily discarded and forgotten [II.iii.71-72]. Shakespeare has also very e... ... middle of paper ... .... This caesura is a very important tool used in the speech to convey the message of fidelity and consistency to all men if they want their women to remain faithful to them. The reader appreciates and agrees with the Friar’s words of wisdom to Romeo and understands how the caesura develops the theme of dangerous impulsiveness of young love by highlighting that fickleness and inconsistency can ruin a relationship. In conclusion, Friar Lawrence very effectively expresses his disapproval of Romeo’s impulsive obsessions and reprimands him for his fickleness and unreliability. The two main techniques used by Shakespeare in this passage, figurative language and structural elements, help the reader to understand the theme of dangerous impulsiveness of young love and its drastic consequences. The Friar also gives a very important message about consistency in relationship.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a Renaissance poet and playwright who wrote and published the original versions of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, and often called England’s national poet. Several of his works became extremely well known, thoroughly studied, and enjoyed all over the world. One of Shakespeare’s most prominent plays is titled The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In this tragedy, the concept that is discussed and portrayed through the characters is love, as they are recognized as being “in love”. The general umbrella of love encompasses various kinds of love such as romantic love, the love of a parent for a child, love of one’s country, and several others. What is common to all love is this: Your own well-being is tied up with that of someone (or something) you love… When love is not present, changes in other people’s well being do not, in general, change your own… Being ‘in love’ infatuation is an intense state that displays similar features: … and finding everyone charming and nice, and thinking they all must sense one’s happiness. At first glance it seems as though Shakespeare advocates the hasty, hormone-driven passion portrayed by the protagonists, Romeo and Juliet; however, when viewed from a more modern, North-American perspective, it seems as though Shakespeare was not in fact endorsing it, but mocking the public’s superficial perception of love. Shakespeare’s criticism of the teens’ young and hasty love is portrayed in various instances of the play, including Romeo’s shallow, flip-flop love for Rosaline then Juliet, and his fights with Juliet’s family. Also, the conseque...
While at the point of the play when Romeo is exiled the Friar seems to be quite aggravated and harsh: “Hold thy desperate hand! Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art… Which heavy sorrow makes them apt unto.
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.
...s when Friar supposed to follow rules that he should observe. Therefore, Friar Lawrence’s intention to solve the problem of the feuding families actually ended up in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Friar Lawrence was trying to fix the problematic situation that they were in with a plan that could potentially bring Romeo and Juliet together again. This ‘remedy’, however, seemed to result in the suicides of the ‘star crossed lovers’. The comparison of ‘marrying County Paris’ and ‘undertaking a thing like death’ that Friar Lawrence gives shows his thinking. Friar Lawrence seemed to be convinced so much that Juliet must be with Romeo that he thought of a plan – any plan to get them together again. At the scene of Juliet mourning over Romeo, Friar Lawrence quickly enters the Capulet Monument, however, just as quickly, leaves the monument
This statement is important as it shows the Friar does not truly believe in the affection between the two lovers and that he believes Romeo cares only about the looks of Juliet. The Friar claims, "…this alliance may so happy prove/To turn [their] households' rancour to pure love"(2.4.90-93) yet he denies his responsibilities by failing to notify anyone of the large secret he holds. It is obvious that Friar Laurence is not simply ignorant of the potential disaster being created but plainly disregarding it when he states, "These violent delights have violent ends/And in their triumphs die, like fire and powder"(2.6.9-10). The Friar's willingness to ignore such strong predictions of death for the mere possibility of a good outcome, for which he will be recognized, shows his appalling judgement as well as his distorted morals.
Friar Lawrence is a humble and holy who is respected by the other characters. Figurative language and dramatic conventions give a well-grounded understanding of his motives, traits and values. His main motive is peace between the families he “All I had wanted to achieve was peace.” As a friar he respects the Montague’s and Capulet’s. The quote represents his motive that he wanted the feuding to stop. When he married Romeo and Juliet he wished for more then their happiness. He hoped that the marriage would bring families together. When witnessing the deaths he says in sorrow, “I’m a friar holy and peaceful.” “Oh lord the poor deaths that lie in front of me. Are due to my greed to resolve the feud.” The term friar represents his traits, being
Being one of the most debated texts in history, Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, has the power and ability to divide audiences. Throughout the play, it is seen that Shakespeare has left the audience to contemplate the underlying cause of the Romeo and Juliet tragedy. Shakespeare begins by showing the reckless actions and choices of the lovers, illustrating one of the main contributing factors to their deaths. Friar Lawrence plays a large role in the deaths of the lovers as he is the main instigator, greatly contributing to the deaths. Also, demonstrated through the play is that the lover’s destiny is written in the stars. Without
Impatience kills In “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, two very young people fall in love but cannot be with each other because of the feud between their families. The feud ends when Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves because of heartbreak over the other. The minor characters Mercutio, Tybalt, and Friar Lawrence serve as foils to Romeo, to help support the theme of patience. While Romeo is impatient and makes rash and hasty decisions, Friar Lawrence is careful and takes time to consider his actions. First Romeo thinks that he is in love with a nun named Rosaline, but a couple hours later he is asking the Friar to marry him to another girl she had just met.
Friar Lawrence felt an internal conflict within him – the conflict of self against self. He knew in his mind that it was wrong to help a teen run away with her lover, who happened to be a murderer. But he also felt himself reach out to them, as he had known them as his own children for a very long time. He knew what a desperate situation Juliet and Romeo were in, and knew that he could prevent their lives from being ruined. But the problem was that the only way to solve everything, was to take a ‘wrong path’, that everyone opposed. In the end, he ends up helping his fellow children. But by this decision, he affected the whole plot of the play, and caused it to turn greatly. This plan would have turned out marvelously, but he made a few mistakes.
Moreover after knowing Juliet for less than twenty-four hours, Romeo goes to his companion Friar Lawrence and asks him to marry them. True, Juliet is the one who sets up the marriage. However, Romeo is the one who pushed the relationship too far and too soon. In Act 2.3, Friar Lawrence is in shock with the sudden change from Rosaline to Juliet and comments on the ind...
“Don’t waste your love on someone who doesn’t value it.” In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare exposes the life of two young lovers in the Renaissance period fighting for something they cannot live without; each other. Although fate takes its toll, the everlasting feud between two families, conditional love by parents, and the irresponsibility’s of father and mother like figure are the main causes in the death of Romeo and Juliet. The idea of love is something that is valued in this play from many different aspects of characters, lines, and scenes. Shakespeare leaves the minds of readers soaring over not why it happened, but who was at fault.
Throughout the next few lines spoken, is where I believe the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is initiated, for if Romeo had not trusted and spoken of his love with an enemy; saying “I have been feasting with mine enemy “Juliet, Romeo also explains that Juliet feels the same for him . Then Friar Lawrence would not have felt the responsibility to try and reunite and mend the strife between the Montague’s and Capulet’s.
He tries to warn Romeo of the temporary state of infatuation and persuades him out of his rage upon hearing his verdict of banishment. The Friar was a leaning stone for Juliet to turn to while her parents forced her to marry Paris, while the nurse betrayed her by compelling her to marry Paris. His words and belief, that the couple’s marriage would solve the family feud, was also astonishing and showed a sense of belief but also doltishness which he held. But his words have no weight, they are like water in a shattered bucket, because although he speaks in magnifying and brilliant wisdom, his actions undermine them.
Friar Lawrence, a small, yet important character, is pivotal to the play's development. For example, shortly after Romeo and Juliet meet, Friar Lawrence decides to do as Romeo and Juliet wish and marry them in order to make peace between their families; "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". (II, 6, 35-37) Though the Friar has good intentions in deciding to do as Romeo pleads, the marriage only leads to complications and deceit. Another instance when Friar Lawrence is a key character is when he gives Juliet a poison that will put her into a deathlike sleep in a plan to reunite her with Romeo; "Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, /And if thou darest, I'll give thee remedy". (IV, 1, 73, 77) Friar Lawrence's plan is clearly not well thought-out because it is much too risky and many safer plans would have had better results.