"The blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet ultimately rests with Friar Laurence." Do you agree?
Blame for the tragic outcome in this tale does not rest with one person alone. Friar Laurence’s mistakes complicate the issue and he is partially at fault for the deaths of the two lovers. Romeo and Juliet’s decision to act upon their love too quickly is also a significant factor in their tragic ends. Juliet’s parents contribute because they made the lives of the teenagers very difficult and pushed her to make impulsive decisions.
Friar Laurence played a significant role leading to the death of Romeo and Juliet. He believed that marrying the couple would solve the feud between the two houses; “In one respect I’ll assistant be: For this alliance
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They chose to marry less than 24 hours after they met : (Romeo) “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” Love at first sight doesn't imply weddings at first sight. Marriage for most people is a life long commitment requiring long and careful consideration. Keeping their love a secret was a major factor in the outcome of this affair. Confession may have led to banishment for both parties and ultimately a good outcome as they could live happily together. This would have also prevented Juliet’s parents from making her marry Count Paris, and avoid them thinking she was ungrateful: (Lord Capulet) “Doth she not count her blest, Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought so worthy of a gentleman to be her bride?” Friar Laurence may be blamed for his plan, but fundamentally it was Juliet’s choice to accept the idea of the sleeping potion and she went to the Friar for help. It is difficult for blame to be placed on others when it was Romeo and Juliet’s decision to take their own lives. Romeo’s quick action to kill himself with poison and Juliet’s death by Romeo’s dagger, were typical of their impulsive behaviours; “(Romeo) O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die,” “ (Juliet) O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me
Throughout the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the two titular characters fall in love and try to keep their love strong when faced with many difficulties. Death, animosity, lack of free will, misunderstanding, and banishment all bar their love from thriving. In the play’s final scene, Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, both at seeing their love – their only hope – dead. Many of these events are influenced greatly by Friar Laurence, a priest at a church in Verona, the setting of the play. Throughout the play, Friar Laurence displays numerous character traits which show that he is responsible for the play’s conclusion. Friar Laurence is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s tragic ending because of his selfishness, his interference, and his insincerity.
One of the main reasons that Friar Laurence was held accountable for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet is because he married them. First of all, this marriage was done without the consent of the parents. Secondly, he could have tried to support their relationship instead of marrying them and not telling anyone. He speaks of how these two will become one in marriage; “For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone / Till holy church incorporate two in one” (Shakespeare 47).Friar Laurence thought that marrying these two lovers w...
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.
How is one supposed to learn from their mistakes when they do not even know they made them in the first place? All people make mistakes, but only those that are wise learn from them, and actually realize they made them, while others simply overlook them. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, one is able to witness how serious mistakes that were left unrealized, and forgotten, led to the tragic death of the two protagonists. Errors and mistakes should be corrected, before it is too late. Most of the characters in the play have caused the death of the protagonists, one way or another. The characters that caused the most dramatic and serious effect upon Romeo and Juliet’s death are Tybalt, the Nurse, and the Friar Laurence.
Throughout time, there have been many tragedies cause by romance. For example, the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is known for its romantic tragedy between two star-crossed lovers. With all the deaths, who is truly to blame for Romeo and Juliet's deaths? Friar Laurence is most to blame for many obvious, yet overlooked reasons.
This is not say that Friar Laurence does not feel responsible for Romeo and Juliet's deaths, he recounts his tale to the Prince and offer his life as a sacrifice if their deaths are his fault (5.3.228-68). In every step of deceiving Romeo and Juliet's parents, the government, and everyone who thought Juliet to be dead, Friar Laurence was attempting to: end a great feud between two families, help Juliet keep her marriage vows (by helping her out of marrying Paris), keeping Juliet alive, keeping Romeo safe from imprisonment or death, and ultimately, protecting the lovers' love from outside influences. He sees his acts as acts that are working for the greater good, and therefore they are just.
While at first he is optimistic about the match, thinking it may help unite the two warring families, it is later very evident that Friar Laurence doubts the rightness of the decision. His doubts is first expressed in Act 2, Scene 6 while he and Romeo are waiting for Juliet's arrival. This is obvious when Friar exclaims “So smile the heavens upon this holy act that after-hours with sorrow chide us not!” (Act 2 Scene 6 Line 1 and 2). Friar Laurence is saying that he hopes the heavens, or God, will approve of this secret union, and not reproach them later for the union by giving them sorrows. One reason why he doubts the marriage is the right thing to do is because he recognizes that Romeo is far too young to really understand what love is. Friar Laurence rightly sees that their love is really just intense passion and infatuation that is likely to end, as we see in his lines, "These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, like fire and powder" (Act 2 Scene 6 Line 9 and 10). Hence, both of these passages help prove that Friar Laurence's decision to marry them was not the best one. Furthermore, we know that his decision to marry the couple helped lead to their deaths because, had Juliet not already been married when her father insisted that she marry Paris, Friar Laurence would not have also made the decision to fake Juliet's death in order to help her out of the mess, a decision that leads to Juliet's real death, as well as Romeo's. One thing that we see Friar Laurence do that is unusual for a member of the priesthood is act deceptively. Friar Laurence deceives the parents of both Romeo and Juliet by marrying their children behind their backs. However, marrying them was not the most prudent decision for a priest to make, regardless that he did it under the best intentions of uniting their warring families. It may have
Friar Lawrence was sympathetic and impatient with the two that it eventually led to their deaths. Friar Lawrence marrying Romeo and Juliet and not telling anyone was inconsiderate, he didn’t care to tell the families; before or after. He believed that if he married Romeo and Juliet the feud between the Capulets and Montagues would end saying: “For this alliance may so happy prove/ To turn your households’ rancour to pure love.” (2:3:91-92) Not telling anyone led to Capulet wanting Juliet to marry Paris sooner which resulted in her asking for the potion. Friar Lawrence is also to blame as he is the one who caused Juliet to appear dead. When Juliet arrived, and threatened to stab herself is she had to marry Paris, Friar Lawrence gave her a potion to make her appear dead for 42 hours then she could leave with Romeo. Friar Lawrence showed that he is impatient when he rushed everything and didn’t wait to see if Romeo received the letter instead he gave her the potion. When she drank the potion and Romeo came to see her, he assumed she was dead and drank a poison and fell dead at her side, after awakening Juliet sees Romeo dead beside her and takes his dagger and says “O happy dagger, this is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.” And plunges the dagger into her stomach and too falls dead with her beloved Romeo. If Friar Lawrence hadn’t been so sympathetic with marrying the two and hadn’t been impatient when it
With Friar Laurence being so quick with his thoughts, he married Romeo and Juliet. This was a mistake and is the main reason for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. In Act 2 Scene 6 when Romeo takes Juliet to see Friar Laurence to get married, Friar Laurence
Romeo and Juliet trusted friar completely and often came to him for advice, given that he was a priest, so it wasn't a surprise when they came to him with hopes of getting married. At first he thought that marrying them was the right thing to do and would eventually help their families "In one respect I'll thy assistant be, For his alliance may so happy prove To turn your households' rancor to pure love" (II.iii.90-92). He was hopeful that this marriage would help unite the two families and stop their feud. However, over time he started to have second thoughts, and instead of recognizing their importance he didn't dwell on them. This was obviously a mistake. If he would have thought more about the outcome of keeping their marriage a secret, and how it would effect everyone, he could have made it public knowledge and prevented the deaths of
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.
Romantic love stories are often ended with a tragedy, because of loss of passion or a loved one. These tragedies are often the result of one person’s actions that ended someone’s life or love. In the Romeo and Juliet play written by William Shakespeare, two citizens of Verona come together and fall deeply in love. Unfortunately their love comes to an end, along with their lives, because of a misunderstanding and a persistent feud between their families. Although there are many characters in this play that have contributed to Romeo and Juliet’s death, Friar Laurence is the person most to blame.
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.
However, Lord Capulet did not know about any of the plan. He did not know that Romeo and Juliet were going to get married, and he didn’t know about the poison. Friar Laurence was the one who married Romeo and Juliet, and who gave Juliet the poison. Lord Capulet has nothing to do with the plan. Therefore, that is why he is not the cause of Romeo and Juliet’s death. In addition, act 4, scene 1, 96-100: “"Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distillèd liquor drink thou off, When presently through all thy veins shall run, A cold and drowsy humor, for no pulse, Shall keep his native progress, but surcease.” Line 108-109: “"Thou shalt continue two and forty hours, and then awake as from a pleasant sleep." Friar Laurence gave Juliet the poison and explained to her what the potion was going to do. He tells her that she will wake up in forty hours. Juliet faking her death led to Romeo committing suicide. Juliet then also killed herself once she found out that Romeo was dead. Lord Capulet had nothing to do with this whole thing which shows he was not the character who had the biggest impact on the outcome of Romeo and
An ancient grudge and parents too blinded by hatred to break it, bear the ultimate blame for the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Laurence was just attempting to mend the rift between two households. Nurse desired to make Juliet happy. The parents were selfish and could not get over their enmity with each other, and their children suffered the repercussing consequences. Bombarded by the indecision of all, Romeo and Juliet were free-spirited, love-struck, and young. Sadly it was their deaths, not love or marriage that finally brought the two houses together and Verona peace.