The Character of Friar Laurence in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

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The Character of Friar Laurence in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Works Cited Missing Friar Laurence: A Franciscan priest, he plays a crucial role in the

play by marrying Romeo and Juliet's in his cell in the hope that the

feud between the Montague and the Capulet's will now end. A friend of

Romeo, he initially does not take Romeo's love for Juliet seriously,

remembering Romeo's obsession with Rosaline. Later he unwittingly

plays a part in the two lover's deaths when he first puts Juliet to

sleep with a deathlike potion which fools Romeo into thinking Juliet

is dead leading to his suicide by self administered poison followed by

Juliet's death after her discovery that Romeo is dead. Friar

Laurence's letter to Romeo explaining that Juliet was not really dead

never made it to Romeo. At the end of the play, despite his own

admission of guilt for Romeo's and Juliet's death, Escalus, The Prince

of Verona forgives him.

We meet Romeo's friend, Friar Laurence. He wonders how Romeo can

forget Rosaline so quickly but agrees to marry the two since he hopes

that this marriage will finally end the Montague / Capulet feud...

Romeo arrives at the Friar's cell. The Friar who discusses the how his

herbs can both help and harm, is surprised to meet his friend so early

in the morning, suspecting that "Our Romeo hath [has] not been in bed

to-night" (Line 42). Romeo confirms this and the Fr...

... middle of paper ...

...n 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." He thinks he should play a bit of match making and marry these

two to end the feud. If he did not agree to marry them so quickly,

then they would have slowed down, they might not have died. Though he

does advises Romeo a lot, he acts like a 'father figure' to him. He

tries to talk sense into him, just before he is to be married. "There

violent delights have violent end…" He is saying that he shouldn't

rush into things. The love won't last. He left Juliet at the tomb at

her funeral, maybe if he had not left, she wouldn't have killed

herself, he could've stopped her, " Come go good Juliet, I dare no

longer stay." He probably left, scared of being found out, feeling

ashamed and guilty.

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