The Dramatic Significance of the Roles of Friar Lawrence and Juliet’s Nurse in the Tragic Fate of Romeo and Juliet

The Dramatic Significance of the Roles of Friar Lawrence and Juliet’s Nurse in the Tragic Fate of Romeo and Juliet

In the play friar Lawrence, is a friar of the order of Saint Francis.

He is a father figure towards Romeo, and is torn between assisting his

protégé or staying out of the situation and keeping neutral as a man

of God should. He chose for both Romeo and Juliet to confide in him

and he is privy to their most secret thoughts, desires and actions.

Friar Lawrence first appeared in the play while he was gardening, he

talks about the good and evil in the people using nature.

“Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied,

And vice sometimes by action dignified.”

- Act 2 scene 3 lines 21-22

When friar Lawrence said this, I think he was thinking of himself, for

instance, if he is virtuous, then, his good acts of helping Romeo and

Juliet turn to vice, because his motivations were similar to the

princes – to stop the feud between the families, though if it had

worked it would have had a good ending, but it didn’t work and

therefore there was no good out come.

“Hence will I to my ghostly father’s cell,

His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell.”

- Act 2 scene 2 lines 201-202

This was said by Romeo to Juliet. I am assuming that ghostly means

spiritual or holy, this could mean that because friar Lawrence is a

friar, Romeo referred to him as ‘father’, though I think that Romeo

was very close to friar Lawrence so ‘father’ may have been meant

literally.

friar Lawrence says to Romeo “young son” – Act 2 scene 3 line 33

meaning that they have a father son relationship, especially as there

are no scenes between Romeo and his parents, so the friar is the only

person to whom Romeo turns to for advice, he is also the last person

Juliet goes to after everyone else, so in a way, he is a kind of