hakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story in which a son and daughter of two feuding families fall in love. Trying to keep it a secret from their families they turn to Friar Lawrence, a Franciscan, for help. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because of his secrecy, poor communication, and irresponsible decision making. Friar Lawrence thought it was a beneficial idea to keep Romeo and Juliet’s relationship a secret when it was not. Romeo came to Friar Lawrence hoping that he would marry them in private so that their families would not find out. Friar Lawrence agreed to marry them and keep the elopement a secret from both families. Knowing that both families are in a feud, Friar Lawrence …show more content…
His plans to unite them with one another fell apart. After sending Friar John to give Romeo the letter telling him about Juliet, Friar Lawrence does not realize that he never left Verona. Before Friar John left Verona to go and give Romeo the letter in Mantua, he stopped at a shelter for the sick people. The people inside the shelter supposedly had the plague, so Friar John was quarantined and was not allowed to leave the city of Verona. Friar John did not tell Friar Lawrence right away. Friar Lawrence ran into him in town and asked why he was not on his way to Mantua. Now Friar Lawrence had to hurry to Mantua to deliver the letter to Romeo before he found Juliet “dead”. In the play Romeo and Juliet, it states, “ Unhappy fortune! By my brotherhood, the letter was not nice but full of charge, of dear import, and the neglecting it may do much danger. Friar John, go hence. Get me an iron crow and bring it straight unto my cell.” ( V, II, 17-21). The poor communication between Friar Lawrence and Friar John has led to the letter being delivered late to Mantua and the death of Romeo, Juliet, and even
Friar Lawrence in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet "We still have known thee for a holy man"
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy- but it did not have to be. Romeo and Juliet is the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, who are the son and daughter of two feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Written by the famed playwright Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet take place in the 14-15 century in the cities of Verona and Mantua, cities in northern Italy. After a series of events that involves Romeo getting banished from Verona and Juliet getting forced to marry a count, Paris, they kill themselves. It has been argued for centuries about who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. But, once reading the book thoroughly and consulting several sources, it is obvious who is solely to blame- Friar Lawrence. Because of the actions of Friar Lawrence, the play ended with two grieving families instead of two happy newlyweds. Although many characters contributed to their deaths, only Friar Lawrence was solely responsible for them. Friar Lawrence’s cowardice, secrecy, and miscommunication led directly to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Friar Lawrence does not have very much time on stage, but the time he does have is crucial to the plot line. Through his words, Friar Lawrence demonstrates that he is well intentioned, yet sometimes shortsighted, and is not afraid to take risks to help others. He may do something out of the ordinary, if he thinks the outcome will help someone for whom he cares. For example, when he says "In one respect I'll thy assistant be;/ for this alliance may so happy prove, / to turn your households rancor to pure love" (II.iii.97-99), he is saying that the only reason he will marry Romeo and Juliet is that he hopes that the marriage will end the hostilities between the two houses. When he says "Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, / and hither shall he come; and he and I/ shall watch thy waking, and that very night/ shall Romeo bear thee to Mantua" (IV.i.116-119), his intention is clearly to comfort and reassure Juliet.
William Shakespeare's famous play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, has flawlessly utilized characterization to captivate audiences for centuries. Friar Lawrence, a distinguished priest of Verona and father figure to Romeo Montague, is a static character throughout the tragedy. He remains steadfast in his promise to unite Romeo and Juliet, aiming to ultimately eliminate the notorious feud between the Montague and Capulet families. Friar Lawrence’s supporting role in the tragedy is a crucial provider of both conflict and assistance to the main characters, Romeo and Juliet. He puts his reputation on the line when marrying Romeo and Juliet, hoping to simultaneously end the feud between the Montagues and Capulets and bring happiness to his Romeo, to whom he is the father figure. Friar Lawrence does everything in his power to aid Juliet in avoiding an undesired marriage to Paris, knowing well that he would be put in danger along the way. Whether it be advising Romeo in his affairs with Juliet or assisting Juliet in faking her death,
Friar Lawrence showed that he was 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 came to the letter, Romeo wouldn’t have drunken the poison and Juliet would have never stabbed herself. In conclusion, the tragic death of young Romeo and Juliet can be blamed on their family and friends.
In reading critical analysis of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" I found that many people call Friar Lawrence a moderate man who elicits to others his voice of wisdom and reason. An example of this sort of conclusion is George Ian Duthie's opinion that Lawrence is "A very worthy man", "prudent" and "worldly-wise"(xix.xx). G.B. Harrison views him as "sympathetically treated", "wise, grave, patient"(6). Due to this continuing interpretation, the view of Friar Lawrence has not really changed through the years. Mutschman and Wentersdorf followed the herd when they stated in their book that
Friar Lawrence is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s stronger affections for each other because he married them and therefore binding their love. Friar Lawrence also came up with a risky solution to get Romeo and Juliet together for the rest of their lives without anyone knowing. However, it consisted of faking Juliet’s death and Romeo did not know she was not actually dead, but alive. Friar Lawrence’s messenger did not tell Romeo the plan in time because Romeo had already heard of Juliet’s death and had gone to her tomb to die with her. Friar Lawrence is responsible for the star-crossed lovers’ death because of his miscalculated
Friar Lawrence thought it was a good idea to keep Romeo and Juliet’s relationship a secret. He was unaware that this would be a cause of their deaths. Friar Lawrence said to Romeo when he gave consent to marry Romeo and Juliet, “come, young waverer, come, go with me, in one respect I’ll thy assistant be, for this alliance may so happy prove to your households’ rancor to pure love” (II. iii. 83-93). Friar Lawrence believed that he was doing the right thing. He believed that if he married and Romeo and Juliet he would be ending the feud between the two families. Instead of saying no that he won’t marry them and they should wait Friar should’ve warn both of their parents about what the lovers were planning. He just decided to marry them even though they had known each other for only a couple hours and without their parents consent. Another time that Friar Lawrence was secretive about Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, which then led to their deaths, was after Romeo killed Tybalt and was banished and then later on Lord Capulet decided to accept Paris’ request to marry Juliet. Juliet went to Friar Lawrence and he told her this after she threatened to kill herself “ Hold, daughter. I do spy a kind of hope, which craves as desperate as an execution as that is desperate which we would prevent… if Thou hast the ...
In Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence plays a dominate role in the eventual death of Romeo and Juliet even though he is not on stage for most of the play. There are basically three major parts that lead to the tragedy; the marriage, the plan, and the inevitable deaths in all which Friar Lawrence plays a vital role.Friar Lawrence plays an essential role in the marriage of young Romeo and Juliet. At Romeo’s request Friar Lawrence states, "In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; for this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households to pure love" (Act 2 Scene 3.) Friar Lawrence believes that this holy marriage would bring the Capulet family and Montuague family closer together, for he anticipates that the families will stop hating each other and be peaceful. His attempts to make the marriage of Romeo and Juliet are admirable but poorly planned.
Friar Lawrence plays an integral part in the action and plot of Romeo and Juliet by secretly marrying them, and giving Juliet the idea to fake her own death. Romeo and Juliet meet in the Friar’s cell for their marriage and the Friar says, “Come, come with me…For, by your leaves you shall not stay alone, Till Holy Church incorporate two in one.”(II.vi.35-37). The Friar marries the two in hopes “to turn [their] households rancor to pure love”(II.iii.99). The Friar is the binding power between Romeo and Juliet, by helping them be together. Without the Friar, Romeo and Juliet would have a difficult time trying to meet in secret with each other, but because of him, they are able to get married. Ultimately, the Friar’s wishes of ending the feud between the Montagues and Capulets are fulfilled, but the reason of their reconciliation being the death of their children. The deaths of Romeo ...
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.
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.
Friar Laurence’s involvement in the marriage of Romeo and Juliet has caused a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet thought that they fell in love, but the Friar should have known that they were just kids and they were really rushing into things. In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence says, “These violent delights have violent ends. Is loathsome in his own deliciousness, and in the taste confounds the appetite: Therefore love moderately: long love doth so, too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.” When he says this, he is giving Romeo a warnin. Also, Friar Lawrence should have known at the time, that Romeo was loving with his eyes and not with his heart. For example, Romeo was in a relationship with Rosaline, before marrying Julliet. Inonclusion , the Friar did not have the expierence to know that they were kids.
In the classic play Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence plays a major part. Romeo and Juliet trusted him entirely as he was the priest of their town. They turned to the Friar for help and advice at a few crucial points in the play. Little did these two lovers know that their decision to turn to Friar Laurence for help would eventually lead to their deaths. Friar Laurence was responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because he married Romeo and Juliet, he was afraid of committing a sin, and because of his faulty plan for saving Juliet from a marriage to Paris.
His faith in Friar John in delivering the message to Romeo was flawed, therefore leading to Romeo’s misinterpretation that Juliet is dead and kills himself with the poison next to Juliet. Finally, Friar Lawrence’s cowardice in the tomb with Juliet would lead to Juliet’s death next to her Romeo. As the Prince of Verona says, “Some shall be pardoned, and some punished. For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” (Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet 5.3 319-321.)