Franciscan Friar Laurence In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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The role of the Franciscan Friar Laurence in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet can be described as a mentor, but his actual actions as opposed to his good-natured intentions can be effectively described with only two words: “friendly fire”. In the play, Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, find deep and amorous infatuation with each other virtually at first sight, despite their families’ vicious dispute. Eventually, Capulet, Juliet’s father, arranges for Juliet to be married to a young suitor named Paris, despite the fact that Friar Laurence, Romeo’s friend and advisor, already married Romeo to Juliet, consequently, Friar Laurence tried his best to assist Juliet in avoiding marriage with Paris on moral grounds. In the heat of the moment, …show more content…

When the Friar’s plan was executed, his letter to be sent to Romeo was undelivered because his messenger was detained for suspicions of being infected with the plague, causing the Friar to go to the Capulet tomb to take Juliet to a nunnery once she wakes up (in approximately three hours). Romeo receives news of Juliet’s “death” once his servant Balthasar informs him that Juliet lies in the Capulet family tomb, causing him to hurry to Verona and buy poison to commit suicide in case Juliet was truly dead. According to the text: “John. I could not send it - here it is again - Nor get a messenger to bring it thee, So fearful were they of infection. Laurence. 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.” (Shakespeare, 470). This excerpt shows that the Friar’s inability to deliver his letter to Romeo commenced a domino effect that caused Romeo to arrive too early for Juliet to awaken. Therefore, since Romeo thought that Juliet was dead, he drank his potion to kill himself, and when Juliet saw Romeo …show more content…

Firstly, Friar Laurence is to blame for the deaths of the star-crossed lovers because he fabricated a scheme to reunite the two lovers that failed when Friar John was unable to deliver Laurence’s letter to Romeo, causing Romeo to arrive at Juliet’s tomb in Verona at the wrong time, where he encounters and kills Paris in a duel, believes Juliet is dead, kills himself with poison to be with her in the afterlife, as Juliet wakes up from her death-like trance with Romeo and Paris dead at her side, then uses Romeo’s dagger to end her life. Secondly, Friar Lawrence could’ve poisoned the potion that he gave to Juliet to put her in a temporary coma in order to escape the situations unfolding unharmed, which Juliet ponders the possibility of. Thirdly, Friar Lawrence strongly supported Romeo and Juliet’s relationship and marriage, much like the families of Bosko Brkic and Admira Ismic supported their relationship and their failed escape of Sarajevo, both of which ended in the deaths of the couples. The term “friendly fire” describes the Friar’s intentions quite well, as the Friar intended to assist Romeo and Juliet with continuing their relationship despite the feud raging on between their families, yet sparked a series of events that eventually led to the couple’s downfall. If the Friar would have

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