Why Is Friar Lawrence Important In Romeo And Juliet

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Usually when someone is asked to give advice, their “help” does not lead to multiple deaths. For most people, that would be considered bad advice or not doing the right thing. In Romeo and Juliet, there are several characters who would be considered atrocious advice-givers and would never be asked for advice again. Nurse and Friar Lawrence, the mentors and almost parental figures for Romeo and Juliet, are not favorable characters to fall under that category, considering their influences on the play’s outcome. Even though Nurse and Friar Lawrence offer some valuable advice and are trying to help Romeo and Juliet, their ways are questionable and occasionally even illegal, leading to them not having down the “right things” in their situations. …show more content…

His first bad decision was the one to marry Romeo and Juliet and he knew that himself, but he still went through with it; “These violent delights have violent ends...,” (Shakespeare, 778). Despite being wary of the outcome, he showed he mostly wanted the glory of being the one to “unite the families” by marrying Romeo and Juliet. He seemed to disapprove of the marriage, but when the thought of him being able to stop the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets surfaced, he jumped at the chance, perhaps due to the religious and social pressures to “do something great or important.” After getting himself into a enormous mess, Friar’s solutions are risky and not quite thought through, like in the line, “And, if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy,” when he gives Juliet the potion (Shakespeare, 817). His willingness to take that risky option while it’s not involving him directly shows some of his selfishness and cowardice. Maybe if he had different character traits, he would have shown reluctance to let Juliet attempt that dangerous route and fully considered the options and outcomes, therefore possibly preventing numerous deaths. Friar’s tendency to sway towards poor decisions and awful advice-giving skills makes him an unquestionably dreadful …show more content…

She is rather irresponsible and an alcoholic, as shown when she says, “Some aqua vitae, ho!” (Shakespeare, 825). Clearly, there is something a bit off with having an alcoholic as a nurse; not many people would hire a drunkard as a babysitter. This flaw and her all-around irresponsibility make one wonder why she was even hired and wonder if, had Nurse been more attentive and responsible, there would be far less casualties. Nurse is honest with Juliet when it comes to advice, but she doesn’t go about it in the best way and does not seem to consider Juliet’s positions, as in, “I think it best you married with the County,” (Shakespeare, 808). This flaw of hers is similar to Friar’s problem with his selfishness, but not similar to his need for self-preservation. She doesn’t consider how her speech or thoughts will affect people in the long run, which is one of the reasons she could be considered in the “atrocious mentor” category with Friar Lawrence. Nurse fails in different areas of mentorship than Friar, so together they are an incredible tag-team of awful

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