A Friar Who Misfired Essay

1080 Words3 Pages

The Friar’s A Liar Who Misfired At the time William Shakespeare conducted the romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, preplanned weddings were conventional, happening much more often than not. In this scenario, the Montagues and Capulet families are in the middle of a chronic. Friar Laurence, being a neutral character, is increasingly becoming tired of this dispute and so, in effort to resolve the feud, he marries Romeo and Juliet in secret. Later, the Friar tries to unite the two by concocting a plan for them to escape their home city, Verona, and live happily hence ward in Mantua. As one knows Friar Laurence does this out of genuine intentions, he unequivocally bears the responsibility for the untimely suicides of Romeo and Juliet because …show more content…

Just one day after they meet at the Capulet’s party, Romeo goes to Friar’s church to try and persuade him to marry the two later that day. After a rather prolonged conversation, Friar Laurence reluctantly consents to the idea hoping it would end the feud. Accordingly, Romeo becomes ecstatic about it, but the Friar warns him by asserting, “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast./” (2.4.100). In this quote, Shakespeare, by way of the Friar, foreshadows that a tragic event may occur as a result of rushing into marriage. At this point in the play, the Friar is regarded as a sage, virtuous man; thus, one can conclude the authenticity of his words. So, the line by Friar Laurence is a subtle message of precaution to Romeo for what he calls “running fast” into marriage. With this in mind, one should realize that if Friar Laurence knew there was a substantial amount of peril in this abrupt marriage, why would he dare marry them? He knows this surreptitious marriage could lead to major trouble, especially since Romeo and Juliet are still so naïve. The quote enables the reader to start to foreshadow how the rushed marriage could “stumble,” and cause a calamity. If this line was removed from the epic tragedy, one would not know the forewarning that the Friar gives, as a result causing the audience to become less engaged with the destiny and course of their love. Therefore, Friar Laurence is accountable for …show more content…

Friar Laurence gives the letter to Friar John to take to Romeo in Mantua as part of his plan to unite Romeo and Juliet, only for Friar Laurence to find out that it is not delivered. He reacts to this unsuccessful dispatch by professing to Friar John, “By my brotherhood,/The letter was not nice but full of charge,/Of dear import, and neglecting it/May do much danger.” In the response to the horrid news, Friar points out that because the letter has not been delivered, there may be “much danger” as a result. Additionally, he expresses the importance of it through the words “The letter was not nice but full of charge,/Of dear import.” From the phrase “May do much danger,” the audience can continue to foreshadow that peril is ahead and it may be lethal to the couple. Because of this, Friar is nervous as speaks, and severely disappointed in the dispatch. Moreover, the fact that he gives the letter to Friar John instead of delivering it personally adds to the fault of Friar Laurence for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Equally important, if the quote was not present in the play, the audience would be unaware of the potential consequences that could result from the incident. For all these reasons, Friar Laurence is responsible for the conspicuous and renowned deaths of the

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