Friar Laurence As An Antagonist In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

The Friar Laurence as an Antagonist in Romeo and Juliet

Would you trust a man that ultimately killed you and your companion? The Friar Laurence is often seen as a kind role model for Romeo and Juliet, but he is truly the antagonist in the play by William Shakespeare that fuels the tragedy between the young couple. The Friar is a respected holy man in the play Romeo and Juliet, and is largely trusted by both houses of the play, the Montagues and Capulets. He plays the role of consultant to Romeo before he meets Juliet, then offers advice and help to the pair and during the events of the play. In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence is the antagonist as shown in his poison scheme, the marriage between Romeo and Juliet, and his selfish actions during the play.

The marriage between Romeo and Juliet is an obvious example of Friar Laurence being the antagonist in the play. The Friar’s decision to marry the young, immature couple directly contradicts his beliefs as a Friar, as it does not comply with his religious beliefs. (citation) In a Christian view, marriage is a place where couples can raise children in a safe, loving environment. For the Friar to think that Romeo and Juliet are in a secure enough environment to raise children is preposterous. They

are young in age, and live in two separate families that have a history of hatred. If Romeo and Juliet were ever to raise children, the households they live in would provide a hostile environment for them to live in.
Secondly, in a Christian view, a relationship should run on love and faithfulness.

It is very evident that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is reliant on lust, and not real love. The fact that Romeo replaces his original love, Rosaline, with Juliet in a matter of hours demonstrates how poor of a decision it was for Friar Laurence to marry them.( ) It is said by the Friar that he hopes the marriage will bring the feuding families together, but how effective would this be? The Montagues and Capulets rivalry has lasted for decades, and the thought that a marriage between children could end it would be ignorant. The petty actions of the families would eventually destroy the short lasted association to create the feud once

again.
Similarly, the Friar’s poison scheme is an example of his role of the antagonist in Romeo and Juliet. The Friar’s ill fated poison scheme was obviously doomed to fail from the start, raising questions why he would follow through with the plan. The Friar Laurence, a wise adult whom Romeo and Juliet look up to, should be intelligent to know how the plan would negatively affect the young couple.