Friar Lawrence

We refer to priests by the title, “father,” out of respect. Priests are seen as teachers and as a human representative of “our Father in heaven.” William Shakespeare in his play, Romeo and Juliet, uses a priest, Friar Lawrence, to act as both a priestly father and a parental father to the character of Romeo. Friar Lawrence is important in the play because he serves both these functions in a way that Montague cannot. Friar plays a vital role in Romeo and Juliet because he gives advice, influences other characters, and acts as a fatherly figure.

Friar Lawrence gives valuable advice to many of the characters in this play, and in particular, Romeo. In Act 2, Scene 3, Friar speaks to Romeo about young love, “Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so

dear, so soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” (66-68) In the beginning of the play, Romeo is in love with a girl named, Rosaline. However, soon after the play begins, they break up. In this quote where Friar is talking to Romeo, he is asking Romeo why he abandoned Rosaline so quickly. He also very blankly tells Romeo that looks aren’t everything in a girl, and he should love her for her personality as well. Friar Lawrence is clearly just the god of love because there are multiple examples in this play where he gives advice about it. Another example being, “Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so. Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.” (2.6.14-15) Here the Friar is telling Romeo to love Juliet in moderation! If he forces things on Juliet, it will be just as bad as treating like a little kid. What great advice from Mr. Friar! Friar Lawrence is an extremely important character in Romeo and Juliet because he’s always there to turn to for unbiased advice.
Friar Lawrence is a very well-respected character, and he has no problem talking to characters in a straightforward manner, and telling them the direct truth.

For example, right after Romeo kills Tybalt, to attempt to make him feel better, Friar says, “Thy tears are womanish, thy wild acts denote the unreasonable fury of a beast. Unseemly woman in a seeming man!” (3.3.107-110) By saying this to Romeo, he is being brutally honest, and telling him that he’s simply acting like a woman. This is a very bold move on Friar Lawrence’s part, but he says this because he knows he will be able to influence Romeo and get him to man up. Whenever a character is feeling sad, Friar has no problem coming up with the wisest words to cheer them up with. After Romeo kills Tybalt, he is feeling an extreme guilt trip, and Friar cheers him up by saying, “There art thou happy. Tybalt would kill thee, but thou slewest Tybalt. There art thou happy.” (3.3.137-138) Friar is making it clear to Romeo that if he weren’t to have killed Tybalt, Tybalt would’ve killed him. Friar Lawrence is influencing the way that Romeo is looking at the killing, and turning it into a positive situation. As you can see, based on these two examples, Friar Lawrence is very good at influencing characters, and getting them to change their

minds.
In Romeo and Juliet, Friar shows that he really cares about Romeo and Juliet; by the actions he takes and the words he speaks, it can be inferred that he is more like a father, than their own.

In a time where Juliet is desperate for a solution, Friar shows compassion, “O Juliet, I already know thy grief. It strains me past the compass of my wits.” (4.1.46-47) Friar Lawrence is saying in this quote that it hurts him to see her in such a predicament. This quote reveals how much he cares about Juliet, and that’ll he will do whatever he can to make her happier. Another example in which Friar acts as a father is, “But come, young waverer, come go with me. In one respect I’ll thy assistant be.” (2.3.89-90) This is the Friar telling Romeo that he is willing to help him with whatever he needs, specifically in this dialogue, they are talking about Romeo and Juliet’s secret wedding. It is made clear in the story that Romeo’s own, real father, Montague, is displeased by the idea of his son, a Montague, marrying Juliet, a Capulet. So, Romeo’s own dad wouldn’t have married them, however Friar agrees to marry them which shows that Friar Lawrence really cares about Romeo more than Romeo’s own dad

does.
Friar Lawrence is very important to the story of Romeo and Juliet because he gives plentiful amounts of advice, is extremely influential, and is a very caring, fatherly man. Friar can get overlooked by the reader, but he does so much for the story. The advice that he gives prompts the characters to take action, and his influence on the characters can get them to change their ways. You, personally, might have somebody in your own life that “is a Friar”. Somebody that is supportive of you, someone that will do whatever they can to put you in a better place. These characters, though you may not realize it, serve a very important purpose in the story, whether imaginary, or real.