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Analysis of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
Analysis of the story of Romeo and Juliet
Analysis of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
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There are many factors that played a role in Romeo and Juliet’s early deaths, but some characters played bigger roles in it than others. Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is about two young lovers who try to overcome all obstacles to be together, but ends tragically for all. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence is to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s untimely death because Friar Laurence makes bad choices as well as creates plans that end up failing.
Shakespeare first proves that Friar Laurence is to blame when he makes a bad choice of marrying Romeo and Juliet. Friar Laurence is very confident about his decision of marrying Romeo and Juliet with the hopes that it will bring peace to the two families, but it is apparent that even the Friar himself is not sure if it is the right choice. Just before the marriage, when Friar Laurence is waiting for Juliet with Romeo, he states, “So smile the heavens upon this holy act. That afterhours with sorrow chide us not” (2.6.1-2). This shows that Friar Laurence is not so confident about his plan after all. He hopes that his decision will be met with good luck, and that nothing bad happens afterwards. The Friar himself begins to doubt his plan, showing that this is a poor
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decision that he made. Additionally, Shakespeare proves that Friar Laurence is to blame when his plan to stage Juliet’s death fails miserably.
Friar Laurence’s failed plan to fake Juliet’s death comes off of his poor choice of marrying Romeo and Juliet. The Friar knows that there is nothing he can do to help Juliet when he says, “A greater power than we can contradict hath thwarted our intents” (5.3.153-154). The “greater power,” which can be assumed as a godly being or fate/destiny, has not let the Friar carry out his plan properly. At this point, Friar Laurence is basically giving up. This deceptive plan is not one that a holy man should aid in. Also, if Friar Laurence did not marry Romeo and Juliet, then this disaster never would have
occurred. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the blame for the premature deaths of Romeo and Juliet goes to Friar Laurence because of Friar Laurence’s failed plans and poor decisions. Friar Laurence made a poor choice when deciding to marry Romeo and Juliet, which led to other problems, such as creating plans to get Juliet out of another marriage, which fails. These are just two reasons why Friar Laurence is to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s early ends. There are many other factors to Romeo and Juliet’s deaths, but Friar Laurence plays a crucial part in it.
One of the main reasons that Friar Laurence was held accountable for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet is because he married them. First of all, this marriage was done without the consent of the parents. Secondly, he could have tried to support their relationship instead of marrying them and not telling anyone. He speaks of how these two will become one in marriage; “For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone / Till holy church incorporate two in one” (Shakespeare 47).Friar Laurence thought that marrying these two lovers w...
In William Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence plays a major role. He makes not just one, but three fatal mistakes; he marries Romeo and Juliet, gives the potion to Juliet, and gets caught up in their love. Romeo and Juliet knew they could trust Friar Laurence because he was a priest, and he always did what was right. Since Friar Laurence was so quick to make decisions he made these three fatal mistakes, which is why he is most to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Friar Laurence's immature actions make him part of the tragedy. For one, he married Romeo and Juliet. When told that Romeo loves Juliet, Friar replies, "Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! /Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, /so soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies/ not truly in the hearts, but in their eyes," (II, III, lines 66-69). In these lines, Friar admits that Romeo is only lusting for Juliet. Being the adult, Friar shouldn't have married Romeo until he found true love. However, the Friar was immature and married them anyways. Then, Friar came up with the idea for Juliet to fake death. Juliet is distressed about Romeo being banished so Friar comes up with the plan saying, "Hold, then. Go home, be merry, give consent/ to marry Paris. Wednesday is tomorrow,” Juliet is then suppose to "Take thou this vial, being then in bed/ And this distilling liquor drink thou off." After being buried and awakened, "Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua." (IV, I, Lines 90-119). This bad advise, to give a girl a drink like death and tells her to run away, is only one of many immature actions Friar takes. Finally, Friar did not stay with Juliet after she frantically woke up, in a tomb, next other diseased husband who was supposed to run away with her to Mantua. Inste...
Unfortunately, their love comes to an end, along with their lives, because of a misunderstanding and a persistent feud between their families. Although there are many characters in this play that have contributed to Romeo and Juliet’s death, Friar Laurence is the person most to blame. Friar Laurence’s actions throughout the play resulted in the two star crossed lovers’ death. He assisted the two when they wanted to get married, which began the disastrous events in the play. Friar Laurence says to Romeo:
Friar Laurence was once looked up to by both Romeo and Juliet, constantly telling them to act with more caution and restraint. Despite this, he doesn't wait long to marry these lovebirds. It has broken many hearts of the citizens of Verona and left many others in shock. At one point, Friar Laurence admitted to agreeing to marry the couple, knowing Romeo only loves Juliet due to her appearance. "
Friar Laurence’s tragic flaw is being too overconfidence over his actions he planned. When Romeo comes over to friar’s cell for advice, he should’ve never tried to solve conflict between Capulet Family and Montague family. His plan was to change two families madness to love by marring Romeo, son of Montague and Juliet, daughter
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's first authentic tragedy. It is about two lovers who commit suicide when their feuding families prevent them from being together. The play has many characters, each with its own role in keeping the plot line. Some characters have very little to do with the plot; but some have the plot revolving around them. While the character of Friar Lawrence spends only a little time on stage, he is crucial to the development of the conclusion of the play. It is Friar Laurence’s good intentions, his willingness to take risks and his shortsightedness that lead to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy, but it did not have to be. Many things could have been done to prevent their deaths. Many characters contributed to their deaths. The sole character that was responsible for their deaths is Friar Lawrence. Friar Lawrence is responsible for the deaths of the lovers because he was secretive with their relationship, he was unable communicate effectively, and he had a cowardly persona.
The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet published in 1597 by William Shakespeare is a suspenseful and romantic story about two lovers whose love cannot part them from their feuding families. Although they were responsible for killing themselves, there are certain individuals who influenced them to commit suicide. Those who are most responsible for the unfortunate deaths of Romeo and Juliet include Friar Lawrence, for his selfish desire to be a hero, Capulet, for imposing an ultimatum and his disconnection from his daughter, and the Nurse, for her irresponsibility and betrayal to Juliet.
In Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence plays a dominate role in the eventual death of Romeo and Juliet even though he is not on stage for most of the play. There are basically three major parts that lead to the tragedy; the marriage, the plan, and the inevitable deaths in all which Friar Lawrence plays a vital role.Friar Lawrence plays an essential role in the marriage of young Romeo and Juliet. At Romeo’s request Friar Lawrence states, "In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; for this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households to pure love" (Act 2 Scene 3.) Friar Lawrence believes that this holy marriage would bring the Capulet family and Montuague family closer together, for he anticipates that the families will stop hating each other and be peaceful. His attempts to make the marriage of Romeo and Juliet are admirable but poorly planned.
Friar Laurence is a character that should be pardoned for his actions. He was just trying to do what he thought was best for both Romeo and Juliet and their families. Friar Laurence agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet together, his reason was “This alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancor to pure love.” (2,3,90-93). Friar Laurence was hoping that if he married Romeo and Juliet, their two families would stop fighting. It seemed like a good plan to him at the time, because why would he suspect that their marriage would lead to their deaths? The Prince should understand his reasoning, and he also wanted the two families to stop fighting; therefore, he should pardon Friar for his mistake. Friar Laurence also knew that Juliet would have rather died than marry someone other than Romeo, because she told him “O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, from off the battlements of any tower, or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk where serpents are.” (4,1,77-80).
This statement is important as it shows the Friar does not truly believe in the affection between the two lovers and that he believes Romeo cares only about the looks of Juliet. The Friar claims, "…this alliance may so happy prove/To turn [their] households' rancour to pure love"(2.4.90-93) yet he denies his responsibilities by failing to notify anyone of the large secret he holds. It is obvious that Friar Laurence is not simply ignorant of the potential disaster being created but plainly disregarding it when he states, "These violent delights have violent ends/And in their triumphs die, like fire and powder"(2.6.9-10). The Friar's willingness to ignore such strong predictions of death for the mere possibility of a good outcome, for which he will be recognized, shows his appalling judgement as well as his distorted morals.
William Shakespeare was an amazing English poet and playwright, and was widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. One of his most famous and well known plays was Romeo and Juliet. This play tells the story of two star crossed lovers who meet for the first time and won't let anything stop them from being together. This ultimately leads to both their deaths. Many wonder and argue who was to blame for these two lovers demise. Some might say it was their parents or the feud of their families that led to them taking their own lives. Some might even believe it was fate. Although these people make good points, the true cause of their death was Friar Laurence. Friar was the one Romeo and Juliet came to when they wished to
Friar Laurence, through his lack of good judgment, is largely responsible for the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. Rather than being supportive of them and helping them disclose their loving situation, Friar Laurence took the “easy” way out. He succumbed to their desire to elope. He secretly married Romeo and Juliet instead of standing behind them and encouraging them to confront their families with the facts about their commitment to and love for each other. As a result, an even stronger bond between them was created through marriage: "For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone / Till holy church incorporate two in one" (2.6.36-37). Friar Laurence married Romeo and Juliet, hoping that their union would bring an end to the constant feuding between their two families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Though the friar’s intentions were good and above reproach, they were certainly missteps along a pathway to tragedy. None of the tragedies would have occurred if Romeo and Juliet were not married. When Tybalt challenged Romeo...
The inquiry has heard Friar Laurence’s confession that he secretly arranged the marriage without the consent of Romeo’s or Juliet’s parents. Given that he is a holy man, he definitely knew that his actions disrespected the fifth Commandment of the Bible: “Honour thy father and thy mother. It is beyond doubt that the “star-crossed lovers” were destined for death once the Friar became involved as stated that “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, whose misadventured piteous overthrows doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.” Marriage is a family affair; it is not only about the people intending to marry, but also their parents. Friar Laurence determined that this union would end in tragedy by acting immorally and secretly marrying the children of enemy households. While Juliet and Romeo lived in each other’s hearts, the monk’s arrogance created this tragedy. He manipulated them by organising this very marriage to fulfil his personal agenda of creating an alliance the Montague and Capulet households. As an adult, he knows that life is not a fairytale, so it was unlikely to be successful. In short, if Friar Laurence had not secretly arranged Romeo and Juliet’s wedding, such calamity, for which others have forfeited their lives, could have been prevented. Therefore, Juliet is not the one at