Friar Lawrence's Death In Romeo And Juliet

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“Have lost a brace of kinsmen: all are punish’d” (V iii 312). The Prince states this at the end of the play after the death of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, tells the story about a long feud between the Montague and Capulet families. This feud causes tragic results for the main characters in the play, Romeo and Juliet. The events contrast hatred and revenge with love and a secret marriage, forcing the young star-crossed lovers to grow up quickly and die tragically in despair. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the person who holds the most responsibility for the deaths of the lovers is Friar Lawrence because of marrying Romeo and Juliet, abandoning a suicidal Juliet at the tomb, and helping Juliet fake her death. …show more content…

The Friar unwisely agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet, even though they only recently met. In the beginning, the Friar thinks that "...this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households' rancor to pure love" (II iv 91-92). This shows that the Friar has a slight hope of their marriage possibly working, making the decision to marry them. Nevertheless, he states it himself, "Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast" (II iii 101). Friar Lawrence is counselling Romeo not to make a hasty decision that he may regret. Although the Friar knew Romeo is acting hastily, he doesn’t act as the responsible adult he should have acted as and wedded the two, despite the flaws in their romance. As time moves on, the Friar lets on that he has regrets about the marriage. The Friar feels that "too swift arrives as tardy as too slow" (II vi 15). Meaning the Friar senses that this whole wedding is happening too fast and starts to …show more content…

Instead of comforting a suicidal Juliet, he offers her no comfort at seeing her love dead, and also gives her no hope for the future but life “among a sisterhood of holy nuns” (5, 3, 157) and then abandons her in the tomb. He didn’t want to be blamed for the death of Romeo and Paris by the Watch, a selfish and irresponsible action. Although he later offers his life to the Prince – “let my old life / Be sacrific’d, some hour before his time, / Unto the rigour of severest law” (5, 3, 267-269), he does not tell the whole truth to the Prince about what happened at the tomb. Even if he had, however, it would not have taken away his responsibility for the death of

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