In the vast collection of romantic and tear-jerking performances, the outcome of a story is always the product of the characters’ decisions. Romeo and Juliet, the main characters in a renowned tragedy, are the victims of others’ adverse behavior and both commit suicide due to their anguish when their fates separate them. One may deduce through a careful inspection into the impulsive, immature, and impressionable attributes that certain characters possess that the two teens’ tragic ultimatum is not simply the result of a dark twist of fate. The untimely deaths of the two lovers are the consequence of the unfortunate choices that the people around them make. In Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio, Friar Lawrence, and the apothecary’s …show more content…
Unsure of what to do with herself, Juliet seeks out Friar Lawrence for assistance after the prince banishes Romeo because she feels the miserable desire to end her life. The friar provides her with a sleeping potion so that she can stage her death and run away with her love, Romeo. The friar first explains his solution to Juliet, “If, rather than to marry County Paris, / Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, / Then is it likely thou wilt undertake / A thing like death to chide away this shame, / That cop’st with death himself to ‘scape from it; / And if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy,” (4.1.72-77). Friar Lawrence sends out a messenger to let Romeo know about his plan for Juliet to drink a sleeping potion and pretend that she is dead, but a Montague servant tells Romeo that Juliet died before Friar Lawrence’s messenger arrives, and Romeo returns to Verona full of misery to enact his own death. In the case that Friar Lawrence chooses to be more ethical in order to avoid giving Juliet a sleeping potion, and instead tries giving her advice on how to cure her woes, she will not be able to feign her …show more content…
Help, help. My lady’s dead,” (4.5.17). Friar Lawrence’s lack of responsibility prompts Juliet’s family and the nurse to become distraught when her caretaker concludes that she is dead. Not knowing about Friar Lawrence and Juliet’s plan, Romeo believes that Juliet is dead because the potion from the friar puts her into a deep sleep, so Romeo commits suicide after deciding that he cannot live without her. Friar Lawrence’s lack of care as a mentor brings about a dark departure for Romeo and Juliet. The apothecary’s actions alter the hapless lovers’ fate because he displays despairing and desperate behavior in the choices that he makes, leaving no consideration for ethical decisions. Distraught, Romeo calls for the indigent apothecary, requesting a mortal drug that can kill any chosen victim swiftly. The apothecary boasts its lethality when he states, “Put this in any liquid thing you will / And drink it off, and if you had the strength / Of twenty men, it would dispatch you straight,”
There are many forces in the tragic play of Romeo and Juliet that are keeping the two young, passionate lovers apart, all emanating from one main reason. In this essay I will discuss these as well as how love, in the end, may have been the cause that led to the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Their strong attraction to each other, which some call fate, determines where their forbidden love will take them.
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.
Juliet receives a vial containing a potion from Friar Lawrence, who has a plan that will make Juliet appear as if she is dead, so that when she awakens, she will unite with Romeo. Juliet considers several consequences before drinking the potion, such as losing her sanity or being buried alive. Despite her reasoning, she summons the courage to drink the potion, exclaiming “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s to a drink.
Imagine that your friend is in a difficult situation, such as deciding whether or not to quit their job. Since you are a helpful and compassionate friend, you guide your friend through the situation and give them advice. You come to the realization that there are two possible outcomes: you make the situation significantly better or extremely worse. However, you use your savior complex and help your friend to the best of your ability. According to LaKeisha Fleming, savior complex is “your sense of purpose from helping or “saving” others” (Fleming).
First off, Friar should not have trusted a moody, sensitive fourteen year old girl with a potion that made her seem dead. Romeo and Juliet's love was too strong and she was willing to do anything, this was not the best approach that the Friar could have used. The Friar actually shows is irresponsibility by saying “If thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself… take this vial… no warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest”(IV, i, 48) When the Friar says, “If thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself.” He is saying take this vial of poison and if you have the courage, you can pretend to be dead. He said if this potion works, no one shall testify thou livest. What Friar Lawrence means by this is he thinks that once Juliet takes the potion, she will be in a deep slumber and everyone will be fooled into thinking that she is dead. However, that does not resolve anything because if Juliet had woken up, they most likely would have not changed their minds. And Juliet would still be forced to marry Paris instead of
“Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, then is it likely thou wilt undertake a thing like death to chide away this shame, that copest with death himself to ’scape from it. An if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy.”(1v.1.76) Here he plans the fake death of juliet, and asks her if she is willing to kill herself for the time being. The next point is that friar lawrence gives juliet a potion, and she drinks is soaly off the trust that she has for him, without even truly knowing what it will do for sure.”Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,And then awake as from a pleasant sleep. Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead.”(1v.1.108) The fact that Friar lawrence creates the plan, an gives her potion, is another reason why he is held
When presently through all thy veins shall run / A cold and drowsy humor” (4.1.95-8). Friar Lawrence, knowing that the way of suicide should be a last resort to avoid the undesirable marriage, suggests a more non-violent method to Juliet instead. The part in which Romeo was to be informed of Juliet’s sleeping potion facade failed to make its way, and forces Friar Lawrence to rush to prevent Romeo’s impulsive and impetuous
Throughout the play, the readers realized how Friar Laurence is irrational and irresponsible due to his logic and morale. Friar Lawrence displays a sense of foolishness and ignorance as well by his mistake of giving Juliet a potion. By faking Juliet's death, his idolization has converted into a crime because counterfeiting a death is considered a transgression. His exact words were, "And, if thou darest, I'll give thee remedy...Take thou this vial...when presently through all thy veins shall run A cold and drowsy humour; for no pulse" (IV. i. 76-96). This dialogue presents the inconsiderate and thoughtless scheme that Friar Laurence is committing. By poisoning Juliet, it will not resolve a long lasting feud, rather it will make things worse for everyone. He is the one to blame because poisoning Juliet hasn't proved a thing other than that the Friar is guilty. Friar Lawrence portrays the act of foolishness and ignorance once more during the last moments of Juliet’s life. This is important because it proves to the readers how mindless Friar Lawrence is and that frantically, all he cares for is himself. As Juliet slowly dies, Friar Laurence converses "Stay not to question, for the watch is coming ; Come, go, good Juliet, I dare no longer stay." (V. iii. 58-59). The moment Juliet takes her last breath, Friar Laurence leaves her in mourning, grief and pain. This is significant because it
Juliet and Friar Lawrence came up with a plan that had not worked out like it should have. Friar Lawrence had said in Act 4, scene 1, lines 93 - 103, “ … Take thou this vial,being then in bed, And this distilled liquor drink thou off; When presently through all the veins shall run A cold and drowsy humor, for no pulse Shall keep his native progress, but surcease; No warmth, no breath, shall testify thou livest; The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To wanny ashes, thy eyes’ windows fall Like death when he shuts up the day of life; Each part, deprived of supple government, Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death;” Juliet is to take this poison and it will make her seem as if she has died but she is still alive. Instead of making sure that Romeo has acquired the knowledge that Juliet is not actually dead, she drinks the vial of poison and “dies” assuming that Friar Lawrence was absolutely capable of getting the letter to Romeo that she is not actually dead. The message was not delivered to Romeo, instead Balthasar made it there and wheeped to Romeo that Juliet has died. In turn Romeo with his on impulse decisions, kills himself with poison as well which in turn, his mother dies of heart
One opposing view to Romeo’s and Juliet’s death is that Friar Lawrence is responsible. “Take thou vial, being then in bed, And this distilled liquor drink thou off.... Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift; Will watch thy waking” (Shakespeare 453-454). Friar Lawrence marries Romeo and Juliet in secret thinking the marriage could bring the two families together. When Romeo is exiled, Juliet goes to the Friar, and out of desperation, he forms a plan that has little chance of working out. “Here’s to my love! [Drinks.] O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die… O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die” (Shakespeare 473-475). Romeo and Juliet are the ones who killed themselves and made the decision to not live without each other. Friar Lawrence is not there to stop either of them or talk them out of killing themselves. Their desperate actions and childish thoughts are what led them to take their own
Furthermore, Friar Lawrence’s past actions have definitely left an impact on Juliet, because she does not trust him anymore. When he gives her the potion, she second guesses his plan, worrying "what if it be a poison which [Friar Lawrence] / subtly hath ministered to have [her] dead?” (4.3.25-6). This potion is a result of Friar Lawrence’s hasty decision making; she does not know whether to trust him or not because of his hastiness. Her willingness to die is great enough to risk it, and she drinks the potion.
Juliet tries to be the smart person here by faking her death to her parents so she won't have to marry Paris. “Juliet's decision in Act IV to take the Friar's potion rather than enter into a bigamous marriage with Paris increases Juliet's stature as a tragic heroine” (Shmoop). Juliet ends up taking the potion with the help of Friar but the plans comes crashing down when Romeo's friends ends up telling him Juliet is
Third, It is fate that prevents Friar John from reaching Romeo with Friar Lawrence's the message about his plan to fake Juliet's death. Because of this, Romeo thinks Juliet has actually died. Juliet parents want her to Mary Paris, but Juliet is already married to Romeo, so Juliet goes to Frier Lawrence for help and advice. Frier Lawrence gives Juliet a vile of liquid that will give her death like features, Juliet takes the vile of liquid in hopes of being reunited with Romeo when she wakes. Furthermore, Frier John is supposed to inform Romeo but he is caught in a road block, because of an illness that is in the nearby town.
A cold and drowsy humor, for no pulse, Shall keep his native progress, but surcease. No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest. The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fadem, To paly ashes, thy eyes' windows fall, Like death when he shuts up the day of life” (4.1. 95). Even though Friar Lawrence told her all of the dangerous stuff about the potion she still did it because Juliet loves Romeo so
“Romeo and Juliet”, a tragic love story written by William Shakespeare, is a play that has two main characters who are star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. The protagonists come from feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets, which forces them to make many risky decisions regarding their love. Juliet especially faces many conflicts between what she wants to do and what others want her to do. This conflict causes her to develop her own will throughout the story as she undergoes a transformation. Although Shakespearian literature is entertaining, it also conveys a deeper meaning. Through the development of Juliet’s will and character, Shakespeare demonstrates themes about the power of love, violence caused by passion, and an individual standing up against society.