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Romantic love in Romeo and Juliet
How does shakespeare present romeo as a romantic
Romantic love in Romeo and Juliet
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Romeo and Friar Lawrence should not be friends. A dependable friend will give level-headed advice and help. This is not what is happens between these two characters, though. Despite this, Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence to talk about all of his problems throughout the play “Romeo and Juliet”. The opposing opinions and unfavorable advice between Romeo and Friar Lawrence can be blamed for the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet. In this play, Romeo relies on Friar Lawrence for crucial advice on several life events and issues, but these characters have drastic differences in their viewpoints on family feuding, marriage, and youth culture.
The Capulets and Montagues have been fighting for decades and have an ancient grudge, and Romeo and
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Friar Lawrence see this feud differently. When Romeo and Juliet fall in love and want to get married, Romeo looks to Friar Lawrence for help. At first, Friar thinks Romeo is moving too fast and being impulsive, but he agrees to marry them because he believes that it will bring the families together and end the feud; "In one respect I'll thy assistant be: / For this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households' rancorur to pure love" (2.3.90-92). Friar Lawrence underestimates the deep-rooted hate in the families and is foolish to think Romeo and Juliet’s love will be able to bring the families together peacefully. On the other hand, Romeo is aware that this premature love and marriage will not be approved of because of the age-old feud and therefore will not bring the families together. The hatred is incredibly strong, and the two lovers know this. During the balcony scene, Juliet states, "If they do see thee, they will murder thee" (2.2.70). Romeo keeps the marriage a secret and very few characters know that he and Juliet are lovers for the majority of the play. Friar Lawrence would have never agreed to marry them if he realized that it was so unacceptable for them to be in love and that they would be forced to keep their relationship a secret or they would likely be disowned by their families. If the marriage is a secret and the families are unaware, then there is not any way they would be brought together from it. In addition, if Friar Lawrence saw the situation in its reality, then Romeo and Juliet would have never been brought together in marriage because there would then be no reason for Friar to marry them. The only reason Friar Lawrence can agree with this marriage is because he sees it as the unity of the two families, but the only reason Romeo wants the marriage is to be united with his love. The two characters also have differences on Romeo’s marriage. Although Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, the two characters still have conflicting opinions on the subject. Romeo believes that he is completely in love with Juliet and needs to marry her, even though they just met the night before. He truly believes that it is love at first sight, and when he sees her for the first time he says, "Did my heart love till now? Foreswear it, sight! / For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night" (1.5.51-52). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Romeo isn't the only teen that believes he is fully prepared for marriage. The article states, "Most high-school-aged teens have positive attitudes toward marriage and feel well prepared for it," (ASPE). However, Friar Lawrence chides Romeo for being so impulsive, knowing he is fickle when it comes to love. Friar believes that Romeo is moving way too fast and does not truly love Juliet, but rather only loves how she looks; "Young men's love then lies / Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes" (2.3.67-68). At first, he scolds Romeo for not knowing the true meaning of love, having been heartbroken just days ago over another girl. Eventually, he agrees to marry the two kids. Despite this, the only reason Friar allows the marriage is because he wants to end the family feud, but the only reason Romeo wants to be married is because of love. Love has a strong presence in this play and Romeo’s life, as his youth is consumed by his passion and love. Friar Lawrence and Romeo’s different opinions on youth culture are revealed through their views on marriage.
For example, Friar sees the common trait among all young adults/teens as being impulsive, and he sees Romeo as being impulsive in wanting the marriage. He says, "Thy old groans ring yet in my ancient ears. / Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit / Of an old tear that is not washed off yet. / If e'er thou wast thyself and these woes thine, / Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline. / And art thou changed? Pronounce this sentence then: / Women may fall when there’s no strength in men," (2.3.74-80). In this quote, Friar Lawrence scolds Romeo for being so quick to take back his love for Rosaline and immediately offer it to a new girl. In the last sentence he states that when men are unreliable, it causes women to be unfaithful or lose their reputation. Therefore, he is not saying that Romeo is the only indecisive youth, but that other young men do it too. Romeo, on the other hand, sees the importance of his youth focused on love and passion and these are the reasons he wants to marry Juliet. Romeo does not see himself as impulsive at all. Instead, he sees himself as simply in love and this is the reason he acts the way he does. When he threatens to kill himself in Friar Lawrence's cell after being banished, he says that Friar would not understand because he is not young and in love. He states, "Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel. / Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love, / An hour but married, Tybalt murdered, / Doting like me, and like me banished, / Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair / And fall upon the ground, as I do now, / Taking the measure of an unmade grave." (3.3.64-70). Romeo pins the focus of his youth and the reason for his decisions and actions on his feelings and love, but Friar Lawrence focuses on the impulsivity that is part of being young. What Friar doesn’t focus much on, is that impulsivity isn’t a phase that only young people experience and later grow out of, but he shows this trait
too. Even though Friar Lawrence and Romeo have opposing views on youth culture, they both exhibit characteristics of this culture. They are both impulsive and seem naïve in points throughout the play. Friar is naïve to assume the marriage would magically mend an age-old feud, and Romeo is impulsive for jumping straight into this marriage. Their behavior, however, does not change the opinions of the characters. Friar Lawrence sees Romeo and other young people rushing through life impulsively and spontaneously, but Romeo sees his youth being spent chasing after and fighting for love. They do not have the same ideas, and do not communicate well enough to change this fact and get on the same page. Instead, they continue to disagree throughout the play until the result of Friar’s “help” and Romeo’s opposition to it ends in utter tragedy and loss. Being close friends with a pastor is not a bad idea when it comes to spiritual guidance. But when this friend’s life advice creates even more problems for Romeo, maybe he should find a helping hand from someone that can understand him and relate to him better. When Romeo seeks out Friar Lawrence in his time of need, he receives conflicting help based on the Friar’s view of the Capulet and Montague feud, the love between the children, and Romeo’s youth. This “help” that Friar Lawrence gives to Romeo ends up leading him down a tragic route, eventually ending up in the death of many characters by the end of the play. It is important to chose friends with a similar mindset and view because sometimes, like oil and water, opposites don’t attract.
Friar Lawrence is a humble and holy who is respected by the other characters. Figurative language and dramatic conventions give a well-grounded understanding of his motives, traits and values. His main motive is peace between the families he “All I had wanted to achieve was peace.” As a friar he respects the Montague’s and Capulet’s. The quote represents his motive that he wanted the feuding to stop. When he married Romeo and Juliet he wished for more then their happiness. He hoped that the marriage would bring families together. When witnessing the deaths he says in sorrow, “I’m a friar holy and peaceful.” “Oh lord the poor deaths that lie in front of me. Are due to my greed to resolve the feud.” The term friar represents his traits, being
Friar Laurence’s involvement in the marriage of Romeo and Juliet has caused a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet thought that they fell in love, but the Friar should have known that they were just kids and they were really rushing into things. In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence says, “These violent delights have violent ends. Is loathsome in his own deliciousness, and in the taste confounds the appetite: Therefore love moderately: long love doth so, too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.” When he says this, he is giving Romeo a warnin. Also, Friar Lawrence should have known at the time, that Romeo was loving with his eyes and not with his heart. For example, Romeo was in a relationship with Rosaline, before marrying Julliet. Inonclusion , the Friar did not have the expierence to know that they were kids.
In “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, two very young people fall in love but cannot be with each other because of the feud in between their families. The feud ends when Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves because of heartbreak over the other. The minor characters Mercutio, Tybalt, and Friar Lawrence serve as foils to Romeo, to help support the theme of patience.
Moreover after knowing Juliet for less than twenty-four hours, Romeo goes to his companion Friar Lawrence and asks him to marry them. True, Juliet is the one who sets up the marriage. However, Romeo is the one who pushed the relationship too far and too soon. In Act 2.3, Friar Lawrence is in shock with the sudden change from Rosaline to Juliet and comments on the ind...
Friar Lawrence is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s stronger affections for each other because he married them and therefore binding their love. Friar Lawrence also came up with a risky solution to get Romeo and Juliet together for the rest of their lives without anyone knowing. However, it consisted of faking Juliet’s death and Romeo did not know she was not actually dead, but alive. Friar Lawrence’s messenger did not tell Romeo the plan in time because Romeo had already heard of Juliet’s death and had gone to her tomb to die with her. Friar Lawrence is responsible for the star-crossed lovers’ death because of his miscalculated
Friar Lawrence wants to marry Romeo and Juliet in hopes their love for one another will end the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets. He schemes and has the characters believe it is out of his love for Romeo and Juliet; as in their eyes, he is a fatherly figure. He is an older man who should be out to help the citizenry of Verona, but being egotistical, he uses Romeo and Juliet for his personal desires to end the feud between the families. Him being egocentric has the Friar make rash decisions in situations that he had not planned for. When the Capulets and the Montagues come together after the death of their children, Friar Lawrence says, “Her nurse is privy; and if aught in this/ Miscarried by my fault, let my old life/ Be sacrificed some hour before his time/ Unto the rigor of severest law.” (V.iii.266-269). The Friar explains Romeo and Juliet’s love story and the reasoning behind their secret marriage and why he went through with marrying the star-crossed lovers. He does not say that his rashness is to be blamed for their children’s death, but turns to the Nurse’s knowledge of the secret marriage. Friar Lawrence is showcasing his rashness by outing the Nurse’s role in the marriage and not taking blame for the deaths, but has the Prince decide his punishment. He wants to blame another character with the knowledge of the marriage to make it seem as though he is not to be blamed. His
Friar Lawrence is a fallacious mentor. This is seen when he agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet. “Come, come with me, and we will make short work./For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone/Till holy church incorporate two in one.”(2.2.35-37) This was an ill-conceived decision because the families are unaware of this so it will not actually break the tension between the two rival families. This creates dishonesty and unfaithfulness to their families which evidently ends tragically. When Friar Lawrence married Romeo and Juliet he inferred that the feud between the families would end; however, this was not the case because they kept it a secret. “This shall determine that.” (3.1.28) Romeo challenges Tybalt to a fight to the death even though Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin and they are married. This proves that Friar’s plan was faulty and unsuccessful because there is still great conflict between the two rival families. Friar’s unhelpful mentoring is shown when he agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet and when he wrongly infers that the feud between the families would
Shakespeare introduced the audience to Friar Lawrence, in act one, as Romeo's mentor. Juliet was introduced to Friar Lawrence for her marriage to Romeo. Since the day Juliet met Friar Lawrence, she went to him for most of her challenging obstacles, "Tell me not Friar, that thou hear'st of this, unless thou tell me how I may prevent it." This quote shows how Juliet couldn't resolve her own problems, she depends on Friar Lawrence for her own fate. With resulting to Friar Lawrence all the time, if his resolution did not work she wanted to commit suicide. She believed her only choices were, trust Friar or commit suicide. "If, in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help, Do thou but call my knife I'll help it presently." This quote shows that Juliet will be eased with a knife through her own gut.
Despite his initial disapproval, Friar Lawrence agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet in hopes that “this alliance may so happy prove/ to turn [their] households’ rancor to pure love” (II.iii.98-99). Although Friar Lawrence has good intentions, as he does not gain anything from the marriage, by supporting Romeo and Juliet’s infatuation, his actions will eventually create more harm than benefits, as it allows their impulsive behavior to persist. By marrying Romeo and Juliet in secret, it is evident that Friar Lawrence knows that the wedding is a bad idea, but due to his indecisive personality and the inability to make a solid choice, Friar Lawrence blindly follows through with the marriage. In addition, he does not analyze the consequences of his actions prior to his agreement to marry them, only to later express regret and warn Romeo about the dangers of their infatuated love and their impulsive behavior. Friar Lawrence’s indecisive personality is evident in his soliloquy through the excessive use oxymorons in between rhyming
Friar Lawrence felt an internal conflict within him – the conflict of self against self. He knew in his mind that it was wrong to help a teen run away with her lover, who happened to be a murderer. But he also felt himself reach out to them, as he had known them as his own children for a very long time. He knew what a desperate situation Juliet and Romeo were in, and knew that he could prevent their lives from being ruined. But the problem was that the only way to solve everything, was to take a ‘wrong path’, that everyone opposed. In the end, he ends up helping his fellow children. But by this decision, he affected the whole plot of the play, and caused it to turn greatly. This plan would have turned out marvelously, but he made a few mistakes.
Romeo and Juliet both trust Friar Lawrence for his advice throughout the story; the advice he gave both of them on occasion could be said to have led to their unfortunate outcome, as it may have at times not been totally accurate and could have been misleading.
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.
His advice to Juliet to fake her own death is a result of her love for Romeo, and the fact that the Friar can’t stop her from marrying Paris, will lead her to the violent act of killing herself. Friar Lawrence’s character is a representation of the idea that love can lead to irrational decisions and violent actions. In conclusion, Friar Lawrence is obligatory to the action, character development, and themes of Romeo and Juliet. Without Friar Lawrence, the steps leading up to the tragedy at the end of the story would not have been possible, along with the strong characterization of Romeo.
Being one of the most debated texts in history, Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, has the power and ability to divide audiences. Throughout the play, it is seen that Shakespeare has left the audience to contemplate the underlying cause of the Romeo and Juliet tragedy. Shakespeare begins by showing the reckless actions and choices of the lovers, illustrating one of the main contributing factors to their deaths. Friar Lawrence plays a large role in the deaths of the lovers as he is the main instigator, greatly contributing to the deaths. Also, demonstrated through the play is that the lover’s destiny is written in the stars. Without
In contrast to common characteristics of a cleric, conformist and conservative, Friar Lawrence advocates freedom over following rules in society and always try to solve issues using the most risky methods. This is illustrated when he plans out Juliet’s death, “then as the manner of manner of our country is, in thy best robes, uncover’d on the bier, thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault where all the Capulet lie.” (IV.ii.109-113). He indirectly plays an influence to the tragic ending even though his primal motive intends to unite the lovers and offer citizens a peaceful town. As opposed to playing their ordinary roles in society, Friar Lawrence devises plans and encourages Romeo and Juliet to pursue forbidden love under a risky circumstance in order to turn his notions into reality. Friar Lawrence’s dialogue informs Juliet of the plan illustrates his part in causing the tragedy, “Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, then it is likely thou wilt under a thing like death to chide away this shame,” (IV.i.72-74). From secretly marrying the them to sending Romeo to take Juliet’s virginity, he is informed about Romeo’s approaching banishment and the notorious reputation which will follow Juliet permanently. However,he continues to cover the mistake by creating the facade of Juliet’s death. This is illustrated in “All this is I know, and to the marriage he nurse is privy,” (V.iii.265-266). Friar Lawrence challenges conformism to pursue liberty, serves to liberate the forbidden love of two youngsters from opposing families but only earns a tragic fruition for his