Romeo And Juliet And Friar Lawrence Relationship Essay

Many people have someone in their lives that is not related to them but are, in every way but blood, family. In many cases, this person will be a mentor of sorts, especially in the case of a young person. Author William Shakespeare shows this mentor-pupil relationship between many of his characters in his play Romeo and Juliet. Two of the characters, Romeo and Friar Laurence, are like said mentor and pupil, one guiding the other through life with wisdom that many others may not have. Through the use of personification and foreshadowing to the end of the feud between the two families, Shakespeare portrays Friar Laurence as a mentor to Romeo.

Friar Laurence cares about Romeo’s well-being, shown through the use for personification. Friar Laurence

is not expecting to see Romeo so early in the morning, saying “Young son, it argues a distempered head, so soon to bid good morrow to your bed,” (2.3.35-36). ‘It’ is referring to Romeo’s tongue, which Friar Laurence argues is clearly giving away that Romeo is in some sort of distress to wake up so early, without ever really saying those specific words. Just by speaking, Romeo is giving away that something is amiss, but maybe not necessarily bad. However, it is Romeo speaking, not his tongue, as the play implies. Of course, Friar Laurence was not expecting to see Romeo until later in the day, hinting at the fact that Romeo is hardly ever awake that early in the morning, a first sign to the Friar that something is amiss.

Friar Laurence is quick to pick up on these subtle details about Romeo’s habits, which shows that he is around Romeo a lot. However, many people who are around someone

quite a bit never do pick up on small details such as that and would have to extremely observant to see it. The fact that Friar Laurence knows that something is wrong based on such a small detail shows how much he cares about Romeo and does not wish to see him in distress over anything. Friar Laurence pointing this very small detail out shows just how much he cares about Romeo’s well-being, at least in an emotional sense. It is very important to care about someone you are mentoring, for the person being mentored may not absorb lessons or wisdom if it is not done with the needs and wants of the pupil in mind, which Friar Laurence clearly has.
Friar Laurence is shown to consider Romeo’s requests on a long-term scale through the use of foreshadowing.

When he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, he states that “this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households’ rancor to pure love,” (2.3.95-96). Friar Laurence knows that Romeo wants to marry Juliet, but he does not do it just to make Romeo happy. However, this references the fact that through Romeo and Juliet getting married, and subsequently killing themselves to be together, the houses of Montague and Capulet will end their feud because they see what type of destruction is causes. Friar Laurence wants the violence on the streets of Verona to end, as does everyone else in the city, so he considers the idea of marrying Romeo and Juliet to end the feud. Friar Laurence clearly stated to Romeo that the reason he is marrying him and Juliet is because it may very well end the fighting. Its not that Friar Laurence does not care about what Romeo wants, he very clearly does, but its implied that Friar Laurence would not have married them if it meant more violence would ensue as a result. But he knew that one way or another, the violence would end with the marriage. He is teaching Romeo to consider decisions in a long-term context, whether he meant to or not., which is something a parent or mentor would likely teach their child or

pupil.
Through using personification to point out that something is amiss with Romeo and foreshadowing to teach Romeo to think about things in a long-term context, Friar Laurence is shown to be a mentor to Romeo, who is his pupil. Many people are considered to be mentors, and each is just as important to the ones that they mentor. Shakespeare has included this pair to show that the person who gives one wisdom does not necessarily have to be related to the person receiving the wisdom.