Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
To what extent is friar lawrence responsible for what happened to romeo and juliet
The role that Friar Lawrence pjayed towards the downfall of Romeo and Juliet
How is friar lawrence presented in romeo and juliet
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Even though he was not actually on stage for most of the play, he was the most important character in the play. There was basically three major parts that lead to the tragedy; marriage, the plan and the deaths. In all three of these parts Friar Lawrence played a vital role. His attempts to make the marriage of Romeo and Juliet was very admirable but were poorly planned. It these attempts that make his role the most significant one in the play. This is why Friar Lawrence is the most powerful character in the play.
The tragedy of their deaths could not have happened if Romeo had received the message in time. This is due to Friar Lawrence not planning how he was going to fake Juliet's death. Due to his dauntless attempts to keep the two lovers together, he still failed. This was shown in Act 4 Scene 1 " I do spy a kind of hope, Which craves as desperate execution As that is desperate which we would prevent". One of his faults in the plan is shown in Act 5 Scene 3 when Friar John does not know the importance of the letter and does not give it to Romeo. "I could not send it. Nor get a messenger to bring thee, so fearful were they of infection". Another fault to his plan is in Act 3 Scene 3 when he tells Romeo that he will send a friend of his to inform him the news. Instead of telling him that a fellow friar of his was bringing the message. "I'll find your man, and he shall signify from time to time every good hap to your chances here".
The magnitude of his role is showed again when he is involved in another major part of the play; the marriage. He risks his reputation as a Friar so he can unite to star crossed lovers in marriage. The character of Friar Lawrence is extremely important because if he would not have married Romeo and Juliet the play would maybe not ended in tragedy. This gamble is shown in Act 2 Scene 6 "Come, come with me, and we will make short work, For, by you leaves, you shall not stay alone Till Holy Church incorporate two in one". He conceives that because of the marriage between Romeo and Juliet that the families will end their hatred for each other.
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
The Friar was supposed to be a responsible adult and a man of God. This means that people would have come to him to confess their sins. Romeo and Juliet were young and naive and Friar Lawrence understood that very well. He also understood their personalities and circumstances, but still chose to marry them in hope that it would end the feud between the two families. As an adult he was also supposed to be a lot smarter ands wiser. Neither of those qualities were shown in any of his decision making.
In the story,Friar caused many reasons for the death of Romeo and Juliet. He starts by making her drink the potion and marrying them thinking he was going to help but it made matters worse he too did not help Juliet when she was dying he just left. Friar Lawrence is a good friend of the Montagues. He was an advisor and friend to Romeo, and when they asked him to marry them, at first he denied them,but soon after that he accepted their mariage because it was going to be a pure marriage, But the marriage made the situation worse because they were rival families and of course they won't accept the marriage between the two rival families.
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
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is the antagonist as seen in his “mistakes” of marrying children from two feuding, noble households, giving the desperate Juliet the sleeping potion, and leaving Juliet at her tomb to kill herself. 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. 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/
Friar Lawrence does not have very much time on stage, but the time he does have is crucial to the plot line. Through his words, Friar Lawrence demonstrates that he is well intentioned, yet sometimes shortsighted, and is not afraid to take risks to help others. He may do something out of the ordinary, if he thinks the outcome will help someone for whom he cares. For example, when he says "In one respect I'll thy assistant be;/ for this alliance may so happy prove, / to turn your households rancor to pure love" (II.iii.97-99), he is saying that the only reason he will marry Romeo and Juliet is that he hopes that the marriage will end the hostilities between the two houses. When he says "Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, / and hither shall he come; and he and I/ shall watch thy waking, and that very night/ shall Romeo bear thee to Mantua" (IV.i.116-119), his intention is clearly to comfort and reassure Juliet.
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.
Finally, the friar gives the letter about "the fake death plan" to Friar John when he should have delivered it himself. Despite any other "at fault" characters in Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is the most responsible for the tragic events that occur in the play because of his miscommunication, dishonesty and poor decision making. Beginning with Friar Lawrence's first mistake, he marries Romeo and Juliet not knowing that it would create a controversy. When Friar Lawrence marries Romeo and Juliet, no one knows and there is no parental consent. By not telling anyone, Romeo and Juliet are put in danger because of this secret.
In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence greatly influences the Romeo and Juliet and brings the plots to the dramatic results. Without the presence of Friar Lawrence, the story will not be so unpredictable and the tragedy may not have occurred. Initially when Romeo comes to Friar Lawrence and asks for wedding, Friar suspects Romeo’s quick changes, but is reluctant to help Romeo for this marriage. Since Romeo sincerely asks for his help, Friar finally agrees to Romeo’s plan and he says “In one respect I'll thy assistant be; / For this alliance may so happy prove, / To turn your households' rancour to pure love” (2.3.98-99). In Friar’s viewpoint, this marriage should be a benefit for the city of Vernoa. Friar hopes that with this marriage, it will calm the two feuding families down and allow them to get together again. This action seems to be incorrect for Friar, because he is trying to solve a larger ...
He also tells Juliet that "Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, and hither shall hem come; and he and I shall watch thy waking, and that very night shall Romeo bear thee to Mantua" (Act 4, Scene 1.) Unforeseen to neither the Friar nor Juliet that an error such as the one of Friar John’s would prove to be deadly. Poor Romeo was not able to receive the letter. Friar Lawrence plays a significant role in the plan for Juliet to "sleep."Friar Lawrence plays an important rule in the actual deaths of Romeo, Juliet, And Paris. Friar Lawrence is unable to reach Romeo with the news of Juliet’s "death." Romeo, thinking Juliet is dead rushes to Verona, but not before buying some fast poison.
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. Lastly, through Friar Lawrence, the inevitability of fate and violence being caused by love were able to be emphasized more deeply. Although secondary characters are less important than the main characters, most of them have a strong impact on the story and its meaning.
Friar Lawrence is one of the most important characters in the play, Romeo & Juliet.
The Role of Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Throughout history, never has there been a piece of literature as well known for its tragic end as that of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Although many factors contribute to the grief and misfortune that this play represents, human actions play the principal role in the final outcome. At first glance, one may look at the character of Friar Laurence, dismissing him as only a minor player in the plot. However, upon closer examination, it becomes obvious that the Friar plays an essential role in the development of the play and, although has good intentions, is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
In Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence has a major role. As a member of the Order of St. Francis, a group of wise and generous priests, Romeo and Juliet trusted Friar Laurence completely, turning to him for advice, and solutions. He was there throughout Romeo’s and Juliet's lives; he married them, came up with a plan to keep them together, and was a friend throughout their tragedies. However, Friar Laurence’s rash action in marrying Romeo and Juliet, his shortsighted plan for rescuing Juliet from an unwanted marriage to Paris, and his fear of committing sin all contributed to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
The corresponding syllabi.... ... middle of paper ... ... Also, the Friar failed to send word to Romeo that Juliet wasn’t really dead and by the time he got to the tomb, it was too late and Romeo and Juliet were dead. Friar Lawrence was responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because he was a coward, secretive, and had a lack of communication with the other characters.