The Extent to Which Friar Lawrence is Responsible for the Deaths of Romeo and Juliet

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The Extent to Which Friar Lawrence is Responsible for the Deaths of Romeo and Juliet

Friar Lawrence is partially responsible for the deaths of Romeo and

Juliet, however I believe he is not totally responsible. There are

also other characters that have reason to be held responsible for the

deaths of the ‘star-crossed’ lovers.

Friar Lawrence was the man who married the two. This marriage caused a

lot of the problems which led up to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

For example if they had not been married Juliet would not have been so

obliged to marry Paris and would not have had to take the potion that

made Romeo think she was dead. Also Friar Lawrence supplied Juliet

with the remedy which brings on a cataleptical affect (a death-like

appearance). Because of this Juliet was thought dead and Romeo killed

himself which in turn led to the death of Juliet upon waking.

However the deaths of the two lovers can also be blamed upon the feud

between the two families. This is because the ‘ancient feud’ is the

basis that Romeo and Juliet had to get married behind their parents’

backs, because their families would not allow the two to be together.

If the families did not dislike each other then Romeo and Juliet’s

marriage would not have happened in secrecy and Juliet. Romeo may have

been accepted by the Capulet family and given permission to take

Juliet’s hand in marriage. This would obviously have avoided the

deaths of both the characters.

At one time in the play, when both the characters families have come

to the scene of the tragedy, Friar Lawrence admits that the deaths are

his fault;

”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 rigour of

severest law”

Here Friar Lawrence is saying that the nurse is not at fault, and if

she played any part in the incident then she was misguided by the

Friars fault.

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