The Role Of Friar Lawrence In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

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hakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story in which a son and daughter of two feuding families fall in love. Trying to keep it a secret from their families they turn to Friar Lawrence, a Franciscan, for help. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because of his secrecy, poor communication, and irresponsible decision making.
Friar Lawrence thought it was a beneficial idea to keep Romeo and Juliet’s relationship a secret when it was not. Romeo came to Friar Lawrence hoping that he would marry them in private so that their families would not find out. Friar Lawrence agreed to marry them and keep the elopement a secret from both families. Knowing that both families are in a feud, Friar Lawrence …show more content…

His plans to unite them with one another fell apart. After sending Friar John to give Romeo the letter telling him about Juliet, Friar Lawrence does not realize that he never left Verona. Before Friar John left Verona to go and give Romeo the letter in Mantua, he stopped at a shelter for the sick people. The people inside the shelter supposedly had the plague, so Friar John was quarantined and was not allowed to leave the city of Verona. Friar John did not tell Friar Lawrence right away. Friar Lawrence ran into him in town and asked why he was not on his way to Mantua. Now Friar Lawrence had to hurry to Mantua to deliver the letter to Romeo before he found Juliet “dead”. In the play Romeo and Juliet, it states, “ Unhappy fortune! By my brotherhood, the letter was not nice but full of charge, of dear import, and the neglecting it may do much danger. Friar John, go hence. Get me an iron crow and bring it straight unto my cell.” ( V, II, 17-21). The poor communication between Friar Lawrence and Friar John has led to the letter being delivered late to Mantua and the death of Romeo, Juliet, and even

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