The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

It is truly a tragedy when two people, who are deeply in love, kill themselves; it is much worse when one of their closest counselors and confidants is to blame for their tragic ending. Friar Laurence is the most to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s death because he didn’t get parental consent to marry Romeo and Juliet, he lied to everyone about whether Juliet was dead or not, and he was the one who provided Juliet with the potion that eventually lead to the death of both young people.

Friar Laurence made many mistakes that lead to the deaths of the two young lovers, but an influential mistake he committed was marrying them without parental consent. He simply wanted to create peace between the feuding families by supporting the secret marriage, without permission from the parents. Friar Laurence agreed to marry the two young adolescents because of his wish for peace between their families. Friar thought, “For this alliance may so happy prove/ to turn your households’ rancor to pure love” (II.3.96-97). Friar Laurence wanted them to marry for political reasons. He didn’t think to ask the parents, and because of that he is most to blame for the death of the two young lovers. Lady Capulet doesn’t know that Juliet is already married, and as she is venting about how she wants to wreak havoc on Romeo, Juliet agrees, (III.5.105-107) but in quite the opposite way than Lady Capulet means. This shows how they were married without parental permission, because Lady Capulet clearly does not know that Juliet is married to the boy she is ranting on about killing. If Friar would have required them to have gotten parental permission or at least knowledge, the families would have known. This way, Tybalt wouldn’t have fought and killed ...

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...vented any of this slippery slope from sliding if he had simply told Romeo and Juliet that he wouldn’t allow them to marry without their parents knowing, and followed his own advice. Despite his best intentions, he could have conducted himself in a better way, and stopped the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Many people can be blamed, but Friar Laurence is the best person to blame because of the way he allowed Romeo and Juliet to marry without parental consent, because he provided Juliet with a plan and because of the web of lies he told to keep their marriage hidden. Friar Laurence should have taken his own advice and remembered what he had told Romeo, “Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied” (II.3.22).

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William, Louis B. Wright, and Virginia A. LaMar. The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. New ed. New York: Washington Square Press, 1959. Print.