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Love in literature 16th and 17th century
Love in literature 16th and 17th century
Theme of love in literature
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Everybody’s personality is different, some are outgoing some are shy, but not everybody is so easy to figure out. In Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, this seems to be the case for a lot of the characters. In this play, about two young kids getting secretly wed and eventually committing suicide, there is heaps of bad decisions and misdirection. Many of these bad decisions come from Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers, who both dive into a marriage a day after first meeting. Yet, the blame should not be placed on these naive kids but rather on their mentor, Verona’s town Friar, who agrees to secretly marry them, keeps vital information to himself, and ultimately orchestrates their double suicide. Friar Lawrence, who is usually seen as the voice …show more content…
of reason, is actually a foolish character. First, Friar Lawrence demonstrates his foolishness when he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet without considering the consequences.
Romeo comes to the Friar begging him to marry him and Juliet. Although he is hesitant at first he very quickly gives in and agrees to marry them. In her analysis Napierkowski points out, “He thinks that Romeo’s shift in affection from Rosaline to Juliet is sudden and hasty, but he agrees to marry them because he thinks it may help to end the hatred between the feuding households” (Friar Lawrence.1). Friar Lawrence is quick to agree to marry the two young lovers because he thinks it will help the families but, he neglects to consider that this marriage can’t help the families if they are unaware of it. Also, he doesn't think about the consequences it will have on the young lovers, like the possibility of them attempting to run away from home or kill themselves. After Romeo tells him he has moved on from Rosaline and onto Juliet, Friar Lawrence and Romeo exchange these words, “ Thou chid’st me oft for loving …show more content…
Rosaline, For doting, not for loving, pupil mine” (2.3.83-84). While the Friar knows that Romeo’s affection for Rosaline and now juliet is only lust, he still agrees to marry them. Without considering the repercussions, Friar lawrence agrees to secretly marry a 13 year old girl and 16 year old boy who claim to be in love. Next, Friar Lawrence shows thoughtlessness when he gives Juliet the potion and makes her escape plan.
After Romeo is exiled to Mantua, Juliet is distraught at the loss of her husband and has no idea what to do. Turning to Friar Lawrence for guidance, Juliet demands a solution or threatens a worse fate. For example, Juliet is so devastated she says this “Tell me not, Friar, that thou hearest of this, unless thou tell me how I may prevent it. If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help, do thou but call my resolution wise, and with this knife I’ll help it presently” (4.1.51-55). After seeing Juliet so hysterical and threatening to kill herself, Friar Lawrence decides to keep this to himself and sneak her out of Verona with an elaborate scheme. This in itself shows how ill-advised he is because instead of telling her parents that she is unstable he keeps it hidden for no good reason. This also contradicts his original plan to use the marriage to bring peace within the families because now all he is doing is helping their children run away together. The Friar is unwise because he does not tell Juliet’s family about her suicide threats and comes up with a ludicrous plan to help two young children run away
together. Lastly, Friar Lawrence is foolish when realizing his mistake and going to get Juliet from the tomb. After coming up with the plan he sends another Friar out to deliver the message of the plan to Romeo but this Friar is delayed after being put under quarantine for suspicion of the plague. Unfortunately Romeo’s friend Balthazar hears about Juliet’s death and reports it to Romeo and he thinks Juliet has actually died when really she just took the potion. After arriving at the tomb Friar Lawrence says, “Saint Francis be my speed. How oft tonight have my old feet stumbled at graves” (5.3.121-122). As he gets to the Capulet tomb, the friar makes a remark about how he was rushing so much he stumbled on the graves and, Because of the delay he doesn’t get there in time. This is ironic as in the beginning of the play the Friar tells Romeo “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast” (2.3.96). This shows that he is too foolish to even follow his own advice and it leads to the death of Romeo. Friar Lawrence’s haste and irresponsibility keeps him from following even his own advice and in turn is too slow to save Romeo from a plan of his own making. In conclusion, the illogical actions taken and decisions made by Friar Lawrence ultimately doomed Romeo and Juliet. First, he agreed to help two ignorant children sneak around their parents and get married in secret. Then, instead of telling her parents about her suicide threats, Friar Lawrence formulates a ludicrous plan to fake Juliet’s death and run away from home forever. Lastly, after setting into motion a disastrous situation, Friar Lawrence can’t even follow his own advice and the two lovers commit suicide. Although he appeared to be a smart, wise man, Friar Lawrence was not what he seemed.
Friar Laurence’s involvement in the marriage of Romeo and Juliet has caused a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet thought that they fell in love, but the Friar should have known that they were just kids and they were really rushing into things. In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence says, “These violent delights have violent ends. Is loathsome in his own deliciousness, and in the taste confounds the appetite: Therefore love moderately: long love doth so, too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.” When he says this, he is giving Romeo a warnin. Also, Friar Lawrence should have known at the time, that Romeo was loving with his eyes and not with his heart. For example, Romeo was in a relationship with Rosaline, before marrying Julliet. Inonclusion , the Friar did not have the expierence to know that they were kids.
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.
Friar Laurence's immature actions make him part of the tragedy. For one, he married Romeo and Juliet. When told that Romeo loves Juliet, Friar replies, "Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! /Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, /so soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies/ not truly in the hearts, but in their eyes," (II, III, lines 66-69). In these lines, Friar admits that Romeo is only lusting for Juliet. Being the adult, Friar shouldn't have married Romeo until he found true love. However, the Friar was immature and married them anyways. Then, Friar came up with the idea for Juliet to fake death. Juliet is distressed about Romeo being banished so Friar comes up with the plan saying, "Hold, then. Go home, be merry, give consent/ to marry Paris. Wednesday is tomorrow,” Juliet is then suppose to "Take thou this vial, being then in bed/ And this distilling liquor drink thou off." After being buried and awakened, "Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua." (IV, I, Lines 90-119). This bad advise, to give a girl a drink like death and tells her to run away, is only one of many immature actions Friar takes. Finally, Friar did not stay with Juliet after she frantically woke up, in a tomb, next other diseased husband who was supposed to run away with her to Mantua. Inste...
Moreover after knowing Juliet for less than twenty-four hours, Romeo goes to his companion Friar Lawrence and asks him to marry them. True, Juliet is the one who sets up the marriage. However, Romeo is the one who pushed the relationship too far and too soon. In Act 2.3, Friar Lawrence is in shock with the sudden change from Rosaline to Juliet and comments on the ind...
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 is a fallacious mentor. This is seen when he agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet. “Come, come with me, and we will make short work./For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone/Till holy church incorporate two in one.”(2.2.35-37) This was an ill-conceived decision because the families are unaware of this so it will not actually break the tension between the two rival families. This creates dishonesty and unfaithfulness to their families which evidently ends tragically. When Friar Lawrence married Romeo and Juliet he inferred that the feud between the families would end; however, this was not the case because they kept it a secret. “This shall determine that.” (3.1.28) Romeo challenges Tybalt to a fight to the death even though Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin and they are married. This proves that Friar’s plan was faulty and unsuccessful because there is still great conflict between the two rival families. Friar’s unhelpful mentoring is shown when he agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet and when he wrongly infers that the feud between the families would
Shakespeare introduced the audience to Friar Lawrence, in act one, as Romeo's mentor. Juliet was introduced to Friar Lawrence for her marriage to Romeo. Since the day Juliet met Friar Lawrence, she went to him for most of her challenging obstacles, "Tell me not Friar, that thou hear'st of this, unless thou tell me how I may prevent it." This quote shows how Juliet couldn't resolve her own problems, she depends on Friar Lawrence for her own fate. With resulting to Friar Lawrence all the time, if his resolution did not work she wanted to commit suicide. She believed her only choices were, trust Friar or commit suicide. "If, in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help, Do thou but call my knife I'll help it presently." This quote shows that Juliet will be eased with a knife through her own gut.
Despite his initial disapproval, Friar Lawrence agrees to secretly marry Romeo and Juliet in hopes that “this alliance may so happy prove/ to turn [their] households’ rancor to pure love” (II.iii.98-99). Although Friar Lawrence has good intentions, as he does not gain anything from the marriage, by supporting Romeo and Juliet’s infatuation, his actions will eventually create more harm than benefits, as it allows their impulsive behavior to persist. By marrying Romeo and Juliet in secret, it is evident that Friar Lawrence knows that the wedding is a bad idea, but due to his indecisive personality and the inability to make a solid choice, Friar Lawrence blindly follows through with the marriage. In addition, he does not analyze the consequences of his actions prior to his agreement to marry them, only to later express regret and warn Romeo about the dangers of their infatuated love and their impulsive behavior. Friar Lawrence’s indecisive personality is evident in his soliloquy through the excessive use oxymorons in between rhyming
Friar Lawrence, when approached by Romeo, was skeptical about marrying him to Juliet. He pointed out that “Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, so soon [is] foresaken” and that “much salt water [was] thrown away in waste” (). The Friar also risked hate from both the Capulet and Montague families, both of which held much prominence and power in Verona. However, Friar Lawrence did agree to wed the lovers because he believed “this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancor to pure love” (). However, the Friar’s dreams of happily ever after were torn apart in the worst possible way: Juliet and Romeo both committed suicide. In marrying Romeo and Juliet, the Friar married two star-crossed lovers, which caused “a greater power than we can contradict” to end both Romeo and Juliet’s lives (). Friar Lawrence’s dream, one filled with good intent, lead to the deaths of two teenagers.
Throughout the next few lines spoken, is where I believe the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is initiated, for if Romeo had not trusted and spoken of his love with an enemy; saying “I have been feasting with mine enemy “Juliet, Romeo also explains that Juliet feels the same for him. Then Friar Lawrence would not have felt the responsibility to try and reunite and mend the strife between the Montague’s and Capulet’s. In the final scene of this act Romeo, then asks the priest to bless their love and join them in marriage. Friar Lawrence, does question the true feelings of Romeo and doesn’t light -heartedly make a quick conclusion to marry them, asking Romeo” Holy Saint Francis what change is here?... ...
In Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence plays a dominate role in the eventual death of Romeo and Juliet even though he is not on stage for most of the play. There are basically three major parts that lead to the tragedy; the marriage, the plan, and the inevitable deaths in all which Friar Lawrence plays a vital role.Friar Lawrence plays an essential role in the marriage of young Romeo and Juliet. At Romeo’s request Friar Lawrence states, "In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; for this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households to pure love" (Act 2 Scene 3.) Friar Lawrence believes that this holy marriage would bring the Capulet family and Montuague family closer together, for he anticipates that the families will stop hating each other and be peaceful. His attempts to make the marriage of Romeo and Juliet are admirable but poorly planned.
His advice to Juliet to fake her own death is a result of her love for Romeo, and the fact that the Friar can’t stop her from marrying Paris, will lead her to the violent act of killing herself. Friar Lawrence’s character is a representation of the idea that love can lead to irrational decisions and violent actions. In conclusion, 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.
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.
In contrast to common characteristics of a cleric, conformist and conservative, Friar Lawrence advocates freedom over following rules in society and always try to solve issues using the most risky methods. This is illustrated when he plans out Juliet’s death, “then as the manner of manner of our country is, in thy best robes, uncover’d on the bier, thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault where all the Capulet lie.” (IV.ii.109-113). He indirectly plays an influence to the tragic ending even though his primal motive intends to unite the lovers and offer citizens a peaceful town. As opposed to playing their ordinary roles in society, Friar Lawrence devises plans and encourages Romeo and Juliet to pursue forbidden love under a risky circumstance in order to turn his notions into reality. Friar Lawrence’s dialogue informs Juliet of the plan illustrates his part in causing the tragedy, “Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, then it is likely thou wilt under a thing like death to chide away this shame,” (IV.i.72-74). From secretly marrying the them to sending Romeo to take Juliet’s virginity, he is informed about Romeo’s approaching banishment and the notorious reputation which will follow Juliet permanently. However,he continues to cover the mistake by creating the facade of Juliet’s death. This is illustrated in “All this is I know, and to the marriage he nurse is privy,” (V.iii.265-266). Friar Lawrence challenges conformism to pursue liberty, serves to liberate the forbidden love of two youngsters from opposing families but only earns a tragic fruition for his