Friar Lawrence Is Responsible for Romeo and Juliet's Death Essay

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We always have someone to blame for our mistakes. Think about it, a mistake is made and a blame is created. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is to blame for the tragic deaths that took place. This can be backed up by the following arguments: Friar Lawrence is selfish, he jumps into decisions without much consideration, and the friar is the only person Romeo and Juliet rely on for advice.

The friar is a pretty selfish person.

Think about it, he married Romeo and Juliet so HE can be the one to end their family fued. Imagine the honour the friar would get from the Prince. Additionally, Friar Lawrence never thinks about Romeo and Juliet’s safety. The friar’s plans are always hidden and sneaky. For example, the friar telling Romeo to come back to Verona to pick up Juliet from the tomb knowing that if Romeo is caught he would be sentenced to death. Not enough proof? Don’t forget, the friar started bolting away from the Capulet tomb after hearing a noise leaving Juliet awake with Romeo’s dead body.

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“Friar Lawrence: I dare no longer stay. ”Friar Lawrence is fleeing the crime scene attempting to stay out of trouble. Even though the reader saw his change of heart at the end of the play (by coming back and taking the blame for what happened), it does not cancel out his actions throughout the rest of the play.

Jumping into quick decisions without thinking is something the friar does pretty well.

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Take this into consideration. Friar John is held back from sending the message to Romeo right? Yet Friar Lawrence did not take into consideration that Romeo could receive the news of Juliet’s death from someone else. Now the problem is Romeo does not know of the plan, making him believe Juliet is actually dead. This flaw in the friar’s plan is the cause of the tragedy that occurs in this play. “Balthasar: Her body sleeps in Capels’ monument, And her immortal part with angels lives.” Additionally, the friar fails to think about the suicidal thoughts Romeo and Juliet have. Both Romeo and Juliet are threatening to kill themselves if they cannot be together. “In what vile part of this anatomy Doth my name lodge? Tell me, that I may sack The hateful mansion. [He draws his dagger]” .The friar’s quick planning is causing hiccups in the whole procedure which is allowing those suicidal thoughts become reality. If Friar Lawrence could think of a more well thought out plan, this whole mess could be avoided.

Romeo and Juliet rely heavily on Friar Lawrence for advice. To Juliet, the friar is the only person she can trust. Juliet goes to the friar for advice on what to do. For example, because of Capulet’s threats she has no idea what to do, and the friar is the only one she can really trust and talk to. “Friar Lawrence: Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilled liquor drink thou off,”. Friar Lawrence is always telling them what to do. In Romeo’s case, he has been running away to Mantua, taking the friar’s advice. The problem with his advice, however, is that it is definitely not the best out there. The potion idea was not a great idea, admit it. He can go many other ways with this situation, yet instead he comes up with a plan to make a thirteen year old fall into a deep sleep for forty-two hours. “Friar Lawrence: In one respect I’ll thy assistant be, for this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancor to pure love.” This means that Friar Lawrence will go to the extreme to end the family feud. He is risking their lives by giving Juliet the potion and telling Romeo to come back to Verona knowing he will be killed if anyone found him there. He is putting their lives at risk just to be the one to end their family feud. The feud is, after all, the only reason the friar decides to marry Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence’s advice isn’t the best, and it shows.

Friar Lawrence is responsible and blamed for the death of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s popular play Romeo and Juliet. The friar is far from selfless, he jumps into things without thinking and his advice is not the best. Admit it, everyone thought he was a sweet senior. 

Works cited

  1. Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
  2. Hunter, G. K. "The Role of Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet." Journal of English and Literature, vol. 5, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1-8.
  3. Cox, Catherine S. "Shakespeare's Religious Imagination: The Role of Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 56, no. 3, 2005, pp. 319-338.
  4. Kirsch, Arthur. "The Friar as Paradox in Romeo and Juliet." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 1, 1969, pp. 21-29.
  5. Anderson, Robert. "The Friar's Failure." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 16, no. 3, 1965, pp. 243-254.
  6. Sturrock, J. L. "Romeo and Juliet: The Friar's Guilt." Shakespeare Survey, vol. 20, 1967, pp. 95-105.
  7. Clark, C. E. "The Friar in Romeo and Juliet." The Hudson Review, vol. 15, no. 1, 1962, pp. 126-136.
  8. Freeman, D. C. "Romeo and Juliet: A Study in Context." The Modern Language Review, vol. 92, no. 4, 1997, pp. 817-830.
  9. Green, Roger Lancelyn. "The World of Romeo and Juliet." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 4, 1953, pp. 399-405.
  10. Wells, Stanley. "Romeo and Juliet: Shakespeare's Globe and the Society of Verona." Shakespeare Survey, vol. 45, 1993, pp. 49-60.
Updated: Feb 02, 2024
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Friar Lawrence Is Responsible for Romeo and Juliet's Death Essay. (2024, Feb 06). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/friar-lawrence-is-responsible-for-romeo-and-juliets-death-essay-essay

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