Friar Laurence
Uploaded by Admin on Sep 28, 1999
The Friar in Romeo and Juliet had been trying to get two rivals, the Montegues and the Capulets, to unite and end their rivalry. Romeo and Juliet, each from the different families, fall in love and want to be married. Romeo asks Friar Laurence to help him wed Juliet, and the Friar has severe doubts at first about the true intentions of Romeo. When Friar Laurence realizes that the one Romeo wishes to wed is a Capulet, he thinks that their uniting in marriage would lead the families to end their emulation. ¡§In one respect I¡¦ll thy assistant be; For this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households¡¦ rancor to pure love.¡¨ Friar Laurence¡¦s decision to help the young couple was not unusual, because to form alliances and settle disputes by arranging marriages was very common in these times. However, this decision would later prove detrimental to the families unification because Romeo and Juliet were married without the permission of the parents. By thinking in haste, the Friar tried to mend one problem while creating another.