Friar Laurence's Part
Uploaded by Gooty13 on May 16, 2000
Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s plays about tragedy. It is about two lovers who commit suicide when their feuding families prevent them from being together. The play has many characters, each with its own role in keeping the plot line. Some characters have very little to do with the plot but some have the plot revolving around them. Friar Lawrence does not have very much time on stage but the time he does have is crucial to the plot line. Through his words Friar Lawrence demonstrates the he is a good intentioned, yet sometimes shortsighted, man who is not afraid to take risks to help others
One of Friar Lawrence’s most favorable traits is how good intentioned he is. He may do something out of the ordinary if he thinks the outcome will help someone he cares for. For example, when he says "In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; for this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households rancor to pure love."(Act 2, Scene 3), he is saying that the only reason he will marry Romeo and Juliet is because he hopes that the marriage will end the hostilities between the two houses. When he says "Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, and hither shall he come; and he and I shall watch thy waking, and that very night shall Romeo bear thee to Mantua." (Act 4, Scene 1), he tells Juliet how everything will be all right. Unfortunately, for all his good intentions the play still ends in tragedy.
Friar Lawrence is a man who is not afraid to take risks when he feels it is necessary to help someone. For example in Act 2, Scene 6, when he marries Romeo and Juliet, he is risking his reputation as a Friar so he can help the two lovers. Also, when he says "Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilled liquor drink though off;" (Act 4, Scene 1), he is suggesting that Juliet drink a potion so that she might make believe her own death and avoid marrying Paris. This is an extremely risky thing to do because anything might happen to Juliet while she unconscious.
Even after all Friar did to help Romeo and Juliet the play still ended in tragedy because of Friar Lawrence’s short sightedness. When the Friar married Romeo Juliet in secrecy, he did not think of all...