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Friar Laurence is a character whose actions and motivations drive the plot forward, making him a
central figure in "Romeo and Juliet." From his well-intentioned but ultimately disastrous plans to
unite the young lovers to his moral dilemma of aiding them in their forbidden romance, Friar
Laurence embodies themes of love, fate, and the consequences of impulsive decisions.

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The Friar’s impetuous nature is partially to blame as he shows a high level of thoughtlessness and
irresponsibility. She makes it evident that she will do anything to avoid marriage to County Paris and
she feels suicidal. However, he thought that if he married the couple, their families would unite
through love because they would realise that they should be happy because their children were, and
they were now related. A man that speaks so blindly unaware of irony exemplifies that he should not
have been trusted to make such important plans, because it is these reckless plans that he makes that
bring about the demise. He then follows on to say “Wast thou with Rosaline?” This tells the
audience that Romeo confides in the Friar and that Romeo sees him as a friend and someone
trustworthy. Friar Lawrence Character Analysis by William Shakespeare (c)2017 BookRags, Inc All
rights reserved Essay 'Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, and vice sometime by action
dignified ' (II 3 21-22 Friar Lawrence). It is relatively easy to place all of the blame for the tragedy
on the Friar, yet the fact remains that the Friar’s plan to give Juliet the sleeping potion to evade the
wedding to Paris was not flawed. FREE Analysis of Friar Lawrence 's Ending Speech Essay. It is a
conversation between Friar Laurence and Friar John. As a consequence of this overpowering force
they are driven to defy their families. When the friar hears this, it gives him an idea that he could
minister a remedy if she is willingly to undergo a dangerous course of action. He also wanted to
reunite both of the families together. When we first meet him at the beginning of the play he is
infatuated with Rosaline but when he goes to the masked ball he falls in love with Juliet and quickly
forgets Rosaline. The friar also wanted to pressure the marriage so he gave Juliet a potion that would
make her sleep all day and appear that she is dead so she wouldn’t have to marry Paris. After Paris
has left Juliet is very worried, her actions are like Romeos when he had the news that he had been
banished from Verona. Task done as described and better, responded to all my questions promptly
too! ”. The problems with it were; would the Friar know when the social climate was right so he
could make the marriage public; it was highly unlikely that the Friar would be able to “reverse a
prince’s doom”. To blame him could be credible, as since he is a monk who’s obligation is to serve
God, this should have compelled him to put others first, however he abandoned his duties.
Additional materials, such as the best quotations, synonyms and word definitions to make your
writing easier are also offered here. Friar Lawrence valiantly stands out and aids the couple in the
whole play, despite the fact that he is likely to get into trouble when the two influential families find
out about the truth. We are witnesses to their first meeting, we follow them through their declaration
of love and also up until the point where Romeo kills Tybalt-then all is lost. This especially applies to
the Friar as he is thinking that this would of never happened if he had refused to marry together
Romeo and Juliet. This could make the audience not as confident in the Friar and his plans. In the
prologue it is made quite evident that Romeo and Juliet’s lives are to be controlled by fate, and that
they are destined to suffer tragic consequences. This can be seen in Friar Lawrence’s meaningful
speech: “ Virtue itself turns vice being misapplied. ” (2.3.21), the “ remedy ” (4.2.76) has finally
killed both Romeo and Juliet instead of saving them. However, it could be thought that the Friar may
have been trying to kill Juliet, in order to cover up his mistakes. He also helped Juliet by giving Juliet
potion so that she would sleep through the wedding so that she wouldn’t have to marry Paris the
friar also sent a letter to Romeo but it unfrortunlly didn’t get there. Friar Lawrence Character
Analysis by William Shakespeare (c)2017 BookRags, Inc All rights reserved Essay 'Virtue itself turns
vice, being misapplied, and vice sometime by action dignified ' (II 3 21-22 Friar Lawrence). Finally,
at the end of the play, Shakespeare portrays the two suicides of both lovers as an illustration of
intense love. It could be interpreted that fate bought Romeo and Juliet together as well as ended their
lives as it was in the stars.
The tragic hero, (who in this instance is Romeo) has a flaw that is destructive, which is finally what
holds responsibility for his downfall. Romeo and Juliet met at a banquet and immediately fell in
love, wanting to get married after knowing one another for less than a day, which led to their
demise, and that of many others. Before the marriage the Friar does not show any uncertainty about
marrying a Capulet and Montague without their parents’ consent, which may be viewed as a lack of
care and consideration for the sanctity of marriage. I acknowledge the need to personally deliver this
letter to Romeo instead of relying on a mailing service. In act 3 scene 5 lines 191 -193 another
reason is that the friar Lawrence can not be held responsible is because Romeo killed Tybalt and so
he had to be banished from Verona this is demonstrated in act 3 scenes 1 when Romeo says “I am
fortunes. FREE Analysis of Friar Lawrence 's Ending Speech Essay. After Paris has left Juliet is very
worried, her actions are like Romeos when he had the news that he had been banished from Verona.
The phrase “death-marked love” ironically suggests the death of both lovers. Friar Lawrence plays a
significant part in the growth of the play. There is evidence of this at the feast, when Tybalt notices
Romeo and he is unwavering that he will kill him as Romeo sees Juliet and falls in love with her. His
role in society is the holy man, and is used by everyone and so is one the most trusted persons in the
whole of Verona. I think in a way, Shakespeare wanted us to feel sorry for the Friar. Romeo now has
no chance of knowing Juliet’s death was faked and is on his way to her grave with the poison he
bought from the apothecary. Romeo kills Count Paris, whom he finds weeping near Juliet's corpse,
then commits suicide, by drinking poison that he bought from an impoverished apothecary, over
what he thinks is Juliet's dead body. The Capulet’s and Montague’s are highly responsible, as if their
ancestors did not start the fight then they would not have continued it, however Lord and Lady
Capulet as well as Lord and Lady Montague should take some accountability as they kept the feud
going. However, he is also portrayed as a rather arrogant and pompous man who believes himself to
be careful and wise yet is proven to be over-ambitious in his plans. I think he is a good man, because
in the end, he made the two feuding families see how stupid they were being and united them.
Following this, when Juliet rouses herself from her state of unconsciousness she is just too late to
save Romeo, so she takes her own life. He urges Juliet to stay in his cell while he contacts Romeo.
Enjambment is employed to break up the rhythm, which in a way increases the flow of the blank
verse and additionally reinforces the presence and power of fate.In conclusion, Friar Lawrence takes
part in major developments of the whole plot and has been a pivotal character throughout the whole
play. A factor that is linked to the enmity is the emphasis that is placed on honour and kin and these
factors combined create a profound conflict for Romeo and Juliet who must rebel against their
heritages. This suggests that he is a weak character, concerned with self-preservation and there is a
lot of evidence to exhibit that he did not act like a Friar. Upon closer examination, it can be argued
that Friar Lawrence has not totally engaged in every incident that leads to the final catastrophe as
well. The overall structure of the play and the way it develops, creates a feeling of inevitability about
the ending. Other characters also contributed to the tragedy to a greater or lesser degree. Friar
Lawrence: Character Analysis Only available on StudyMode Essay on Friar Lawrence Man’s Words
Shakespeare’s most famous love story explores the ideas of contrasts and dualities, both in concepts
and characters. The decision made by Friar Lawrence was irrational and inferior. By continuing, you
agree to our Terms and Conditions. This is because it is the Nurse who cracks under the pressure and
abandons Juliet at the crucial time; when she is threatened with expulsion from her family’s house if
she does not marry Paris on Thursday. How important is the character of Friar Lawrence to the plot
and dramatic q.
Friar Lawrence then realises that Romeo received the wrong message. Friar Laurence adds a further
religious aspect and his actions raise many questions when judged against the actions you would
expect from a man of God. Student Essay on Friar Lawrence Character Analysis. This can be seen in
his words, “baleful weeds, and precious-juiced flowers.” (2.3.8) Two contradicting terms, “baleful”
and “precious”, are used in an expression, again emphasis his faith that everything can be both good
and evil. He secretly marries the two lovers, spirits Romeo to Mantua and stages Juliet’s death. Tybalt
is demonstrated as an aggressor as in Act 1 scene 1, when he makes a strong entrance as he tells
Benvolio to turn and face his death. Juliet is obviously terribly upset because her lover is dead. Who
or what do you consider to be most responsible for the tragic outcome o. Tybalt does not see where
this praise has come from and must think that Old Capulet is going mad. The Capulet’s and
Montague’s are highly responsible, as if their ancestors did not start the fight then they would not
have continued it, however Lord and Lady Capulet as well as Lord and Lady Montague should take
some accountability as they kept the feud going. Nevertheless, Friar Laurence decides to marry
Romeo and Juliet in the attempt to stop the civil feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. This
is demonstrated in act 4 scene 1 when Friar Lawrence says “Take this Juliet drink thou off.” He also
said he would help them to perform the wedding this is demonstrated in act 2 scene 3 lines 90but he
also tells Romeo that he should slow things down. I think when the Friar is explaining what
happened, he is feeling quite guilty. This causes a problem to the Friar as he cannot see into the
future and can only gamble on what the future may hold for the two lovers. This can be seen in Friar
Lawrence’s meaningful speech: “ Virtue itself turns vice being misapplied. ” (2.3.21), the “ remedy ”
(4.2.76) has finally killed both Romeo and Juliet instead of saving them. The Friar may have
suggested the potion as he is a man of the church and suicide was considered a mortal sin and the
Friar may feel that he has no choice but to intervene. It could be proposed that though Friar
Laurence’s plans all seem well conceived and well intentioned they serve as the main mechanisms
through which the fated tragedy occurs. When Romeo sees Juliet at her family’s banquet, he
immediately falls in love with her, and Juliet shares the same feelings. Romeo then tells Friar
Laurence he’s forgotten about Rosaline and has fallen in love with Juliet, the Friar advises Romeo to
take it slowly and not make decisions too quickly. He prepares a drug that “ shuts up the day of life”
(4.1.101) for Juliet to take in order to fake her death. Enjambment is employed to break up the
rhythm, which in a way increases the flow of the blank verse and additionally reinforces the
presence and power of fate. Friar Lawrence: Character Analysis Only available on StudyMode Essay
on Friar Lawrence Man’s Words Shakespeare’s most famous love story explores the ideas of
contrasts and dualities, both in concepts and characters. As the story progresses some of the
characters seem to realise that they are all playing along to fates plans. In the 20th century, these
moral arguments were disputed by critics like Richard Green Moulton. Time is always apparent in
the play as we see the lovers before they meet. He also does not stop the fatal fight between Romeo
and Tybalt in which Romeo kills Tybalt. The Friar’s impetuous nature is partially to blame as he
shows a high level of thoughtlessness and irresponsibility. His lack of preparation and his cowardice
finally results in the suicide of Romeo and Juliet did violence on herself. Importance of Friar
Laurence: Romeo and Juliet Essays - 619 Words. Juliet also seeks his helping hand when she is
forced to marry Paris. (3.5.240) Friar Lawrence is always there during tragic moments.
Furthermore, Friar Laurence made it known to Juliet that he could see some hope, yet this solution
demanded a serious course of action “I do spy a kind of hope which craves as desperate an
execution as that is desperate which we would prevent.” Here it is explained simply to Juliet that if
she is to choose this plan then she has to be definite. Therefore Friar Lawrence and Table are for sure
the one who is responsible for this tragedy First Table is one of the people who are responsible for
the tragedy. With Friar Laurence’s hypocrisy it could be argued that he did not provide a role model
for Romeo as his pretence would have been confusing. In the 20th century, these moral arguments
were disputed by critics like Richard Green Moulton. Even though he is portrayed as a coward for
leaving Juliet behind, he is nevertheless a heroic character who support the foes while risking his
own life. As a result of his poor decisions and lack of responsibility, Friar Laurence is guilty for the
deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. Even Friar Laurence warns Romeo against his immoderate love
when he says “ these violent delights have violent ends. This can be seen in the first scene where the
servants from both households are provoking each other. To the end, it is his cowardice that leads to
Juliet’s death. The marriage of Romeo and Juliet is the trigger which sets off the events that soon
follow; even though Lawrence’s intention is good, his irresponsible act is essential to the plot of the
whole play. He just tries to make him see sense and not make him do anything irrational. However,
Friar does not act accordingly to his own advice; “Wisely, and slow. This is when the audience will
start to get a bad impression of the Friar. When he got to the tomb where Juliet was and he held her
hand and took the potion and died Juliet woke up and then saw Romeo dieing so she stabbed her
self. In the morning, Juliet finds out she has to marry Paris. He secretly marries the two lovers, spirits
Romeo to Mantua and stages Juliet’s death. The failed deliveries of the friar’s letter and his own late
arrival to the tomb seal the lover’s fate. The overall structure of the play and the way the story
unfolds produces a feeling of inevitability about the ending. Friar Laurence is very important to the
whole play as without him Romeo and Juliet wouldn't have died and the wouldn't of been what it
was. She makes it evident that she will do anything to avoid marriage to County Paris and she feels
suicidal. Just when things look as though they might improve, new disaster strikes again in Act 3.
This is demonstrated in act 4 scene 1 when Friar Lawrence says “Take this Juliet drink thou off.” He
also said he would help them to perform the wedding this is demonstrated in act 2 scene 3 lines
90but he also tells Romeo that he should slow things down. I m writing an essay on Romeo and
Juliet about the character Friar. He is a bit harsh to Romeo and tells him that he should be happy for
the many things that he has got. He provides Juliet with a potion that makes her look like she is dead
to prevent her from marrying Paris, but fails to ensure that Romeo receives the letter explaining the
effects and purpose of the potion. He does not consult either Romeo or Juliet’s parents, which shows
disregard for them. I think he is especially guilty when he says that maybe if he’d have been braver,
Juliet wouldn’t have killed herself. This placed Juliet in a feeble position as she had no authority to
refuse marriage, which is why Juliet seeks more devious methods to prevent the arranged marriage. It
seems that nothing except death can heal the society. If Juliet isn’t there and Romeo is dead no one
can tell about them been married which puts him in the clear.
This is proven yet another example of imagery linking the ideas of love and death. This is a desperate
plan for desperate people, as the Friar and Romeo both needed reassuring, as they both feel
responsible. Juliet awakes to find Romeo dead by her side and kills herself with his dagger.
Furthermore, Friar Laurence made it known to Juliet that he could see some hope, yet this solution
demanded a serious course of action “I do spy a kind of hope which craves as desperate an
execution as that is desperate which we would prevent.” Here it is explained simply to Juliet that if
she is to choose this plan then she has to be definite. Friar Laurence's position in the play is that he is
the responsible one, mainly responsible for Romeo, but also because he has a logical overview of
everything and does things guided by his knowledge. The Friar is a character who moves the plot
along and is instrumental to the tragedy. If the Prince had really wanted to stop the deaths at the end
of the play it would have been better to not punish anyone or punish the heads of the houses. Could
Romeo not secure the poison from an apothecary, his suicide in the last scene of the play might
never come into existences. It underlines the idea that Friar Lawrence’s effort to fight against fate.
Importance of Friar Laurence: Romeo and Juliet Essays - 619 Words. With this strong belief, Friar
Lawrence witnesses the marriage in the hope that the feud would end peacefully without considering
all the possible consequences which may arise after the marriage becomes publicly known. A modern
view of arranged marriages could extend into thinking that the parents did not truly love their
daughter, as they were not acting in her best interests, but in their own. Lord and Lady Capulet
merely see the arranged marriage as a financial transaction, to secure and retain wealth and to
enhance their social status. Moreover, it can also be claimed that Friar Lawrence is not solely
responsible for Romeo’s death. When Romeo is banished for killing Tybalt and flees to Mantua, Friar
Laurence tries to help the two lovers get back together using a potion to fake Juliet's death. However,
Friar does not act accordingly to his own advice; “Wisely, and slow. What if had told someone about
the marriage and the plan to fake Gullet's death. Lady Capulet seems to think of the marriage as a
business, seeing the practical advantages of a marriage to Paris ” so shall you share in all that he doth
possess, by having him, making yourself no less.” Capulet even went as far as calling his own
daughter a hussy and a disobedient wretch, far from the attitude a father should possess. With this
strong belief, Friar Lawrence witnesses the marriage in the hope that the feud would end peacefully
without considering all the possible consequences which may arise after the marriage becomes
publicly known. I think Friar Lawrence acted in good faith because if he hadn’t have helped Juliet
there and then, she would have killed herself. Juliet is against this, and the next day, Romeo asks
Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet in secret. I m writing an essay on Romeo and Juliet about the
character Friar. Write a review Update existing review Submit review Cancel It's good to leave some
feedback. Love moderately.” Both characters are very headstrong and as a result of this and the love
they experienced, they had actually condemned themselves. Friar Lawrence: Character Analysis
Only available on StudyMode Essay on Friar Lawrence Man’s Words Shakespeare’s most famous
love story explores the ideas of contrasts and dualities, both in concepts and characters. I think when
the Friar is explaining what happened, he is feeling quite guilty. During that time it meant that the
law and emphasis on social civility demanded terms of conduct that the blind passion of love could
not comply with. Alone, he foreshadows the later, tragic events of the play with his soliloquy about
plants and their similarities to humans. He is very afraid. He knows how strict Juliet’s father is and by
marrying her to a Capulet, he has committed a terrible crime. Even though he is portrayed as a
coward for leaving Juliet behind, he is nevertheless a heroic character who support the foes while
risking his own life.
Several of his speeches contain philosophical content and this further portrays him as a theoretical
and reasonable man. Friar Lawrence Character Analysis by William Shakespeare (c)2017 BookRags,
Inc All rights reserved Essay 'Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, and vice sometime by action
dignified ' (II 3 21-22 Friar Lawrence). Let our professional and talented writers do all the work for
you. In many scenes Tybalt is provoking fights between the Montagues and the Capulets. As a
consequence of this overpowering force they are driven to defy their families. The fact that Tybalt
killed Mercutio just tipped Romeo over the safe limit of emotions and the way he released it was
Tybalts doom. If the Prince had really wanted to stop the deaths at the end of the play it would have
been better to not punish anyone or punish the heads of the houses. Paris then tries to win Juliet over
by saying that the reason that she does not like him is that she is still sad from the death of Tybalt, it
is reasonable to suspect that Paris knows that she does not love him and the only reason that she
would ever go ahead with the wedding is because her father pressured into it. She would like to stay
with both but she is so emotional that she does not see how she can be with both. However it has the
same faults as the last Romeo: rushing into things without looking at the consequences, not listening
to advice from other people and not looking at the entire picture. Since Balthasar saw Juliet’s funeral,
he goes to notify Romeo. This ironically suggests the lover’s death as the drug at last did kill Juliet
when the fake death becomes real at the end. Friar Laurence marries Romeo and Juliet secretly
despite the fact that he knows about the feud between the Montague and Capulet households. So
you see that it is Juliet’s single-mindedness was a major part of the tragedy at the end of the play.
The friar also wanted to pressure the marriage so he gave Juliet a potion that would make her sleep
all day and appear that she is dead so she wouldn’t have to marry Paris. Furthermore as a result of
the male dominated society, there were giant male egos that influenced their actions as they were
keen to portray a certain image, hence if there is a fight or a suggestion of one, they will not back off
as they have a reputation to defend. Subsequently, Friar Lawrence would not have had to falsify
Juliet’s death or arrange Romeo’s escape to Mantua. An example of this is one of the times when
Juliet is presented as “deaths bride”, when she discovers the news of Romeo’s banishment and she
says that “death not Romeo take my maidenhead.” Death in Elizabethan times was much more of a
conscious issue, the reason being that people died considerably younger, which is why with a lower
life expectancy they were far more conscious of mortality, hence several references to and examples
of death. Lady Capulet seems to think of the marriage as a business, seeing the practical advantages
of a marriage to Paris ” so shall you share in all that he doth possess, by having him, making yourself
no less.” Capulet even went as far as calling his own daughter a hussy and a disobedient wretch, far
from the attitude a father should possess. Oxymoron can also been seen in Lawrence’s blank verse
later on in the play. This doesn’t stop the fight though as Tybalt fatally wounds Mercutio from
behind Romeo. This can be seen in his words, “baleful weeds, and precious-juiced flowers.” (2.3.8)
Two contradicting terms, “baleful” and “precious”, are used in an expression, again emphasis his
faith that everything can be both good and evil. His hastiness could be interpreted as foolishness as
he has only just scorned Romeo for doting. Anti Essays offers essay examples to help students with
their essay writing Below is a free excerpt of 'Friar Lawrence Character Analysis' from Anti Essays,
your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. The Friars entrance involves a
soliloquy as he happily talks about why he likes picking flowers and also what he will do with them.
Susan Snyder suggests they are similar using the concept of ideology that nothing divides the
Montague’s and Capulet’s but their names. However, he thought that if he married the couple, their
families would unite through love because they would realise that they should be happy because their
children were, and they were now related. Or else, if he was not trying to kill her, an interpretation
still might be that he is trying to find a way out to rid himself of blame. He also thinks that it is too
early to marry a couple whom only met yesterday. Student Essay on Friar Lawrence Character
Analysis.

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