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Crafting a thesis, especially one on a complex character like Friar Lawrence from Shakespeare's

Romeo and Juliet, can be a daunting task. As one of the pivotal figures in the play, Friar Lawrence's
motivations, actions, and consequences present a rich tapestry for analysis. However, delving into his
character requires careful examination of his role in the tragic events that unfold.

Friar Lawrence embodies a myriad of complexities, serving as both a mentor and a catalyst for the
young lovers, Romeo and Juliet. His actions, though well-intentioned, often lead to unforeseen
consequences, ultimately contributing to the tragic outcome of the play. Crafting a thesis statement
that effectively captures these nuances demands a deep understanding of the character and the
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Also we notice that the Friar’s language changes in the scene change from Act 2 Scene 3. This can
be seen in his soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 3, where he shows off to the audience about his knowledge
on plants and his opinions on living beings. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet may not only have been
included in the play to conclude a tragedy, but to make a lasting symbol of the power of love that is
able to triumph through all adversity. Since his guidance and consultation is so sought over, this
further has the implication that he is a wise person, but it also elevates his character- placing him in a
pivotal position. Therefore, he has not been born into the family feud, but his friendship with Romeo
does make him associated with the Montagues. Previous to this scene violence had taken place and
the Friar’s scene contrasts to this. If only I had not run off I would have been able to stop her. When
Juliet arrives she does not speak clearly to Paris but instead speaks in riddles. Then there is County
Paris’ character, a respectable wealthy gentleman who fully intended to provide for Juliet. 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. This symbolises how, try as he will to end the fighting between the Montagues and the
Capulets, Romeo cannot do so. We can see this point again when he says “ the day to cheer and the
night’s dank dew to dry.” We can also infer that he loves plants and the way that they work when he
exclaims that plants “to the earth some special good doth give. Lord Montague, unlike fathers at that
time, has never worried about Romeo. Romeo descends into the tomb carrying Paris’s physique. 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. What does the Friar clarify on the finish of the play. Fate is responsible
throughout the play as the clown who is sent with a list of names to invite people to the Capulet ball
and he is unable to read and he happens to see Romeo who helps him to read the list and then
consequently he ends up going to the party, which is where he meets Juliet. He feels that if he can
unite these families that he will have achieved something major and may be praised for his actions.
Mab’s purpose is to travel over the sleeping forms of human beings and cause them to dream of
things appropriate to their station in life. Nevertheless, I do feel that the Friar was heavily responsible
as he made rash decisions and was deceitful and abandoned Juliet when she needed him most. An
example of this is in his soliloquy when the Friar has been collecting herbs and he is portrayed as a
perceptive and intuitive character as he is aware that there is good and bad in people, similar to the
poisonous part of a plant. The audience may take pity on the Friar because he does apologise to the
Prince and all involved and ask to be punished proving that he realises his mistakes. Also Friar
Lawrence acts in haste getting Romeo and Juliet married, another piece of irony as he tells Romeo to
go slow. Shakespeare then invites the audience to recognize that in the hate-ridden culture existing in
Verona the response to “what’s in a name?” is everything. The character of Friar Lawrence is Express
your owns thoughts friar laurence character analysis essay and ideas on this essay by writing a Friar
Lawrence Character Analysis; Friar Lawrence. It could be thought that in this scene Friar is a
manipulating character, who takes advantage of Juliet’s state of anguish. He also tells Peter to “hide
her face, for the fans the fairer face”. How could you possibly live with yourself knowing that you
have taken the diamond from the Capulets crown. He secretly marries the two lovers, spirits Romeo
to Mantua and stages Juliet’s death. You should consider how Shakespeare guides the audience’s
response to the Friar’s character within a dramatic performance.
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.
Friar John and his good friend are quarantined in a house suspected to have the plague. Who is to
blame for the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet, The Nurse or Fria. There is a certain amount of
inevitably as the events happen at an increased rate, problems occur and mistakes are made, as the
vital message that Friar John is carrying fails to reach Romeo in time. How important is Friar
Lawrence, in his language and his actions to the dev. The themes, love and death, is connected
together throughout the play, reminding the audience the results of Romeo and Juliet’s love. Romeo
calls Verona heaven as he thinks of Juliet as an angel. Mercutio’s character doesn’t change very much
during the play. Their relationships are vital elements for the development of the play.Although Friar
Lawrence takes Romeo and Juliet to his heart, he himself dugs their graves for making impractical
plans. This creates the impression of an aggressive father that demands obedience. Several of his
speeches contain philosophical content and this further portrays him as a theoretical and reasonable
man. Although this was standard for Elizabethan types in a more secular society, we might perceive
this as neglect, as neither Romeo nor Juliet’s father gave them enough attention. Extramarks follows
a 3-pronged approach that provides the best of pedagogy and technology to create an engaging
child-centric teaching-learning environment. See more. 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. When Romeo
talks of marrying her, she raises an objection of common sense but is not strong enough to follow it
up while Romeo is in such a rush. Within one hour of knowing he is already asking Juliet to marry
him. Here, I think, he isn’t saying that Romeo is a liar, but that people shouldn’t put faith in dreams.
However, Romeo is insistent; Dreamers lie “in bed asleep, they do dream things true” (I,iv,52). The
names alone give a definition for what each person is and that arbitrary “placing” of each individual
in their social role gives added poignancy and urgency to Juliet’s questions and demands. He refers
to her as a “bawd” and makes other nasty remarks about her. By the end of the passage, Mercutio is
galloping through his speech. He therefore immediately travels to see Juliet’s body. He exits the tomb
and leaves her alone, for the Watch or others to find her, I think this is a very cowardice move.
Benvolio and the Montagues are at the bottom as they did very little to cause the deaths and have
very small parts in the play. Everyone in Verona wanted there to be imperturbable in the streets and
there to be no more danger to any of the civilians of Verona, of being caught up in the clashing of the
two families. 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. 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. With Mercutio’s
words “Oh, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you!” he plunges into a forty-two line speech
composed of long sentences, giving him very little time to breathe between phrases. Instead Lord
Capulet’s lack of thought and respect for his daughter’s well being ended up in many indirect deaths.
This is important as if Mercutio had not got involved in the fight then the fight between Romeo and
Tybalt would not have happened, therefore Romeo would not have been banished so the marriage
between Romeo and Juliet would have been safe. Friar Laurence Essay Examples 212 total results
1,279 words 3 pages An Analysis of the Character and Guilt of Friar Lawrence in William
Shakespeare's Play Romeo and Juliet.
Friar Laurence determined it was too harmful for him to ship it. She has come to the Friar and is
surprised to see. When Queen Elizabeth ruled (the time when Shakespeare write), it was a patriarchal
society where fathers were used to assert excessive power on their children. First of all, Mercutio
convinces Romeo to attend the ball at the Capulets’ house, where he meets Juliet. They did not think
about the consequences and this emphasises their youth and inexperience and this is shown in
Romeo as he previously doted on Rosaline yet thought that he was in love with her. This means that
the audience will feel a sense of anger towards him. It is because of this that Romeo confides in him
about his love for Juliet. Friar Lawrence is willing to perform the wedding in the hopes that the
hatred between the two families will end. It is always Lawrence’s faith that even evil deeds could be
useful. To what extent is Friar Lawrence responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Ju. The character
of Friar Lawrence is Express your owns thoughts friar laurence character analysis essay and ideas on
this essay by writing a Friar Lawrence Character Analysis; Friar Lawrence. Without The Character of
the Friar Lawrence Would Romeo And JulietNot Be A. This resource hasn't been reviewed yet To
ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it
Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Come Holy Spirit Poem
\U0026 Painting (Eng Sub 151. It is Lady Capulet and her husband who arrange the marriage with
Paris and it is Capulet himself who threatens Juliet with expulsion from his house. Why friar
Lawrence is responsible for Juliet's death. The potion was to be taken the night before her wedding,
so she would seem dead and she would not get married. 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. The played is filled
with irony and the ending is overflowing with situational irony, this is present in Act 5 scene 3 the
climax of play as Romeo and Juliet have both killed themselves for each other. Our customer service
team will review your report and will be in touch. ?4.00 (no rating) 0 reviews BUY NOW Save for
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pinterest vlittler1 3.93 41 reviews Not the right resource. In the last two lines of the speech, the Friar
is convincing Romeo that something as important as love and marriage should not be jumped into,
when it could be done slower, so confidence can be had in that the right decision is being made and
there are no room for regrets. Which is very ironic as Friar Lawrence stumbles over a tomb stone near
the end off the play. The apothecary is accountable as he was not supposed to sell such a poison, yet
he allowed himself to be bribed as he was so poor, this shows that he allowed his selfishness to
influence his decision and in deciding to administer this poison he was helping Romeo to kill
himself. Tybalt does not see where this praise has come from and must think that Old Capulet is
going mad. See other similar resources ?4.00 (no rating) 0 reviews BUY NOW Save for later Not
quite what you were looking for. Romeo’s mother is useless of a damaged coronary heart from his
banishment. Moreover, it can also be claimed that Friar Lawrence is not solely responsible for
Romeo’s death. Whatever the reason, however, Mercutio’s hysteria serves as a sort of foreshadowing
of the disaster to come. At this point in the play, it is questionable whether the Friar is merely
contemplating what was the best solution for him. While the sacred Friar was in his vestment,
shaking like a leaf.
The character of Friar Lawrence is Express your owns thoughts friar laurence character analysis essay
and ideas on this essay by writing a Friar Lawrence Character Analysis; Friar Lawrence. Friar
Laurence Essay Examples 212 total results 1,279 words 3 pages An Analysis of the Character and
Guilt of Friar Lawrence in William Shakespeare's Play Romeo and Juliet. 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. He is depicted as hypocritical and there is irony
in what he says as he tells Romeo “Wisely and slowly; they stumble that run fast.” Those who run,
trip and this piece of advice is ironic as it would appear that the Friar has made a rash decision and
he is the one swiftly making plans. Without The Character of the Friar Lawrence Would Romeo And
JulietNot Be A. This resource hasn't been reviewed yet To ensure quality for our reviews, only
customers who have purchased this resource can review it Report this resource to let us know if it
violates our terms and conditions. Now I think about it I should have delivered the message myself,
to guarantee it arrived to Romeo. Later on in the play after Romeo has just married Juliet, Tybalt
goes to pay Romeo back for what he sees as an insult to his family. He finds out that the Capulets are
having a feast and Rosaline will be there. He deliberately annoys Tybalt, by doing things like
purposely mistaking meanings of words. The patriarchal power structure was inherent in renaissance
families. This was in Elizabethan times when the new Church of England had just come about and
many did not like Catholics. Which is very ironic as Friar Lawrence stumbles over a tomb stone near
the end off the play. If only I had not run off I would have been able to stop her. 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. 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. This scene comes after Romeo
has gone to see Juliet before he goes to Mantua and after Juliet has found out she is to marry Paris
tomorrow. There are also the characters who either want to end the hatred between the families and
there are those who also want the feud to end but also do not want anything to do with it or get
involved, like Friar Lawrence who is the father confessor of Romeo and Juliet. As a consequence of
this overpowering force they are driven to defy their families. Also Friar Lawrence acts in haste
getting Romeo and Juliet married, another piece of irony as he tells Romeo to go slow. This shows
how quickly he reacts to an instant problem. When Juliet takes the drug the Nurse or her mother may
walk in they might think that she was killing herself because of the memory of Tybalt. It is hard to
work out the consequences of what may have happened if Friar Lawrence did not become involved
and make his decisions. Why friar Lawrence is responsible for Juliet's death. 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. Friar Lawrence has to tell Romeo about the news, the
Friar thinks that the news is better then what was expected, but Romeo argues about it. Be merciful,
say 'death' For exile hath more terror in his look, Much more than death. This scene does not portray
him only as selfish, but also that he is a very pusillanimous man who forgets his duties to God to save
himself. Lawrence again shows signs of wisdom and declares his belief that good things like “honey”
will “confounds the appetite” and become bad deeds. I think they are special to Romeo because the
friar is very level headed and sees everything on a down to earth way and so this levels off Romeos
very unreasonable views and actions which is a good thing as the mood of the time was duel to
prove yourself and I'm sure that with out the aid of friar Laurence Romeo would have surly met his
match already.
For example, she drives “Through lovers brains, and them they dream of love”, “O’er lawyers
fingers, who straight dream on fees” and “O’er a soldiers neck, and then dreams he of cutting
foreign throats,” Here again, this sounds fanciful enough, yet somehow it veers off into a deluge of
images that are nothing like the sweet, almost childlike story it seemed. Friar Lawrence realises that
Romeo needs consoling, and tries to help him. Further symbolism is evident when the Friar places
flowers and weeds in the same basket, which is symbolic of the Montague’s and Capulet’s mixing
together. She came to me because her parents were planning to marry her to Paris. Who is the final
individual to see Juliet earlier than she stabs herself useless. He was not aware of the marriage
between Romeo and Juliet and therefore could not have given Romeo advice about what to do. As a
nurse to Juliet her job was to care for Juliet and watch over her, yet she abandons her completely.
Other foremost causes which are of equal accountability, are the quarrel between the families and
fate. My conclusion is that Shakespeare would have wanted the friar to be seen as a person that was
before his time who understands more than most people as this makes him able to be the aid of
Romeo, so the interpretation that I gave of friar Laurence would be acceptable in his eyes. 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. He tells Romeo to see Juliet for one last time before he heads off
to Mantua. Mercutio ends up being fatally stabbed while his friend Romeo tries to break up the
fight. Extramarks follows a 3-pronged approach that provides the best of pedagogy and technology
to create an engaging child-centric teaching-learning environment. See more. He later personifies
flowers as human by saying people contain both “grace and rude will” (2.3.28) in their makeup. This
is dramatic irony, suggesting that the marriage will heal the family “grudges”, but will take away the
two lovers’ lives.Plants are depicted using oxymoron as the soliloquy continues. She would like to
stay with both but she is so emotional that she does not see how she can be with both. It is a
conversation between Friar Laurence and Friar John. Lord Montague, unlike fathers at that time, has
never worried about Romeo. The nurse then passes the message on to Juliet and tells her that the
wedding is arranged for two o’clock. This resource hasn't been reviewed yet To ensure quality for
our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it Report this resource to
let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. He secretly marries the two lovers, spirits Romeo
to Mantua and stages Juliet’s death. Despite Romeo and Juliet being helpless victims of fate, Romeo
was also an agent of fate. Explain the irony of Friar Lawrence’s worry of what may occur on account
of Friar John’s information. What causes Friar Lawrence’s vital message to go astray. If not for him
stopping to assist an unwell civilian, then Romeo would have gotten the message and would not
purchase the poison to finish his life. He even foretells the lovers’ deaths when describing imageries
in themes of love and death. She is distraught and threatens to kill herself rather than marry Paris.
Trusted and respected by the two foes, Friar Lawrence is addressed as a “ ghostly father ” (2.3.45)
(2.6.21) and acts as their neutral advisor. I fully understand, I am going to improve as a person, I am
never going to get involved with anyone’s lives again, you can mark my word. Which is very ironic as
Friar Lawrence stumbles over a tomb stone near the end off the play. Both Romeo and Juliet make
very hasty decisions that are not necessarily the best option, but they were willing to do anything,
provided that they could be together.
This is a new type of Romeo that has not been seen yet, he acts with conviction and he knows what
he wants to do. This is demonstrated in act 4 scene 1 when the friar says “Take thou this viar, being
then in bed and this distilling liquor drink thou off”. Although Romeo does not rise to the bait
Mercutio does and Mercutio and Tybalt fight. He is very fun loving and has a genuine love for life.
He also talks well of everyone and we never in this scene hear him talk badly of anyone even though
Romeo is doing something he disagrees with. I think that at this moment he would want to get her
out of his cell before she kills herself, so he gives her a potion that will apparently fake her death.
Maybe with a little more time he could have planned things better. This desperate plan was thought
of hastily and at first glance should have worked. Also we notice that the Friar’s language changes in
the scene change from Act 2 Scene 3. Plus she trusts Friar Lawrence a lot, as she sees him as a wiser
person then her. Friar Lawrence is upset as a result of he is aware of that Romeo will kill himself if
he finds out Juliet is useless with out realizing the dying is faux. 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. Importance of Friar Laurence: Romeo and Juliet Essays -
619 Words. It is here you can really see her single-mindedness that lets her see only the terrible
argument that she is very likely to have with her parents and not the solution that was to risk the
banishment from her family to be with Romeo in Mantua. Subsequently, Friar Lawrence would not
have had to falsify Juliet’s death or arrange Romeo’s escape to Mantua. Romeo’s mother is already
dead, and now, Romeo is dead. If I had to describe his ideas I would describe them as before his
time as he has a very modern standard even today, which is surprising as the play was written
hundreds of years ago and that he was supposed to be the suttle holy man. Friar Lawrence has to tell
Romeo about the news, the Friar thinks that the news is better then what was expected, but Romeo
argues about it. The audience should realise that poison will be a big part of the play. Differential
Power. Two results: Skew norms Familiarity of established trustworthiness among friends and
intimates How is it that the first relates to differential power. He even knows about Romeo’s ex-
lover, Rosaline (2.3.44) and Romeo’s love of Juliet (2.3.57-8). Both lovers put faith onto the cleric
and all along act on his advice. I think when the Friar is explaining what happened, he is feeling quite
guilty. The Nurse should not have just left Juliet alone because this presents Juliet with the
opportunity to take the remedy that the Friar had given her. How do they know that Juliet won’t be
cremated or the letter may be delayed, Romeo or the Friar may be delayed and her family may try to
bring her back from whoever stole her dead body. If Juliet isn’t there and Romeo is dead no one can
tell about them been married which puts him in the clear. Also some blame on Lord Capulet, as his
stubbornness and lack of thought for his daughter, indirectly killed Romeo, Juliet, Paris and it may
be argued that he also is slightly responsible for the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio. 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. He deliberately annoys Tybalt, by doing things like purposely mistaking meanings of words.
The failed deliveries of the friar’s letter and his own late arrival to the tomb seal the lover’s fate. I
think he is especially guilty when he says that maybe if he’d have been braver, Juliet wouldn’t have
killed herself.
However, when Friar John reveals that he is not able to deliver the letter to Romeo, Friar Lawrence
immediately thinks of a counter plan. A range of key scenes that the Friar is included in, alongside a
range of quotations to go with this. It is because of this that Romeo confides in him about his love
for Juliet. He does this as a religious figure and also as a good friend, even parent figure, to them.
Just when things look as though they might improve, new disaster strikes again in Act 3. He's
personality is a very relaxed state of mined personality he believes things happen because that's life;
he understands Romeo doesn't know the difference between a crush and love, 'Is rosaline, whom
thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken. Juliet was left with no confidante, therefore exacerbating
the situation as she felt even more lonely, confused and helpless. She is pleading with the Friar to do
something and threatens to kill herself. The messenger couldn’t discover Romeo within the busy
metropolis of Mantua. Importance of Friar Laurence: Romeo and Juliet Essays - 619 Words. It is this
scene, Act 4 Scene 5, that the audience can see a different side to the Friar and how he reacts under
pressure. In the quote “Hold, daughter” (Ellis, 749) Friar Lawrence refers to her as a daughter. When
Queen Elizabeth ruled (the time when Shakespeare write), it was a patriarchal society where fathers
were used to assert excessive power on their children. To what extent do you believe that Friar
Lawrence is responsible for the tr. Because of his carelessness and poor communication skill, not only
his endeavour to reconcile the two hostile families comes to grief, but he also contributed to the
death of Romeo and Juliet.His delayed arrival at the “monument” (5.2.24) has resulted in the death
of Romeo, who drinks poison without knowing the plan. 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. 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. Its greatest agent was the Friar and
however hard he had tried he could never have stopped the ending of the play. The friar can again be
held partly responsible because he gives Juliet a potion. Since his guidance and consultation is so
sought over, this further has the implication that he is a wise person, but it also elevates his
character- placing him in a pivotal position. Male chauvinism plays a part also as it is this that drives
them to fight as they want to appear the superior man that exudes machismo. Romeo also stumbled
as he was leaving the friar’s cell after he’d agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet, this would have been
interpreted as something bad was going to happen to the marriage. Later on in the play after Romeo
has just married Juliet, Tybalt goes to pay Romeo back for what he sees as an insult to his family. It
is Lady Capulet and her husband who arrange the marriage with Paris and it is Capulet himself who
threatens Juliet with expulsion from his house. The letter that the prince has confirms what the Friar
has just explained and they all believe him. Romeo descends into the tomb carrying Paris’s physique.
Mercutio’s character doesn’t change very much during the play. I do not think that the blame should
be solely placed on the Friar, although he was a catalyst. How important is Friar Lawrence, in his
language and his actions to the dev. His delayed arrival at the “monument” (5.2.24) has resulted in
the death of Romeo, who drinks poison without knowing the plan.

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