Importance of Friar Lawrence

`Cate Chisholm
3/10/15
Pd 1 Goldberg

The Significance Of Friar Lawrence

“Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast” (2.3.101). These are just a few words of wisdom that were given by Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence is a very important secondary character, if not the most. He has an important role in the Church, and is also a father figure to both Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the play he gives advice that alters the play significantly. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence plays a very prominent role, affecting the plot of the play, development of other characters, and multiple themes. Friar Lawrence does many things to assist Romeo and Juliet during the play, but he also does a few things that speeds up their deaths. An indirect way he sped up their deaths was creating the intricate plan of faking Juliet’s death. It was well intentioned, but after numerous unplanned incidents, it ends up doing more harm than good. Romeo never received the letter containing vital information on the fake death, and therefore believes Juliet is dead, saying, “O my love, my wife, death, that hath sucked the honey from thy breath hath had no power yet upon thy beauty” (5.3.91-3). He ends up committing suicide. Without Friar Lawrence’s plan, Romeo never would’ve been tricked into believing Juliet was dead and killing himself. No matter how well intentioned, Friar Lawrence’s plan was a huge disaster. In the last scene of the play, Friar Lawrence asks Juliet to leave the monument where her dead husband lays, and she says no. Friar Lawrence says nothing else and leaves her there. He knew that she would do anything for Romeo, and now since he was dead, she could very well be suicidal. Yet he just left her in there, without another word of persuasion. Just seconds after he leaves, she says, “Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after! I will kiss thy lips” (5.3.167-9), and kills herself right after. Friar Lawrence could’ve done much to prevent another such untimely death.

Friar Lawrence helps Juliet quickly evolve from being very obedient to her parents to being disobedient in a matter of days. In the beginning of the play, before Juliet met Romeo, she always listened to her parents. When her mother, Lady Capulet asked her if she would want to get married to Paris, she responded “I’ll look to like, if liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly” (1.3.103-5). She is basically saying that because her mother wants to her to marry Paris, she will meet him and talk, but no more than she asks. After Juliet meets Romeo, she doesn’t care what her parents think, and does many things against their will and knowledge. In Act 4, Scene 2, Juliet refuses to marry Paris, even though just a few days before, she said she would try to learn to love Paris for her mother’s sake. She even threatens Lady Capulet. “Delay this marriage…or, if you do not, make the bridal bed in that dim monument where Tybalt lies.” (3.5.211-13) She is explaining that she would rather be dead along with Tybalt than marrying Paris, even though her parents want nothing more from her then to marry him. This complete transformation of Juliet’s character is drastically encouraged by the actions of Friar Lawrence. He marries Juliet, which was done in secret and not approved by her parents, and he devises the plan of Juliet to be with Romeo, even when her parents want her to be with Paris. Juliet had never gone against her parents before she got married to Romeo, and Friar Lawrence’s strong encouragement definitely showed her that is was okay to disobey her parents in other notable adults’ eyes. Juliet would’ve never been so disobedient without the consent of Friar Lawrence.

Friar Lawrence also helps develop multiple themes in Romeo and Juliet. The most important theme that he helps validate and display is “fate can prevail”. Romeo declared right before entering the ball where he would meet Juliet that, “I fear too early, for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars… a despised life closed in my breast by some vile forfeit of untimely death” (1.4.107-12). This quote helps prove one main theme of the play, which states “fate can prevail”. Throughout the entire play, Friar Lawrence tries to assist Romeo and Juliet to be together safely. Juliet threatens many times that she will kill herself if she can’t be with Romeo. She says to Friar Lawrence, “Give me some present counsel, or, behold 'twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife shall play the umpire” (4.1.63-5). He doesn’t want to let this happen, so he does everything in his power to stop it. It is clearly Juliet’s fate to die, but Friar Lawrence doesn’t know that. He even creates the intricate plan involving the fake death of Juliet, which fails when Romeo doesn’t receive the letter with the plans. This clearly proves that no matter how much the characters try to change the fate of Romeo and Juliet, their deaths can’t be prevented.

Friar Lawrence plays a very prominent role, affecting the plot of the play, development of other characters, and multiple themes in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence is very essential in the play, because without him, there would hardly be a love story. He is what keeps them together, by marrying them and giving each advice on their romance. In the end, the Montague and Capulet feud seems to start to diminish, which was Friar Lawrence’s number one goal, however Romeo and Juliet are dead. That was obviously not part of the plan, so he still feels an undeniable responsibility for the two young deaths.