Why Is The Friar Important In Romeo And Juliet

Mentors provide advice and greatly shape the course of a person’s life. People highly respect their counsellor’s opinion, and can be swayed by what they say. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is a friend and ally to both Romeo and Juliet. They both look up to him, and the Friar helps guides them, and offers them advice. The Friar could have prevented Juliet and Romeo’s deaths if he had responded to their situation more responsibility. Friar Lawrence had an opportunity in which he could have saved Juliet. With Juliet threatening to kill herself, he leaves her alone because “the watch is coming”(122). He “dare[s] no longer stay”(122), and allows Juliet to kill herself due. Later, when explaining the situation to Romeo and Juliet’s families, he lies about his involvement, to escape punishment. He says that “a noise did scare [him] from the tomb”(127), instead of admitting his mistake. The Friar’s plan to get Juliet out of her marriage to Paris, is unnecessarily complicated, and this caused the miscommunications and deaths. After his plan fails, Friar
Though he originally thinks it is too hasty, he quickly changes his mind and should have been more responsible as a member of the church. When Romeo first asks the friar to marry them, he replies with “What change is here!..So soon forsaken?(48) and points out the abruptness of this request. He continues by stating that “young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes”(48), and points out that Romeo’s feelings for Juliet may be lust rather than love. Friar Lawrence also tells Romeo that his love for Rosaline is “an old tear that is not washed off yet”(48). However, despite his worries, he quickly changes his mind and agrees to marry them. This haste, causes their deaths because without their marriage, Juliet and Romeo would not have killed themselves for each