Relationship Between Friar Lawrence In Romeo And Juliet Essay

Harry S. Truman once said, “Actions are the seed of fate.” In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, two impulsive teenagers learn this lesson the hard way. Blinded by their love, they make countless emotional decisions which eventually lead to their unfortunate ending. Their  relationship was made possible by their holy man, Friar Lawrence, who served as a mentor for the young couple. Friar Lawrence is most at fault for the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet since he supported their immature behaviour, he secretly married them, and he created an irresponsible plan for Juliet to fake her death.

To begin with, rather than being a responsible adult figure, Friar Lawrence encouraged Romeo and Juliet's impetuous behaviour. When Romeo and the Friar are waiting for Juliet in the Friar’s cell, he warns him how their infatuation can lead to a tragedy. He says, “These violent delights have violent ends/And in their triumph die like fire and powder, /Which as they kiss consume” (Shakespeare 2.6.9-11). The Friar cautions Romeo of the consequences that can come with such passionate love. He is aware that Romeo is too caught up in his feelings for Juliet which can cause him to make rash decisions. His hesitance to marry them proved that he believed Romeo’s immaturity caused him to have superficial feelings for Juliet. However, he marries the couple in hopes of ending the feud between their families. Overall, the Friar neglected his role as a trusted mentor for the teenagers and secretly and helped pave the way for their eventual downfall.

Additionally, the Friar quickly creates an impractical plan for Juliet to avoid marrying Paris. After Juliet and the Friar find themselves in a difficult situation due to the Friar’s first mistake of marrying the couple, he comes up with another reckless idea. Friar proposes a solution when he states, “Hold, daughter, I do spy a kind of hope,/ Which craves as desperate an execution/ As that is desperate which we would prevent” (Shakespeare 4.1.68-70). Desperately, the Friar created a short-sighted plan with a lot of room for error. His solution for Juliet had countless variables that were not carefully considered to ensure it would be a success. Juliet had doubts about the Friar's plan due to the numerous risks involved. Later in the play, Friar John, who was the messenger sent to Romeo, revealed that he could not deliver the letter informing Romeo of Juliet’s fake death. Friar John explains the setback to Friar Lawrence after Juliet was placed in the family tomb: “I could not send it–here it is again–/Nor get a messenger to bring it thee,/So fearful were they of infection” (Shakespeare 5.2.14-16). Since Friar's plan was rushed, he failed to get the letter to Romeo, which was the most important aspect. He knew that Romeo was an extremely emotional man, whose feelings take over his consciousness. Romeo is distraught by the news of Juliet's death after receiving it through his manservant, as he was unaware that it was fake. As a result, he rushed to Verona, killing himself alongside Juliet in the Capulet family tomb. All in all, the Friar's ill-conceived plan had multiple shortcomings, all of which contributed to Romeo and Juliet's tragic outcome.

Some may argue that the Friar could have not stopped Juliet from killing herself because she has expressed multiple times she can not live without Romeo. However, that argument is weak since he left her alone in the tomb knowing that she was not in the right headspace. Friar shows that he has still not learned from his previous mistakes when he says, “Stay not to question, for the watch is coming./Come, go, good Juliet,/ [Nose again]/ I dare no longer stay” (Shakespeare 5.3.158-160). After Juliet awakes from her sleep, she sees Romeo dead and is grief-stricken. Rather than taking responsibility for his actions, he selfishly leaves the tomb before the watch guards find him. This shows that he is more concerned about himself than helping Juliet get out of the mess he created. In short, the Friar fears his punishment for his foolishness and abandons Juliet in her poor mental state which leads to her suicide.

In conclusion, Friar's numerous rash decisions led to the deaths of two young lovers that relied on him for their happy ending. This play teaches the importance of having a clear mind when making crucial decisions. Romeo and Juliet were two naive teenagers who let their emotions get the best of them. Rather than being a trusted advisor to the teenagers, Friar selfishly made reckless decisions that benefited him and his plan to end the feud. He simply used the teenager’s naivety for the sake of his scheme while failing the dependent lovers.