Romeo and Juliet Analysis Paper: Role of Religion The role of religion in Romeo and Juliet is shown as being important when one considers the various roles of Friar Lawrence. Religion provided advice, possible solutions to a problem, and sacraments that would be part of normal priestly duties. These actions of Friar Lawrence demonstrate the importance of religion in our Shakespeare’s play. In the play Romeo and Juliet, the star- crossed lovers are seeking advice from someone. They need help with their situation, and they decide to go to their priest, Friar Lawrence. Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence a couple days before she is to get married to Paris to ask him for help. Friar Lawrence tells her a plan where she is to drink a potion that will make her seem dead for 42 hours (The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, pgs. 819-822). When Juliet’s parents find her “dead”, they will bury her, and Romeo will come and take her so that they can run away together. This, one of the many examples where Friar Lawrence gives advice to Juliet, clearly shows that Friar is involved in his citizen’s lives. In addition to Friar Lawrence giving advice, he also attempts to find solutions to people’s problems. Because Romeo and Juliet are in love, they want to get married. The only problem with this, is that their families strongly …show more content…
Juliet tells her parents that she is going to confession, but really she is going to Friar Lawrence to discuss a plan to get her out of her forced marriage with Paris (pg. 823). Her parents accept the idea that she was going to see the Friar to go to confession. This shows that he does some of the typical things that a priest would do today. Another typical priestly duty Friar Lawrence does is the sacrament of marriage. The reader does not see this scene but knows this action has taken place. Friar Lawrence preforms two sacraments of typical priestly duty during this