Comparing The Friar Lawrence To Blame For The Death Of Romeo And Juliet

Ever wonder what it’s like to be the one at fault for someone’s death? In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, there are many who can be blamed for the death of Romeo and Juliet. All of the trouble begins in the worn of Verona. Two families, the Capulets and Montagues, despise each other so much so that they have an on-going feud. Their children, Romeo and Juliet, fall in love when they attend the Capulet party. After just three short days, their families, love, and marriage contribute to their suicides. Who actually causes this to be brought about? It is undeniably Friar Lawrence who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because he marries them, gives Juliet a potion to put her in a death-like sleep, and confesses to being the

Romeo goes to friar, and asks him to marry him and Juliet. Friar replies to Romeo saying, “But come, young waverer, come go with me, / In one respect I’ll thy assistant be” (II. iv. 89-90). This is important because this is the moment friar agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet. Without this vital information, one would not be able to fully grasp that the friar is the one who marries Romeo and Juliet. The day following friar’s agreement, he marries Romeo and Juliet. “You shall not stay alone, / Till holy church incorporate two in one” (II. vi. 36-37). This is important because it shows how they are together until one leaves the other. This causes problems later on when Juliet and Paris are to marry because one cannot marry again until their spouse passes away. This is all due to the friar marrying Romeo and

Friar suggests a potion that will put her into a death-like sleep for 42 hours, causing her family to believe she is dead, thus getting her out of marrying Paris. His instructions to Juliet of when and how to take the potion are written in a letter to Romeo, so he comes to Juliet when she awakes. Juliet comes to her parents after leaving friar’s cell, and tells them she is ready to be married. This results in her father moving the wedding up a day, which interferes with friar’s plans for Juliet. In turn, Juliet takes the potion sooner, which puts her in the “stiff and stark and cold [sleep that], appear[s] like death,” a day earlier than originally planned (IV. i. 113). Friar’s plans for sending Romeo the letter of instructions, fall through when the wedding is moved and Juliet takes the potion sooner. Since Juliet was told by the friar that “Romeo by letters know our drift / … And he and I / Will watch thy waking,” she believes Romeo will be there when she awakes, (IV. Ii. 114-117). Romeo’s friend Benvolio hears of Juliet’s “death,” and goes to seek out Romeo to tell him about her death. This causes Romeo to see Juliet while she is in the death-like sleep, making him think she is dead. When he sees this, he takes a potion he bought before, and ends his life because life without Juliet would not be a life worth living. Juliet awakes to see Romeo dead, which in turn causes her to end