Examples Of Confidante In Romeo And Juliet

In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses many different literary devices to communicate the theme: when someone truly trusts you, your relationship becomes stronger. One of these devices is known as a confidante. The definition of a confidante is a character in a play or story whose purpose is to listen to the feelings, thoughts, or intentions of a major character (protagonist). One of the confidantes for Juliet, is the priest, Friar Laurence. The Friar has a very strong, almost fatherly, relationship with Juliet because Juliet trusts him with her secrets that she does not tell most of the people around her. Shakespeare uses this character, most of all, to communicate the theme, but also to draw out or expose other character’s personality

Most people around Juliet didn’t know how or didn’t want to help her with her problems, which could make the audience feel bad or uncomfortable for Juliet. One of the only people she could confide in was the Friar, she went to him, specifically, for someone that would listen and understand her problem with being forced to marry the county Paris. When Juliet went to the Friar for help he acknowledges, “O Juliet, I already know thy grief; / It strains me past the compass of my wits. / I hear thou must, and nothing may prorogue it, / On Thursday next be married to the county.” (4.1.46-9). This quote perfectly demonstrates the fact that Juliet has a stronger connection to the Friar than most of the others. The Friar, is one of the only people that “knows [her] grief” and that actually listened and cared for her. Other characters didn’t care much about what Juliet wanted. The Nurse for example just suggested her to be “married with the county” (3.5.219) because he was very wealthy and handsome. Her parents also acted the same, both of them wouldn’t take no for an answer from Juliet when she said she didn’t want to