Friar Laurence As A Failed Mentor In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Friar Laurence as a Failed Mentor
Almost everyone has gone through an experience in life where they were given advice that unfortunately ended in disaster. Though what if the advice went so awry it resulted with you and your most loved one dead! Well in the play Romeo and Juliet (1597) by William Shakespeare, This is exactly what happened and more due to a mentors incompetence. Romeo and Juliet (1597) by William Shakespeare follows a violent feud between the families of Capulet and Montague in the medieval city of Verona. Two teens from the different families named Romeo and Juliet meet at a party and immediately fall in love. They plan on getting married the following day and so they talk to their corresponding mentors, Friar Laurence and

The plans go botched in the process which leads to the young and hysteric couple being misinformed and ending their lives together. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet communicates the message of good intentions with tragic outcomes by using the character Friar Laurence and how his inept mentorship on the main characters built up to a tragedy
Mentors and guardians have a lot of influence over their young and impulsive pupils so therefore mistakes, even if well intentioned, can be catastrophic. Shortly after Romeo and Juliet’s marriage, Romeo’s cousin: Mercutio battles with Capulet warrior Tybalt and loses the duel. In a fuel of rage Romeo kills Tybalt as an act of revenge which leads to his banishment. A distressed Romeo in Act 3 Scene 3 approaches Friar Laurence for advice on how to stay in Verona in which Friar says: “Ascend her chamber, hence, and comfort her. But look thou stay not till the watch be set, for then thou canst not pass to mantua. Where thou shalt live till we can find a time to blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends, bed pardon of the prince and call thee back with twenty hundred thousand times more joy” (3.3.157-163). This piece of advice by him is broad and ambitious which a perturbed Romeo

In the 2018 Forbes article If You Want To Be A Great Mentor Do These 5 Things by journalist and mentor Carrie Kerpen, She quotes others on multiple things an effective mentor would do for their mentee, but the quote by Demi Marchese, founder of 12th Tribe on paragraph 4 stood out as she stated: “You have to be comfortable enough to be constructive and not be afraid of critiquing their work. Don’t beat around the bush. Understand who you are speaking to, their needs, their strengths and where they want to go” (Kerpen). Friar Laurence fails at this during a time where it was vital. When a mentor sees their mentee denying their situation for a false hope it’s time to speak the truth they need to hear to release themselves from their self-done stress. They can’t be encouraged to commit to their impossible because when it comes crashing down it unfortunately only hurts even more. Adding on to how a mentor should always be supportive for their mentee, The culmination of Friar’s plans going awry and outside events dazing the desperate couple lead to a death-by-suicide Romeo in Act 5, Scene 3 beside a recently awakening drugged Juliet in the Capulet tomb. Friar speaks to Juliet in a panic to leave the tomb: “Stay not to question, for the watch is coming. Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay” (5.3.163-164)