Friar Laurence Is To Blame In The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

People often get involved in situations that they should not. Even if they are just trying to

help, there are always consequences that they did not anticipate happening. In The Tragedy of

Romeo and Juliet, both Romeo and Juliet die. It could be argued that their immaturity could be

to blame for their deaths but Friar Laurence initiates the events that lead to their death because

he marries the two of them, not having a secure plan to let Romeo know that Juliet was

not actually dead and leaving Juliet in the grave after she woke up.

Friar Laurence marries Romeo and Juliet, being oblivious to all of the problems that they

would encounter in the future. He even told Romeo before he married them that he fell in love

too quickly

Then young men love with their

eyes / Not with their hearts.”(2.3.65-68) This shows that the Friar knows that Romeo and Juliet

are both immature since they fall in love because of each other's good looks and not personality.

The Friar agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet thinking that it would end the feud “For this alliance

may so happy prove / To turn your households’ rancor to pure love.”(2.3.91-92) but it did not.

Also, before they got married Friar Laurence asked the heavens to smile upon the marriage so

nothing unfortunate happens, “So smile the heavens upon this act / That after hours of sorrow

chide us not.”(2.6.1-2), this foreshadows that the Friar knows that there will be problems in the

future.

Another reason the Friar is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet is that he had a

faulty plan to get the letter to Romeo explaining that Juliet is not dead. After Romeo and Juliet

were married, Romeo got into an argument with his now kinsman, Tybalt. This resulted in a duel

which ended with the deaths of both Mercutio and Tybalt. As a result, Romeo was banished

After Romeo left, Juliet got news that she was to marry Count Paris. Since she was already

married to Romeo, she could not marry another man and went to Friar Laurence for help. The

Friar gave her a drink that would put her in a death-like state for 42 hours so she would appear

dead on the day of her wedding. His plan was to have Romeo meet Juliet at the Capulet tomb

when she woke so that they could run off together to Mantua. However, this plan was not

executed properly, Friar John did not get to Romeo in time to give him the letter. Instead

Romeo’s servant, Balthasar delivered the news of Juliet’s death to him first. Romeo was so

saddened by the news that he went to the Apothecary to buy poison. Romeo went back to Verona

and went to Capulet tomb where he saw Juliet’s lifeless body. “And thus with a kiss I

die”(5.3.120) these were Romeo’s dying words as he drank the poison lying next to Juliet.

The final reason that the Friar was responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet was

that he leaves Juliet in the tomb by herself. Shortly after Romeo drinks the poison Juliet