Friar Lawrence In Romeo And Juliet

Friar Laurence plays an important role in the play "Romeo and Juliet". He serves a good and bad role in the play. He acts as a father to Romeo, is a mentor for Juliet, but he also has some bad intentions. Throughout the play, Friar Laurence shows how he is a fatherly figure to Romeo. In one instance, after Romeo comes to the Friar to ask him to marry him and Juliet, the Friar says, "Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast"(1.3.93-94) in response to Romeo's comment to hurry up and let's go. This shows fatherly advice because this sounds like something a wise father would say. Another instance of acting like a father to Romeo comes after Romeo has just been banished from Verona after slaying Tybalt. Romeo runs to Friar Laurence's chamber and tells him

Almost. While Friar Laurence has done a lot of good in this play, he has also done some bad too. The first time we see his bad influence is after Romeo comes to ask to marry him and Juliet. When it looks like Romeo can't convince Friar Laurence, the Friar says "In one respect I'll thy assistant be;/For this alliance may so happy prove/To turn your households' rancor to pure love."(2.3.90-92) This shows that while Friar warns Romeo that this love is a bad thing, he goes along with it to maybe reunite the families. He manipulates Romeo and Juliet in this way and uses them as pawns in a larger game. The second time we see the fault of Friar Laurence is when he comes to the grave of Tybalt/Juliet after Romeo has committed suicide and Juliet has awaken. Juliet wakes up to the scene and sees Romeo's dead body, and then the Friar tells her to "Stay not to question, for the watch is coming./ Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay."(5.3.158-159) Juliet refuses to leave, then the Friar runs away. Friar Laurence knows that he should have stayed and not let Juliet kill herself, but he does not, because he knows he did wrong by marrying the