Friar Lawrence In Shakespeare's The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

Tragic Consequences Love: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. The feeling of love takes time to develop towards someone- or at least, in most cases. In Shakespeare’s story The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the two main characters are from opposing, rival, families, both of whom live in the city of Verona. Romeo is from the Montatuge family and Juliet is from the Capulet family. Convinced by Benvolio, Romeo attends a Capulet party where he meets Juliet and they instantly fall in love. The next morning, the two lovebirds get married by Friar Lawrence in his cell. Due to many miscommunications and flaws in his actions, Friar Lawrence is to blame for both Romeo and Juliet taking their lives in this tragic narrative. First off, Friar Lawrence’s mistake of allowing the marriage of Romeo and Juliet, and supplying Juliet with a vial poison, led to the downfall of the story and the end to Romeo and Juliet.

Friar believed this marriage would connect the Capulet and Montague families, ending the feud between them. The text states, “In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; For this alliance may so happy prove To turn your households’ rancor to pure love” (Romeo and Juliet 2.3.98-100). If Friar Lawrence had not married Romeo and Juliet, their relationship would not have been as strong and they would not always need to be with each other. Without their marriage, the other, assigned marriage between Juliet and Count Paris, would not have been such a problem. When Juliet tells Friar Lawrence about Paris, he suggests a poison that would make her appear dead for forty two hours. The narrator explains “Each part, deprived of supple government, shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death” (Romeo and Juliet 4.1.112-113). The long sleep would buy Juliet some time before the wedding so she could avoid getting married for the McCloud