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Friar Lawrence Research Paper

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Anna Claire Dowdy Heun 2nd 17 April 2024 Friar Lawrence’s Wisdom with Consequences Keri Russel once said, “Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.” In Shakesphere’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence portrays this quote through his imprudent choices. Despite his religious authority, Friar Lawrence’s impulsive decisions and willingness to go against church laws ultimately led to a tragic downfall. Friar Lawrence’s actions and choices create uncertainty about his honesty and truthfulness. Furthermore, the friar’s acts of withholding the truth from Juliet's parents about her death causes mistrust among readers (Zbierski ). His decision to stage Juliet’s death could be seen as a deceptive and risky move (Bryant, 66). …show more content…

Overall, Friar Lawrence acts as a foil to Romeo’s haste (Zbierski ). Friar Lawrence makes many mistakes that violate the church law that he is expected to uphold (Brenner 69). For example, Friar Lawrence’s decision to marry Romeo and Juliet without their parents’ consent completely goes against the expectations of the church. According to church law, marriages are not to be done in secret. Secondly, when traveling, all friars must be accompanied by another friar (Cardullo 62). Friar Lawrence defies this law when attempting to send Friar John to Mantua alone. Subsequently, why did Friar Lawrence not deliver the letter himself? Friar Lawrence’s decision making can be seen as inconsistent due to his varying choices (Bryant 67). His will to purposely break church laws puts him at risk for a three-year suspension (65). These risky decisions ultimately cause the death of both Romeo and Juliet (Zbierski). In conclusion, Friar Lawrence’s personality and tendency to break church laws plays a significant role in the tragic events of Romeo and Juliet. While some may know him for his wisdom, his impulsive actions are against the well-established

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