Friar Lawrence's Irresponsible Mistakes

Friar Laurence is a key piece in the story of Romeo and Juliet. He is like a father figure to Romeo, proven by the fact that he’s the first person Romeo goes to whenever he is seeking advice. The two star crossed lovers trust the Friar very much, most likely because of his title. Friar Laurence took an irreplaceable role in Romeo and Juliet’s lives that he did not fully live up to. Friar Laurence’s actions sequentially killed Romeo and Juliet. He made not just one, but four irresponsible mistakes that lead to the pair’s death. Marrying Romeo and Juliet was a recipe for disaster. Friar Laurence didn't have permission from either of the families to marry the two and was fully aware of the quarrel between the families. He was also fully aware of the plan to marry Paris and Juliet. After he married them he acted as a counsellor to the pair. He was especially involved after Romeo murdered Paris, he helped Romeo hide which is comparable to harbouring a fugitive. He then created a big elaborate plan to get the two back together instead of simply taking Juliet to Mantua.

He gave Juliet, a suicidal and unstable fourteen year old girl, a potion to make her appear dead simply because she did not want to marry Paris. Had he simply taken her to Mantua instead of giving her the potion she would have never been put in the situation to kill herself. Friar Laurence displays his irresponsibility when he gives Juliet the vial saying, “if...thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself...take thou this vial...no warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest.” (IV,I,72,93,98). He’s fully aware she’s willing to die for Romeo and still acts irresponsibly and makes rash decisions when arranging and carrying out the