How Did Friar Lawrence Influence Romeo And Juliet

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet can be blamed on the leaders each of them looked up to. Through the story these influential characters gave bad advice, encouraged decisions, and watched each of them fall into a depressive spiral, and did nothing to help. Friar Lawrence says yes to anything they asked him for, the nurse encouraged their actions, and Romeo guided young and innocent Juliet to misery through his own immaturity. Each of these characters had the opportunities to influence each other differently but passed up the chance, leading to the death of two star-crossed lovers .
Friar Lawrence is a figure that Romeo and Juliet both look up to. Romeo comes to him first, before his own father, for help. He is the first person to know about Romeo

Friar Lawrence is in a position to help both of them, yet he makes their problem worse. He gives in to marrying them saying “In one respect I’ll thy assistant be, for this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancor to pure love.”(2.3.97-99). This is the first mistake that he makes. Despite his thoughts that “Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” he still marries them in secret. He is aware that their parents don’t know, and the trouble this may cause. Romeo and Juliet go to Friar Lawrence for help and to help guide them, however he gives them advice that guides them to failure. After Romeo gets banished from Verona and is no longer able to see Juliet, he goes to the Friar for help. As he is speaking with him he gets frustrated and “[Draws his dagger]”(3.3.117). Romeo is already showing signs of suicides, and Frair Lawrence doesn’t do anything to help him. He tells him to “Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed. Ascend her chamber.”(3.3.156-157). He directly tells Romeo to disobey the Prince’s orders to leave Verona, which leads him into more

He carries a gloomy mood with him, and it rubs off on Juliet. Through the play the audience watches her encounters with Romeo form her mindset into depressed thought where suicide is the only escape. There are multiple occasions where the thirteen-year old girl shows more maturity than the sixteen-year old. One being when Romeo gets carried away on the balcony and Juliet doesn’t just go along with it, she says “tis almost morning. I would have thee gone”(2.3.190) and ends their meaningless back and forth conversation. As she grows closer to Romeo her maturity and sensibility decreases and she starts to act more like Romeo. He was not only not a good role model or leader to her, but he also brought her into the same terrible mindset that he is in. Romeo also could have shown more maturity when he gets banished, then disobeys the princes’ order to leave Verona, and he goes to see Juliet. When Friar Lawrence gives the idea to “Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed. Ascend her chamber. Hence and comfort her.”(3.3.156-157). Romeo does not need to do exactly what he says. He could think about the consequences there might be, and just serve his punishment. Romeo shows very little maturity and responsibility, and he brings Juliet down with him into the same mindset that if you can’t find a way out, kill yourself. This is one of the main causes that made Juliet kill herself, because before