How Does Friar Lawrence Influence Romeo And Juliet

As a result of Friar Lawrence’s desire for adulation, he oversteps his boundaries as a fatherly figure, mentor, and priest. Throughout the entire play, “Romeo does not share a single scene with his father (or mother). This may be intended to make Friar Lawrence his father figure” (Mittelstaedt 103). In all the scenes where Romeo is seeking guidance, he does so in confiding in Friar Lawrence. As a fatherly figure, both to Romeo and within the church, Friar Lawrence has a great influence and advises those who look up to him. Thus, with every decision that the Friar makes, he either positively or negatively affects those who look up to him. Friar Lawrence’s actions not only affect Romeo, but those close to him as well. As Romeo’s “friend, priest,

Friar Lawrence’s original intention in marrying Romeo and Juliet was to settle their families’ feud. Instead “Friar Laurence keeps secret the marriage… Had the already-consummated marriage been revealed, perhaps the perilous plan to unite Juliet with her banished Romeo would not have been necessary” (Box 5). If his desired objective was to unite the families, as seen he verbalizes “[t]o turn your households' rancor to pure love” (II.iii.99), why does he choose to act contrarily by not revealing that Romeo and Juliet had been married? If the marriage had never been made known to the families, his plan to settle the feud would never have had the opportunity to succeed. The only possible explanation for why the Friar decided to keep the marriage secret, was that originally, he had acted hastily only to realize his mistake when it was too late. In choosing to avoid the issue, the Friar puts Romeo’s and Juliet’s lives at risk. Friar Lawrence also acts hypocritically in that the advice he gives to others, is not the same advice that he follows himself. For instance, Friar Lawrence advises, “[w]isely and slow. They stumble that run fast” (II.iii.101); however, he acts contrary to his own dictum, and later acts quickly and upon impulse without any consideration of the possible outcomes. As someone in