Romeo And Juliet And Friar Lawrence Relationship Essay

The Nurse and Friar Lawrence: Two Sides of the Same Story

Both Friar Lawrence and the Nurse play integral roles as mentors and confidantes in the unity of Romeo and Juliet, and although the manner in which they unite the two young lovers differs, the two minor characters are decidedly critical to the plot. The Nurse, Juliet’s confidante, is one of the few characters to tell Juliet to openly seek out men and says, “Go, girl, seek happy nights/ to happy days.”, before the masquerade ball (1.4.114). This openness to Juliet expressing her own sexuality in an active role is critical to the young lover’s unity. Because of the Nurse’s encouragement, Juliet was not reluctant and demure when she first encounters Romeo. However, when the Nurse is relaying information about the whereabouts of Romeo and

Friar Lawrence, similar to the Nurse, is concerned about the speed of Romeo and Juliet’s love and says, “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.” (2.3.101). Foreshadowing is a major part of Friar Lawrence’s character, and many of his lines, including this quotation, indicate Romeo and Juliet’s future demise. Moreover, he relents and agrees to marry the two young lovers. The Nurse and Friar Lawrence act in a similar manner in this sense. However, the way in which the two supporting characters cause the unity Romeo and Juliet differs drastically. The Nurse plays more of a supporting role in the meeting, while Friar Lawrence’s impact is more direct and tangible. For example, the Nurse is the messenger who relays Romeo’s message for the lover’s meeting, while Friar Lawrence physically marries Romeo and Juliet. Although Friar Lawrence plays a major part in the physical unity of Romeo and Juliet, he still has less emotional influence over Romeo than the Nurse has over Juliet. Overall, both Friar Lawrence and the Nurse play critical roles in the unity of Romeo and Juliet, and while they achieve their impacts in