Theme Of Trust In Romeo And Juliet

Many people place clergy and the religious on a pedestal of supreme moral superiority. They are viewed as pillars of guidance due to their unbiased natures and dedication to their way of life. This assumption of goodwill, however, creates dangerous situations out of blind trust. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the titular characters put their absolute trust in their local priest, Friar Lawrence, to advise them on their forbidden marriage, based on his holy status. When Romeo and Juliet’s union begins to create concerns for their safety, the friar attempts to save them but fails when Romeo is falsely told Juliet has died, an indirect result of Lawrence’s plan. Romeo commits suicide out of grief, with Juliet doing the same shortly after, being

When Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet, he, despite knowing of the volatility of the feud between the houses and Romeo’s fickle emotions regarding love, agrees, reasoning that the marriage is a promising idea because “this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households’ rancor to pure love” (2.3.98-99). Friar Lawrence makes this choice based only on the immediate happiness it will bring Romeo and the possibility of a solution to a years-old problem, not considering every factor or thinking through what specifically could happen. His decision leads to the couple’s deaths because if he had never agreed to marry them, Juliet would have no moral qualms about marrying Paris and thus she would not have to resort to the dangerous plan to save her soul which unintentionally kills Romeo and herself. Friar Lawrence only sees the bigger picture of his choices and thus forces Romeo and Juliet to seriously consider death as a solution to their

After Lord Capulet gives Juliet his ultimatum, she faces the choice of dooming her soul by marrying Paris or losing her family due to her marriage to Romeo. Friar Lawrence admits no fault in the matter. Instead of confessing to the families about Romeo and Juliet’s marriage or simply refusing to marry Paris and Juliet, he continues hiding his involvement. He concocts a plan to have Juliet fake her death and when initially proposing it to her he says, “Hold, daughter, I do spy a kind of hope, / which craves as desperate an execution” (4.1.69-70). Friar Lawrence admits his plan is flawed, but presents it as his only option, being the plan that will not require him to put himself in a position of vulnerability or admit what he has done. His dangerous and unnecessary plan causes Romeo to believe Juliet has died, prompting him to return to Verona and kill himself. Friar Lawrence’s immaturity while simultaneously being in a position of great moral leadership causes those who need his help most, to