Who Is The Friar Lawrence To Blame

Friar Laurence is to blame for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
The deaths of Romeo and Juliet are the most well known tragedies in literary history; but could their deaths have been prevented by the actions of Friar Laurence? In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, many characters contributed to the death of Romeo and Juliet, but Friar Laurence is truly the one to blame. He married Romeo and Juliet against their parents wishes, tried to unite them with a faulty plan and in general, did not behave like the adult he is. If not for him, Romeo and Juliet may have had a happy ending to their love story.

The Friar’s first mistake was marrying Romeo and Juliet. To begin with, the Friar did not really care about the marriage. After being pressured

Firstly, The Friar’s plan is created due to his rashness. Juliet comes to the Friar for help as her parents are forcing her to marry Paris. The Friar responds to her by saying, “ When you’re in bed, take this vial, mix its/ contents with liquor, and drink. Then a cold, sleep-/inducing drug will run through your veins, and your/ pulse will stop…”(4.1.95-8). Instead of reasoning with this nervous girl, the Friar rashly gives her a potion. A much smarter way to deal with the issue would be to sit down with the parents and explained that Juliet had already been married. She may have been punished by her parents but she would be reunited to Romeo none the less. Furthermore, the Friar failed on his part to get Romeo the message. He gives it to Friar John but he cannot deliver it as he says “ Suspecting that we both were in a house/Where the infectious pestilence did reign,/Seal'd up the doors and would not let us forth,/ So that my speed to Mantua there was stayed,” (5.2.9-12). Clearly, the Friar did not inform Friar John of the importance of the letter. If he had told him lives were at stake, Friar John would have stopped at nothing to deliver the message. Lastly, the Friar failed to communicate to Romeo in the manner they had agreed upon. Before Romeo leaves, the Friar tells him, “Sojourn in Mantua. I’ll find

First off, Friar Laurence should have been more responsible and told the prince about Romeo and Juliet’s marriage . Besides the Friar’s confession in 5.3, the Friar never tells Prince Escalus of Romeo and Juliet's secret marriage. The Prince would have accepted the marriage as it is in the confines of the law (Canon 219). With Prince Escalus’s support, their would be no reason for Romeo and Juliet to keep their relationship a secret and they would be accepted by Verona. However, Friar decided to keep it undisclosed. Secondly, Even after seeing the consequences of Romeo and Juliet’s marriage in Tybalt’s death, he continues to keep it a secret and doesn’t stop the lovers. After he and the Nurse chastise Romeo for his cowardness, the Friar says to Romeo, “Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed./Ascend her chamber…”(3.3.146-153). Despite Romeo’s murder of Tybalt, Friar Laurence continues to aid him. Had he been an adult, he would have stopped caballing with Romeo and urged the Prince to pardon him. To conclude, The Friar in his cowardice allowed Juliet to die. Upon finding her and Romeo and Paris’s corpse he says, “ I dare no longer stay,” further proving his cowardly nature (5.3.171). The Friar is afraid that he will be caught in the tomb,as is forbidden, so he quickly runs out of the tomb and leaves Juliet alone. As an adult, he should have been more brave and help Juliet get out of their. Instead, he ran like a