Who Is The Friar Responsible For The Deaths Of Romeo And Juliet

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The story of Romeo and Juliet is extremely well-known for its tragic, yet memorable, outcome. In the end, the two young protagonists took their lives, which led to the deaths of many more characters. But the fate of Verona lied, solely, in the hands of one major character; Friar Laurence. The man who seemed to have been the hero of the story may have actually caused the demise of Romeo and Juliet. The Friar made his first mistake, when Romeo turns to him for guidance on his love for Juliet, and he cautions Romeo that he should not rush into a relationship with Juliet, but he soon discards the thought and decides the young couple should marry. As a grown man, Friar Laurence can obviously see that Romeo is not old enough to understand the meaning of true love, he knows that their love is simply intense passion and infatuation that is likely to end, as he indicates in his lines, "These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, like fire and powder." (2:6:9) Yet, he still agrees to get the two of them married in secret by the next day. …show more content…

Even Juliet has multiple fears before she drinks the potion- she fears that the potion "which the friar Subtly hath ministered to have [her] dead" (4:3:25). Not only does Friar give a young girl such a powerful potion, but he makes very careless actions to make sure Romeo gets the letter that has a proper explanation of the plan he has come up with. Romeo being out of the loop, without a doubt, started the chain of events that led to the deaths of them