Essay On The Friar In Romeo And Juliet

At the beginning of Romeo and Juliet, the Friar Lawrence appears to be very intelligent and wise with his soliloquy over the possibilities of flowers,“Within the infant rind of this weak flower/Poison hath residence and medicine power;/For this, being smelt, with that part cheers each part;/Being tasted, stays all senses with the heart” (2.3.23-26); however, as the play progresses, the audience begins to see how foolish the friar can truly be. The tragedy of the star cross lovers death in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare could have been avoided if one man had the courage to change his ways. That man was Friar Lawrence, and he failed. If the Friar would have changed his part in marrying Romeo to Juliet, his plan to save the day, or even his last desperate attempt to convince Juliet to come with him
The first time Friar Lawrence blew his chance to save Romeo and Juliet was when he agreed to marry them. In their discussion, the Friar expresses his feelings, “O, she knew well/Thy love did read by rote and could not spell./But come, young waverer, come, go with me,/In one respect I’ll they assistant be; For this alliance may so happy prove,/To turn households’ rancour pure love” (2.3.100-105).

In truth, the Friar is the main person responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death because Romeo and Juliet’s family and friends did not know and no one took what the Nurse said seriously. However, everyone respected and listened to the Friar because of his status with the church. As a priest, it was his job to protect Romeo and Juliet and yet he failed. He failed because he believed he could make a change, he did not read the signs, and he did not care. “The fool who knows his foolishness is wise at any rate so far. But the fool who thinks himself wise is a fool indeed.” from Dhammapada, the Gautama