Responsibility and tragedy seem like two ideas that do not fit together. The play, Romeo and Juliet breaks that stereotypical thinking. Two star-crossed lovers who mistakenly and tragically take their own lives, and someone is responsible for their ends. Friar Lawrence is most responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death because he is the one who marries them “in secret,” and he also poorly executed their plan to escape to Mantua, where Romeo had been exiled to.
I long to die If what thou speak’st speak not of remedy. (3.1.61-67) Juliet was so sad about Romeo being banished that she had to find another way to be without Romeo. She thought that death or faking her death would be best.
He had given Juliet, who was begging for help, a small vial containing the liquid that would fake Juliet’s death. When the time had come, he depended too much on Friar John, and Romeo received the wrong news. Romeo had thought that Juliet was dead and went back to Verona with a bottle of poison to kill himself. Quickly, Friar Lawrence ran to stop him, only to find Romeo dead and Juliet waking up.
In the play it says, “In the meantime, against thou shalt awake, shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, and hither shall he come: and he and I will watch thy waking, and that very night, shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua. ”(4.1.113-117). But, instead Friar Lawrence sent another Friar to tell Romeo his plan, but something had went wrong, the Friar should had waited to give Juliet the potion after he confirmed Romeo about the plan. Also, Friar John flees the Capulet monument when Juliet needed him the most, and the result is her suicide. In the monument, Friar Lawrence attempted to persuade Juliet to go with him and flee the tomb.
Capulet, is forcing Juliet to marry Paris, to make Verona a happy place again after Tybalt's death. While Paris loves Juliet, Juliet still loves Romeo and cannot marry Paris because she and Romeo became married before he got exiled. Soon after Juliet learns about her forced marriage she plans on faking her death by drinking a potion to make her look dead for 48 hours. After the 48 hours, Romeo will meet her at her tomb and take Juliet away to be happy with each other. But as she drinks the potion we find out Romeo did not get the letter to meet her at the tomb and soon finds out she has died.
Friar Lawrence’s irresponsible nature involved: hiding the marriage from the feuding families, advising Juliet to fake her death, along with abandoning suicidal Juliet when she needed guidance and adult supervision. All of these poor decisions resulted to the suicide of Romeo and Juliet. When one thinks of the title Friar, the title itself is a title of higher expectations. As a Friar, Friar Lawrence does not use his ability and skills wisely to marry the madly in love couple.
Juliet only loves Romeo so this drives her to go to Friar Laurence whereupon attempted suicide he prescribes a potion that will make her appear dead. Romeo and Juliet’s decision to be married starts a string of events including Juliet’s “death”, Romeo killing Paris, Romeo killing himself, and Juliet killing
Romeo and Juliet Pardoned/Punished. Some of the characters in Romeo and Juliet are not the smartest. The author of this novel is Shakespeare. This book is about a young couple who “fall in love” and then kill themselves. In Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio should be pardoned and Friar Lawrence and Lord Capulet should be punished.
Juliet has a fearful thought that in fact the sleeping potion is a pernicious poison and the Friar is trying to kill her. However, she assuages these fears by reminding herself he is a holy man who would not commit such cunning actions. This foreshadows the lamentable death of Juliet, relating to the tone of tragedy. “What if it be a poison which the Friar subtly hath minist’red to have me dead… methinks it should not for he heath still be tried a holy man.” (Shakespeare iv.
When Romeo first came to Friar and told him that he had found someone else to love, Friar did not think that they should be together. He immediately scolded Romeo for getting over Rosaline to quickly and said that Romeo only loved Juliet for her beauty. “Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken?
There are a lot of people and things that could be blamed for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, such as their parents, Romeo’s banishment, or Paris, or the family feud, but in the end the majority of the blamed can be placed on Friar Lawrence. He is the force most responsible for Romeo’s and Juliet’s death because he is the force that they did not think was working ageist them. Friar Lawrence didn’t even know just how much he was working ageist them. Friar Lawrence wasn’t just lying to Romeo and Juliet he was lying to himself, about how he was treating the two teenagers and justifying actions he knew was wrong. Sometimes not telling the whole truth is even worse than lying.
Good decisions. Responsibility. Good advice. These words describe the traits that Friar Laurence lacked. Throughout the story, the Friar made bad decisions, was irresponsible, and gave bad advice.
Romeo and Juliet’s love cannot apart from their two feuding families that lead to their fatal passing in the end. Many people were responsible for their death, as it portrays through out the play. Although, Friar Lawrence is the main person to blame. In William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” Friar Lawrence is responsible for the tragedy of two star crossed lovers for the following reasons, he is easily persuaded, he is irresponsible and is selfish. Friar Lawrence is easily persuaded without thinking in the risks involved.
There are several people that could be blamed for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet however, Friar Lawrence is the one who is truly to blame for Romeo and Juliet's deaths. He is most to blame out of all people for many obvious reasons. Friar Lawrence is most responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because he was the one who married the two lovers even though they weren't suppose to be married, gave Juliet this deadly potion,and he feels so guilty at the end which means he knows he's to blame. Friar Laurence was the wise adviser to Romeo and Juliet. He kept their secret and helped them be together.
“And this distilled liquor drink thou off; When presently through all thy veins shall run. A cold and drowsy humor, for no pulse,” (S.S, pg. 453). Friar Lawrence quoted that he would help Juliet fake her death. This is why Friar Lawrence is the one to blame for causing the most trouble in Romeo and Juliet. Yes, there are many other characters in the story to blame, but Friar Lawrence helped with a series of events that led to Juliet's death.