Nabeel Ali 10A
Analyse the Dramatic Impact of the Friar
In this essay, the role of Friar Lawrence and his dramatic impact on the story will be discussed. I will discuss on how Friar Lawrence, behaves different and the same as a stereotypical holy man.
Friar Lawrence shows many different roles during the play, both positive and negative. He has a spiritual and parental influence on Romeo and Juliet, even more so that Lawrence is shown closer with a better bond with Romeo than his actual father Montague. When Lawrence and Romeo encounter, they usually speak in rhyming couplets, thus creating a further effect on how close he is with Romeo. “Thou chid’st me oft for loving Rosaline.” “For doting, not for loving, pupil mine.” “That last is true: the sweeter rest was mine. God pardon sin! Wast thou with Rosaline.” These rhyming couplets help the audience understand on how close the Friar and Romeo have, this is superb writing as these are a sign of things to come on how the Friar intertwines with Romeo’s life. The positive role of the friar was that he always carried good intensions but failed to implement them. This is shown where he at first he hesitates on fulfilling Romeo’s request on marrying him to Juliet, but after a while of thought reconsiders that the marriage of their daughter and son will bring an end to the on pursuing feud between the two families. “For this alliance may be so happy prove. To turn your households rancour to pure love.” This however pulls the Friar away from our typical noble holy man, whose job is to only lead people in the right directions in life. Moreover, the friar marries of Romeo and Juliet without their parent’s consent. This shows a very dark and ambiguous character of the friar. On stage he is used as device, particularly a catalyst as speeds up the marriage and death of both Romeo and Juliet. It’s very ironic as the friar had good intensions as when they are married, peace might come between the two families. Unfortunately, he makes the peace between the families by killing both their children, where as his intension was that the marriage would bring peace not the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet.