The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths wouldn’t have happened if Romeo had received the message from the Friar in time. This is due to Friar Lawrence not planning how he was going to fake Juliet's death. Due to his attempts to keep the two lovers together, he still failed. This was shown in Act 4 Scene 1 " I do spy a kind of hope, Which craves as desperate execution as that is desperate which we would prevent". One of his faults in the plan is shown in Act 5 Scene 3 when Friar John does not know the importance of the letter and does not give it to Romeo. "I could not send it. Nor get a messenger to bring thee, so fearful were they of infection". Another fault in his plan is in Act 3 Scene 3 when he tells Romeo that he will send a friend of his to inform him the news. Instead of telling him that a fellow friar of his was bringing the message he says, "I'll find your man, and he shall signify from time to time every good hap to your chances here".
The importance of his role is showed again when he is involved in another major part of the play; the marriage. He risks his reputation as a Friar so he can unite two star-crossed lovers in marriage. The character of Friar Lawrence is extremely important because if he would not have married Romeo and Juliet the play would maybe not have ended in tragedy. This gamble is shown in Act 2 Scene 6 "Come, come with me, and we will make short work, for, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone till Holy Church incorporate two in one". This hints that because of the marriage between Romeo and Juliet, both families will end their hatred for each other. Their marriage is the first step to their death (Act 2 Scene 3). "In one respect I'll thy assistant be; for this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households to pure love". He tries to make sure the marriage is successful because he understands that if they rush into it there could be problems. As shown in Act 2 Scene 3 when he tells Romeo that people that rush in make mistakes. "Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast."
Furthermore Romeo’s death was the last part of the play that showed the Friar's significance. In (Act 4 Scene 1) it shows how the Friar’s plan is very dangerous, when Friar Lawrence says "Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilled liquor drink through off,". So Juliet has planned to awaken to find young Romeo looking back at her, but finds him dead on the floor of the church. Which causes her to kill herself with a dagger. Also the Friar did not think about what could happen when she was unconscious and even if Romeo would receive the message in time. His role is defined in the end of the play in (Act 5 Scene 3) when he talks about how he is responsible for what has happened to the two lovers. "And I here stand both to impeach and purge myself condemned and myself excused". This is when he talks about how he made the mistake which inevitably lead to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. But was this a mistake, according to the Friar it was fate, bound to happen, would it lead to better things? Were the deaths of the two worth ending a family feud?
Friar Lawrence tried to do all he could to allow Romeo and Juliet to live in peace. The countless mistakes by Friar are understandable but deadly. It was not just one part of the play that made Friar Lawrence the most powerful character but all of them collectively, however I think that the Friar is a very moral character. He may be secretive and sometimes illegal, but he is doing this because he believes that what he is doing is right, and for the best.
Although Friar Lawrence does not have an especially large role, his role is none the less important. It is because of his good intentions in being willing to help his friends that Romeo and Juliet were married - a key event in the play. It is because of his willingness to take risks for his friends that Juliet acquired the sleeping potion - another key event in the play. Finally, it was the short-sightedness of his actions that in part led to the deaths of the two lead characters. Maybe with more time he could have planned it out a little better, but this is the way it was supposed to end, in tragedy. The actions of the Friar seem to somehow, accidentally solve the plays harsh problems, maybe in some ways that are less effective than others. This demonstrates that Friar Lawrence was a man with good intentions who was willing to take risks to help his friends.
The Nurse is Juliet’s closest friend and confidante at the outset of the play. This is not surprising, having been Juliet’s Wet-Nurse. However, she is not particularly clever or sensitive and in the early parts of the play is seen as a bit of a comical figure. The nurse is an advisor as well as a good friend. However, when Juliet’s mother tells Juliet that she will marry Paris an ugly, old friend of her fathers, the Nurse tries to help, but is quickly crushed by Capulet with “Peace, you mumbling fool!” Juliet’s closest companion swiftly changes sides and does not try to help Juliet anymore when she is turned to backup, she takes her mothers side and agrees that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to marry Paris, as Romeo had been banished. She forfeits any closeness with Juliet. Her last duty in the play is to discover the ‘body’ of Juliet. Her grief is piercing but it seems a fair price to pay for her betrayal. I think that the nurse is a moral and understanding character, but maybe not as loyal to Juliet as she could have been. She is very friendly and caring, but often cheeky and lustful.
A more minor character is Tybalt. He is a sworn enemy to Romeo, and had he not been killed, Romeo would never had been banished. In Act 3, Scene 1, Tybalt kills Mercutio when Romeo attempts to come between the two and tries to stop the fight. Out of blind rage, Romeo kills Tybalt. "And in my temper soften'd valour’s see!" Had Romeo not decided to take revenge on Tybalt, perhaps the Capulet's might have accepted him as a son. This would mean that Romeo and Juliet would not have had to hide their love for each other. Tybalt, indeed, had a large effect on the lives of Romeo and Juliet, by killing Mercutio, which caused him to be killed by Romeo, which caused Romeo to be banished, and so on.
Another minor character thought to have shaped the destinies of Romeo and Juliet is Paris. In Act 3, Scene 5, Lady Capulet announces that Juliet is to marry Paris. "The County Paris, at Saint Peter's church, Shall happily make thee there a joyful bride." Juliet obviously refuses and goes to Friar Laurence for help. Friar Laurence devises another plan, which will prevent the marriage and reunite Romeo with Juliet. However, this plan, like most, goes horribly wrong, perhaps causing the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. If Paris had not wished to be with Juliet, none of the following would have occurred.
Obviously, Shakespeare included these minor characters to make the plot run smoothly. He may have added some characters to make the storyline more interesting, but each one has their own strong role in the play. If one minor character hadn’t been written into the script, the play could have taken a completely different path, and so I think that the minor characters are just as important as the major characters.
