Was Friar Laurence to blame for Romeo and Juliets deaths?

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English-Shakespeare coursework

Was Friar Laurence partly to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths?

Friar Laurence is a highly respected Holy, profoundly religious man, that is regarded with respect and has a reputation of deep wisdom with a high social status, as he is well a well-known member of society, in the city of Verona. For many years he has received countless confessions and has strong beliefs in his religion and in life itself. Romeo knows the Friar very well, and he has known him for a long time, Romeo is a very close friend of Friar Laurence’s, as Friar Laurence would often here many of Romeo’s problems, dealing with young Romeo’s dilemma’s and lovers, sharing his wisdom and experience with Romeo, to help him through his troubled times. Bringing them closer together, Romeo giving the trust and confidence that he can confide everything with the Friar. Romeo is Cleary very fond of the Friar and would regard the friars decisions and advise often as the very best, and with high priority. Which means Romeo would take Friar Laurence’s advice seriously and could easily follow any misjudgements that the Friar could possibly make. Both the feuding Capulet’s and Montague’s are close with the Friar, and I am sure Friar would have given countless advice and heard many confessions each family, giving him massive insight and knowledge into both families and the spiteful, ancient dispute between them. Friar Laurence would know an awful lot about both families, but he is known as a good man and has (as far as we no in the play) not used this information against the two families, which he could easily do, but obviously he does care, about the families, and particularly in Romeo.

After a very short debate and curious interrogations, Friar Laurence’s quickly ready to marry Romeo and Juliet. But Friar Laurence is surprised by the speed in which Romeo has become so deeply in love with yet another girl, as only a week before was Romeo pouring his heart and shedding many tears over his painful love for Rosaline, in which the Friar had spent many hours comforting Romeo. But no he is so quickly in love with a knew lover that it takes the Friar in someone irritated surprise, “ So soon forsaken? …Hath wash’d thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline! How much salt water thrown away in waste…” Friar Laurence is stating in this Quotation, and emphasising how amazed and shocked he is at Romeo change in lover, he is saying all the times he has cried over Rosaline has been in vein, when he could not of loved here truly, and just how he has suddenly got over Rosaline. But then Romeo tell of him and Juliet wooing and their marriage, and how deeply in love they are, the Friar Laurence seems to become slightly more convinced, and he vows his alliance, mainly because of their friendship, but I think he may see a further benefit of this love, “ In one respect I’ll thy assistant be, for this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your houses rancour to pure love”. Then he offers Romeo some more advice “Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast.” Basically he is saying slowly down in your ventures, if you go to fast he will fail, nice and slow and he will prevail.

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However, I think this sudden dramatic chance in lover, could of dampened the Friar’s confidence or trust in Romeo’ actions and Romeo’s love integrity, as he is shocked of his suddenly getting over his desperate love for Rosaline, as he mentions, “ Good pardon sir, wast thou with Rosaline? None of this dissuasion in Romeo’s love integrity and actions is profoundly shown, but I think it could be a possibility, due to the number of hours the Friar spent comforting Romeo for his love for Rosaline, and now for him to simply go and love another woman, this could ...

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