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instantly in love with her. Juliet later discovered that Romeo was a Montague, but it seemed that this did not stop her from falling in love with him too. Romeo told me that he went back to see Juliet that night. He stood at her balcony and they promised to marry.’
Narrator:
The friar looks down and everyone continued glancing at him. The Prince then continues.
Prince:
‘What was your relationship with Romeo like?’
Friar Lawrence:
‘I believe that we had a strong relationship with trust. Romeo came to me first at my cell. I was actually surprised to see him so early in the morning. He was talking about a lovely young woman that he had fallen in love with, I then realised that Romeo’s heart was set on fair daughter of the rich Capulet, Juliet, and Romeo specifically intended on marring Juliet. I was confused and asked what happened to Rosaline. Romeo explained to me that what he felt for her was just nothing unlike what he fell for Juliet, which was true love (‘For doting, not for loving,’). I agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet, as I believed that it could have been true love and I also believed that if they were to be together then perhaps this union would end years of feuding between their families. I warned Romeo of the dangers of quick love. (‘Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast’) but he still wanted to get married to his love, Juliet. We were close, but it seems not close enough as he did not think about my advice, which was too think about what he was doing.’
Narrator:
From this one can see that Friar Lawrence does care for Romeo as he did advise him and he asked Romeo on a number of a occasions if he was aware of what he was doing and if he had considered the consequences, he told Romeo that there is a danger of quick love and this shows that he himself had considered what was happening unlike dear Romeo.
Prince:
‘Why did you seem to think that if you married the couple it would stop the feuding within the Montague’s and the Capulet’s? If they were to be married would it not have made the matters worse?’
Narrator:
The prince wants some answers and he wants to find out want happened. He is aware of the family’s feuding and thinks that it should have stopped along time ago.
Friar Lawrence is standing and staring, he looks around and everyone is staring at him expecting an answer. He doesn’t understand why he is all to blame for the deaths.
Friar Lawrence:
‘The first reason I married the couple was because they loved each other and fair Juliet was in a tricky situation, but the idea of ending the feud within the families only occurred to me after I had said to Romeo that I would marry him and Juliet. I thought that if they saw how two people could not fight but love within the families they might realise and learn from the couple. I was hoping that it would bring the two families together but this didn’t happen until the death of both Romeo and Juliet. So in the end it was at the cost of the lover’s life.’
Narrator:
Friar Lawrence continues looking around. Everyone turns from looking at him to the Montague and the
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Capulet’s. He was feeling a sense of relief as the audience turned from looking at him to the parents of the lover’s. The prince looks around and realises that the audience have an eye for the Montague and the Capulet’s; he continues to question Friar Lawrence to see what else they all could find out.
Prince:
‘That’s all okay, but what caused their death in the first place? They couldn’t have just decided to kill them selves, they were now married, they had their life’s ahead of them.’
Narrator:
Friar Lawrence didn’t want to tell the prince about the solution that he gave to Juliet. So he says nothing. The Prince wants an answer.
Prince:
Why would they just kill themselves? They had their entire lives ahead of them. Answer me Friar!’
Narrator:
Friar Lawrence was unsure of what to say. Does he tell the truth or does he say that he doesn’t know. He looks around and everyone is staring at him again. He notices that the nurse is in the crowd and remembers that she knew all and that he could not lie. So he told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Friar Lawrence:
‘Paris came to see me. He wanted that I married him and Juliet. I told him that I would marry him and Juliet although I was already aware that Juliet was already married to Romeo. He told me that the wedding would occur earlier than planed, on Thursday. Paris thought that Juliet was very upset, presuming that this sadness is the result of Tybalt's death, but I knew that it was due to their situation. Juliet on came back later she despaired of her situation; she started thinking like Romeo, of suicide. She wanted to kill her self because she didn’t want to marry Paris. I suggested an alternative (‘Hold daughter; I do spy a kind of hope, /which craves as desperate an execution/as that is desperate which we would prevent’), a cunning plan as desperate as the terrible situation she wished to avoid. I suggested that if Juliet were willing to die to avoid marriage, then she would have no objection to drinking a solution of mine, which simulates death. I told her to take the solution the night before her wedding and that she would appear dead. Then once Juliet was found dead, she would be buried in the same ancient vault in which all the dead Capulet lie. This is what happened. She appeared dead and everyone assumed that she was dead. But she wasn’t really, I didn’t kill her!’
Narrator:
The prince and everyone in the courtyard were surprised, yet ever so confused. They just heard Friar Lawrence say that the substance only made Juliet appear dead. The nurse was thinking that she saw Juliet and that she wasn’t even breathing. How could such a substance do such a thing? The prince was angry. Why could they not find another way of getting away from the marriage? Friar Lawrence stops the Prince and continues with telling us of what happened.
Friar Lawrence:
‘By this time I would have got to Juliet, Juliet would have been awake, and Romeo who I tried to informed of this plan by letter, would have watched Juliet awake and then take Juliet to Mantua (‘Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua’), where they could live happily after… but when the letter was on the way to Romeo he had already heard that Juliet was dead and so he had already left the location that the friar was going to give him the letter, and therefore the letter informing Romeo that Juliet was not actually dead, did not reach him, so it was too late.’
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Narrator:
The tension was building, nobody actually knew of what happened in such great detail.
Friar Lawrence:
‘I then remembered that Juliet would awaken within three hours; I headed for the ancient burial vault of the Capulet's. I tried again to inform Romeo of Juliet's good health by letter, and that I will keep Juliet with me in my cell until he arrives. But unfortunate Romeo once again did not receive this letter, so he was still unaware that Juliet was not dead. I arrived, but I was too late. Before I got there Romeo and Paris already laid alone dead. I think that they may have got into a fight and that Romeo killed Paris. When I arrived I saw both Paris and Romeo lying dead on the floor in different places. I went up to Romeo and discovered that he had taking some poison. It is now that Juliet awoke.’
Narrator:
Prince, the Montague’s and the Capulet’s all stood in silent for awhile until Lady Capulet started shouting
Lady Capulet:
‘Why did you not bring her out, why then did she kill her self? My love Juliet why did this have to be ‘
Narrator:
Lady Capulet starts crying, Capulet and the nurse calm her down. Friar Lawrence is feeling guilty. He was wishing that he had bought her out.
Friar Lawrence:
‘I … I am terribly sorry Lady Capulet… I was telling fair Juliet to leave with, but saw dear Romeo lying dead on the floor and she would not leave with me. I was scared. I heard voices… I didn’t know of what to do. I didn’t what to found out… I’m sorry dear Lady Capulet…’
Narrator:
The Prince told everyone to remain silent. He stood up and told everyone that what they have heard this evening is a terrible story that could not have been stopped.
Prince:
‘It has been very hard for everyone on these last few days. We have all heard of what happened to Romeo and Juliet and how their love ended in a tragedy, a tragedy that will not be forgotten. I ask everyone here today to think of this as a lesson. Friar Lawrence was not all in fault. He was doing what he believed was right for Romeo and Juliet. He was not aware that their marriage would end their lives. He has told me here in front of you all of what had happened. To a certain extent he could be blamed but in the end it happened and friar Lawrence cannot be blamed for it all as it was not his fault. He did try his hardest to get the couple together and he had it all planned but things did not go his way. Romeo did not receive the letter, this was not Friar Lawrence’s fault because he tried, he wrote the letter but it just did not reach Romeo, is he to blame for this? No. Friar Lawrence you will continue with your duty as normal, I just advise you to think about your actions in the future. And I tell you all today that this is a love story to remember and learn from. Don’t let hate come in between love, because if you do, things go wrong like it has for Romeo and Juliet.’
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