Friar Lawrence is a man who is not afraid to take risks when he feels it is necessary to help someone. For example in Act 2, Scene 6, when he marries Romeo and Juliet, he is risking his reputation as a Friar so he can help the two lovers. Also, when he says
“In one respect I’ll thy assistant be: for this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households rancour to pure love”.
He is saying that only reason he will marry Romeo and Juliet is because he hopes that the marriages will end the hostilities between two houses.
"Take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilled liquor drink though off;"
(Act 4, Scene 1), he is suggesting that Juliet drink a potion so that she might make believe her own death and avoid marrying Paris. This is an extremely risky thing to do because anything might happen to Juliet while she is unconscious.
Even after all Friar did to help Romeo and Juliet the play still ended in tragedy because of Friar Lawrence’s short sightedness.
When the Friar married Romeo Juliet in secrecy, he did not think of all the complications that would arise but instead went on with the marriage because at that time he thought it was the right thing to do. In Act 4, Scene 1, he gave Juliet a sleeping potion without thinking of the possible outcomes of such an outrages plan. He admits that much of the fault of the tragedy lies in his hands when he says
"And her I stand both to impeach and purge myself condemned and myself excused", and when he says, "Her nurse is privy; and, if aught in this miscarried by myself..." (Act 5, Scene 3).
Friar Lawrence’s attempt to make the marriage of Romeo and Juliet was very poorly planned but Friar gave it everything he had to try and allow for Romeo and Juliet to live in peace. Maybe with more time he could have planned it better. Friar Lawrence’s entire plan depends on a letter to Romeo, he fails to send the letter, which tells him about the plan, he says
“In the meantime, against thou shall awake, shall Romeo by my letters known our drift, and hither shall he come, and will watch thy waking.
Friar makes his plan in a such a hurry that he hasn’t thought about the possible failures or an alternative plan when Romeo hears that Juliet is “dead”, he blames God’s will for taking Juliet’s life.
“Is it e’en so? Then I defy you, stars!”
Romeo hurries to Juliet’s vault where he drinks the drug and dies besides his Juliet.
“Here is my love, O true apothecary, thy drugs are quick, Thus with a kiss I die”
If Romeo had received the letter from Friar then he’s mind and actions would have been completely different.
Although Friar Lawrence does not have an especially large role, his role is none the less important. It is because of his good intentions that he was 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 shortsightedness of his actions that in part led to the deaths of the two lead characters. This demonstrates that Friar Lawrence was a man who was a man with good intentions who was willing to take risks to help his friends. If he had been any other way, the play might not have turned out the way it did.
