We see the loyalty of Friar Lawrence to Romeo when he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet even if it was wrong because their parents did not allow it. However he only agreed to get them married because “for this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancour to pure love”. This questions his morality because he goes against their parents’ wishes but he believed that getting them married would be for the greater good of Verona.
Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses Friar Lawrence in his speeches to remind the audience that this play is meant to be a tragedy. Friar Lawrence tells us that “these violent delights have violent ends” when he marries Romeo and Juliet at the end of Act 2. This also shows that the Friar also feels that this won’t finish merrily and that something disastrous will happen and also lets the audience know that as well. He is a man of God, so it would best fit his character to anticipate the future.
Furthermore, we also see that the Friar is an advisor. When Romeo hears of his banishment in Act 3 scene 3, the Friar opens with the statement “Affliction is enamoured of thy parts, And thou are wedded to calamity”. This reminds the audience of the tragedy to follow and that it is fate the two lovers are going to die. He tells him the message that has come from the prince, where we see he becomes messenger, then offers him some support by telling him “not body’s death, but body’s banishment”. He then gives Romeo, on the brink of suicide, some encouragement because the “the world is broad and wide” and there was no other choice because “Tybalt would kill thee but thou slew’st Tybalt”. There is a contrast between the two characters emotions as Romeo speaks violently while Friar Lawrence is calm.
He gives Romeo some hope by telling him to “sojourn in Mantua”, he then says “I’ll find out your man” which has a fatal mistake later, because Friar Lawrence sends his own monk, who fails to send Romeo the message. We see that he is always ready with a plan and the Friar becomes a messenger when he tells Romeo of this banishment. He also tells him to “Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her”. What he next advises Romeo to do is to consummate his marriage with Juliet before leaving. He risks Romeo’s life but this ensured that their marriage would now be official. Also in this scene, we see that the Friar’s advice had a positive effect on the nurse because she “could have stayed all night to hear this good counsel”.
Friar Lawrence becomes advisor for Juliet after the nurse tells her “I think you are happy in this second match, for it excels your first”. The nurse tells her to leave Romeo and marry Paris, leaving Juliet with no one else to trust except for Friar Lawrence. When Juliet tells him that she “longs to die” Friar Lawrence tells her he “spy a kind of hope” He tells her that she “wilt undertake a thing like death to chide away this shame”. This was another potion, which reminds us that he is also an apothecary. The potion “shalt continue two and forty hours”. He then says “I’ll send a friar with speed, To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord”. He tells her that he’ll send a letter to Romeo so he can come back to Verona and they would be happy together. However, his plan did not have much thought however he stopped Juliet killing herself, allowing the play to progress. The error in his plan was to send one of Romeo’s men, not his own friar. The fact that the Friar knows so many plants which can kill you makes him suspicious and hard to believe he is a Friar. Also, he gives advice without going through it properly however, that seems to reassure Juliet, who wanted to kill herself to avoid marriage to Paris, and Romeo who wanted to kill himself if he was to be separated from Juliet.
It is important to remember the Friar is a priest. Religion was important centuries ago and it is evident through the speech of Lord Capulet who says "now afore god, this reverend holy Friar, all our whole city is much abound to him" which shows that he has a high status in Verona. It also shows that the people of the city have relied on Friar Lawrence so everyone trusts him to do the right moral actions. However, after viewing a more fiendish side to Friar Lawrence, his actions may have had a negative impact on the audience.
One factor which Friar Lawrence might not have considered is fate. Fate would always triumph over any plans of Friar Lawrence. We learn that the letter to Romeo did not get delivered because Friar John, another Franciscan monk, failed to send the letter as he was “visiting the sick” and because health officers thought he was sick, they did not let him leave.
In act 4 we see the doubts of Juliet. She questions the mixture and believes the mixture was given to her to “subtly hath ministered to have me dead” which again questions the Friar’s morality, seen through the character.
During the final scene we witness the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence feared something “unthrifty” would happen but he could not stop it from happening because fate, inevitably, was always going to succeed over anyone and it was a battle which Friar Lawrence could not win. He was held as a suspect after their deaths and we see his honesty as he confessed to everything which he was involved in which is ironic because it is he who people confess to. By confessing however, he ended the feud between the two families and ended any more bloodshed. After his confession he then says he is “Miscarried by my fault, let my old life be sacrificed…” and he was willing to be executed if any of it was his fault. However the prince was quick to reply “we have still known thee for a holy man” which shows that he was forgiven for any wrong-doing. This removes any doubts from the audience as we are reminded of his duties as a Friar.
How important was Friar Lawrence important in the play Romeo and Juliet? In my opinion, I would say that Friar Lawrence had a big part to play, because he gave guidance to Romeo and Juliet and he told them of his plans and without him, Romeo and Juliet could not be together on Earth but their deaths could have led to them being together spiritually. No matter how hard Friar Lawrence tried, fate was always going to over power him because “A greater power has thwarted our plans”. Throughout his plans he did not consider that they were “start-cross’d lovers” and that God was bigger than him and what happened was His decision
Word Count: 1497
Bibliography: CGP Romeo and Juliet