Friar Lawrence offers advice that hehimself does not follow. While his advice is well meaning, because he doesnot follow it, terrible events occur. The death of Romeo and Juliet, and,indirectly, Tybalt and Mercutio, are due to Friar Lawrence’s inability to backup his own advice with action. For example, had Friar Lawrence gone with hisown advice that marrying Romeo and Juliet would be too hasty, Romeo andJuliet would not have ended up dead. But, in the end, he married the coupletoo soon, eventually resulting in a disaster.
Juliet also thinks that her love with Romeo came too fast and it was dangerous, she says, “Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contract tonight. It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden, Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be Ere one can say “It lightens"" (2.2.123-127). Juliet says how their love is dangerous and crazy. She said that is like lightning, it happened fast and it will leave just as fast.
Romeo is discreetly referencing the prologue, where the audience learns that Romeo and Juliet are fated for misfortune. But Romeo also feels Fortune is being especially cruel; he just got married, and he might be put to death. His words
The Friar responds with, “Young men’s love then lies/ Not truly in their hearts but, in their eyes jesu maria, what the deal of brine/ Hath washes thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!”(2.3.68-90). In the first act, Romeo thought himself to be in love with Rosaline. Romeo had been distraught over the fact that his beloved Rosaline was going to become a nun. Romeo would never be able to love Rosoline, or be with her. Friar Lawrence makes fun of Romeo saying that young men only love what they see.
The movie Matchpoint is a symbolic representation of a Shakespearean tragedy based on realistic drama that emphasizes how a guilty temptation can easily ruin a person’s life with such a simple immoral choice, resulting in a life of regret. With a tennis ball on a let play, a change in the angle of velocity drastically changes the final result which sometimes determines a life-altering event. A small change or action done by a person can result in a completely different outcome from what has been expected. Director Allen highlights the need to review even the simplest decisions in life, as they have more potential to change than one expects. Hamartia, or tragic flaw is an essential theme of Shakespearean tragedy as it can provide contrast to a previously successful life by contributing to a drastic change of events.
“Friar Lawrence, less ambitious and more desperate than his fellow manipulators, does not hope that Juliet’s death will dissolve the families’ hatreds but only that it will give Romeo and chance to come and carry her off” (Snyder). At this point Romeo and Juliet’s relationship could not solve the problems between the families and the Friar was only uniting them. This is what made the Friar so repulsive. Even now after deaths and family issues, He treated the situation like a game. “Hold, daughter, I do spy a kind of hope, / Which craves as desperate an execution / As that is desperate which we would prevent (4.1.69-71).
Now think about Romeo’s “love at first sight” with Juliet, they cannot get enough of each other, weakened at each other’s disappearance. This is an example of an impulse relationship. They don’t care about their feuding families; they just want to be
He even takes it a step further stating, “The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If I ever get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.” (I), depicting marriage as completely unromantic. He uses euphonious words, like “romance” and “love”, to show that the character does have an appeal to it just as the common man does. But he, the common man, is too afraid of such a great
Benvolio displays his acts of friendship by helping Romeo get Rosaline off his mind and finding a new girl. Throughout the tragedy, Benvolio continues to be a peacemaker; however, people rarely listen to him. Benvolio knows when something horrendous could possibly occur and he wishes to get his friends out of harm’s way. I pray thee good Mercutio, let’s retire. The day is hot, the Capels are abroad, And, if we meet, we shall not ‘scape a brawl For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.
Even though Romeo is very in love with Juliet, and one may believe that these lovers will live happily every after, it is Romeo’s impulsiveness that leads to the demise of himself and of his beloved Juliet. Impulse #1: Romeo is quite brash in his decision to slay Tybalt. If Romeo considered the consequences of murdering his enemy, he could have prevented his banishment from Verona. Romeo fails to consider that there is no need to slay Tybalt because Tybalt is already headed for assassination due to the fact that he murdered Mecrutio. Unfortunately, his impulsiveness overpowers him and Romeo fights Tybalt.