Friar Laurence's Role

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Friar Laurence’s Significant Role in Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare is a love story that ends in tragedy of fatal attraction. Romeo and Juliet is about two young, teenage, star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. In the play, Friar Laurence spends little time on the stage, but he is crucial to the development of the conclusion of the play. Friar Laurence plays the part of a Franciscan priest, and an advisor to Romeo and Juliet, along with aiding in major plot developments. It is Friar Laurence’s good intentions, and willingness that lead to the death of these death-marked lovers. Throughout, the course of the play, Friar Laurence greatly affects the events and outcomes of this love story with his want for peace, true love, and misguided loyalty. That in the end leads him to making irresponsible decisions that ultimately kill Romeo and Juliet. There are three major events that Friar Laurence plays an imperative, crucial role in; often gives Romeo high-quality advice, also when the Friar agrees to marry the teenagers, and the faking of Juliet’s death. Friar Laurence is a great advisor, who is the person Romeo often goes to talk to. The major exception is Friar Laurence, who is the kindest, wisest man. True, he cannot communicate his “belief in reason over passion, caution over haste, to the impassioned Romeo.” (Schumacher). But he has a lovingly humorous relationship with the youth, as it is he who risks his calling by agreeing that the hasty marriage may do some good. Early in the play the words that Friar says gives a quick insight on the role is going to play and the importance of it. “Therefore love moderately: long love doth so; too swift arrives as tardy as too slow” (Shakespeare 2.6. 14-15). Friar is telling Romeo to love moderately, and take your time in love, going
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