In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the secondary character played by Friar Lawrence was essential as he brought a dramatic influence on the play through his presence, as tragedy would not have occurred without this character. One can blame the Friar for bringing two deaths in the end.
Friar Laurence played the role of a holy man who was respected and trusted by other characters in the play. His role as an adviser to the main characters, Romeo and Juliet, shows the issues that occur between parents and their children. The role of this secondary character in the play suggests how parental love sometimes fails because of their egos. Both Romeo and Juliet are unable to tell their parents about their love due to family conflicts.
Both Romeo and Juliet are confined in Friar Laurence, and in isolation, they turn to him for neutral advice. Initially, he is surprised at Romeo and how he has left Rosaline and fallen in love with Juliet, so most often, he warns Romeo of his arbitrary decisions. He warns Romeo that he must be careful in his acts, but later on, he agrees that Romeo and Juliet should marry in the hope that their marriage could bring a reunion of the Capulets and the Montagues. Although he had a pure intention behind marrying Romeo and Juliet, his actions and advice indicate that he was naïve in assessing the dispute between the two families and has not reflected on the consequences of Romeo and Juliet’s secret marriage (Character Traits/Personality — Friar Laurence, 2018).
The character of Friar Laurence also depicts the generation gap and how different age groups have different needs and thoughts. Friar Laurence often tries to pacify Romeo on his banishment by giving him rational and logical arguments. On hearing such arguments, Romeo quickly replies that he will not understand his condition because he is not young and he is not in love, and if this were the case with him, then he would not have accepted this advice any better.
Friar Laurence was a caring, holy man with the strong character of a wise man who gave rational views on life to both protagonists. He had knowledge of plants and believed in nature. The presence of Friar Laurence also shows the inevitability of nature and fate. Whatever plans you make will end with the victory of fate, as in the case of Romeo and Juliet’s death. He made a master plan of faking Juliet’s death on her wedding night. All went well according to their plan, but the real problem started when they did not have any backup plan for what would happen if Romeo did not get what was happening. It did happen when Romeo found out about Juliet’s death; he took the poison and died. Moreover, when Juliet woke up and saw her lover die, she also killed herself. So, the plan made by Friar Laurence brought the death of both lovers. In the play, if Friar Laurence had not planned this, both lovers might have lived, and even if the logical and rational Friar had thought about such uncertainties and had planned accordingly, both lovers could have been saved.
If there was no Friar Laurence in the play, then both the storyline and its elements would be different. He has affected the play and its characters in a unique way. He had the good intention of marrying both lovers but failed in his plan, even then, it was the failure of Friar Laurence’s plan that brought the resolution of age-long dispute between the two families (Swann, West, & Shakespeare, n.d).
References
Character Traits/Personality – Friar Laurence. (2018). Sites.google.com. Retrieved 18 April 2018, from https://sites.google.com/a/nsdtitans.org/friar-laurence/1–character-traits-personality
Swann, P., West, R., & Shakespeare, W. (n.d). The people vs. Friar Laurence, the man who killed Romeo and Juliet.
