R J Essay Word

Submitted By Bigmike218
Words: 613
Pages: 3

Honors Comp & Lit E
12/9/2014
The Faulty Friar

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is a romantic play full of suspense, conflict, and struggle. Romeo and Juliet first meet at the Capulet Feast where they instantaneously fall in love. Throughout the play, their families are enemies but Romeo and
Juliet continue to love each other secretly. Romeo and Juliet are a pair of star-crossed lovers that ultimately will take their lives out of unconditional love. Their deaths will take place as a result of factors in the play that are due to the Franciscan friar of Verona, Friar Lawrence.
At the beginning of the play, Romeo is no longer with his girlfriend, Rosaline. Romeo sees Juliet and falls in love. Friar Lawrence says, "Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here!/Is
Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear,/So soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies/Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes."(II.III. 69-72) Friar Lawrence is scolding Romeo for forgetting
Rosaline so speedily and insinuating that young men love with their eyes and not their hearts.
The Friar knows that there is potentially going to be some fallout due to the rebound that has just hastily occurred with Romeo. The Friar should have been more emphatic with Romeo and solicit that he evaluates the situation with more sensibility.
Friar Lawrence ignores his uncertainty and marries Romeo and Juliet, seemingly against his better judgement. Friar Lawrence proclaimed, "So smile the heavens upon this holy act/That after-hours with sorrow chide us not."(II. VI. 1-2) The Friar is saying that he aspires the heavens
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will welcome this marriage, so nothing disastrous will happen later on to make them all regret it.
Friar Lawrence tells Romeo not to rush things and be wise because people who rush, will stumble and fall. At no point during the play does the Friar reveal to anyone the truth about the wedding. Friar Lawrence knew the marriage was too quick and irrational and therefore should have refused to partake in the matrimonial ceremony. Friar Lawrence believed that this marriage would result in both families uniting, therefore, eliminating the feud.
The Friar also contributes to Romeo and Juliet's demise creating a plan to fake Juliet's death by giving her a vial of sleeping potion. Friar Lawrence says, "Hold, get you gone.