Shakespeare ‘s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic drama in which a brace of star-crossed lovers commit suicide, when their household ‘s feud wo n’t allow them be together. There are many characters in this drama that contribute to maintaining the secret plan line, one of whom is Friar Lawrence. Throughout the drama Friar Lawrence is a tool used by Shakespeare to bode events and is shown to be a foolhardy character whose inability to swear his inherent aptitudes and deficiency of idea for the public assistance of the two lovers leads to much decease and desperation.

Friar Lawrence is depicted as a wise adult male who attempts to steer Romeo throughout the drama, but does non follow the advice he himself gives, which leads to the calamity of Romeo and Juliet ‘s deceases. In the beginning of the drama Friar Lawrence declares, “ Virtue itself turns frailty, being misapplied, ”[ 1 ]which foreshadows that although Friar Lawrence understands how good purposes can fleetly transform into bad results, he subsequently decides to transport out his program to convey Romeo and Juliet together, exposing his foolhardiness. When Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to get married him to Juliet, the Friar agrees, trusting “ to turn [ their ] families ‘ resentment to pure love ”[ 2 ]. However, he besides warns Romeo, “ Wisely and decelerate. They stumble that tally fast, ”[ 3 ]reding Romeo that if he hurriedly marries Juliet there will be many effects and he should set more idea into this determination, non hotfoot into the matrimony. Therefore, although his purpose is good, in that he wants to convey two lovers together, his actions result in both their ill-timed deceases. His following words, “ And frailty sometimes by action dignified, ”[ 4 ]foreshadow Friar Lawrence supplying the toxicant potion used by Juliet in act 4. The ‘vice ‘ ( toxicant ) is necessary ( ‘by action dignified ‘ ) because it is the hope of a life with Romeo he can give an otherwise self-destructive Juliet.

Throughout the drama Friar Lawrence is used as a tool by Shakespeare to bode events. When Friar Lawrence is first seen, he is be givening to his workss and speaking to himself about how even “ within the infant rind of this weak flower/ Poison hath abode. ”[ 5 ]In his monologue he is speaking about how maliciousness and bad luck fell in the best and most guiltless of purposes. This in itself foreshadows the function Friar Lawrence is to play and the series of events that are efficaciously a consequence of his inability to move responsibly and follow his intuition. For illustration, he knows that get marrieding Romeo to Juliet in secret is incorrect and may ensue in some really violent effects on the portion of both their households since the latter happen to be feuding. He foreshadows the force to come when he says, “ So smile the celestial spheres upon this sanctum act/ That after-hours with sorrow chide us non, ”[ 6 ]where he refers to the horrors to come as godly requital for this act. Furthermore, before the Friar marries Romeo and Juliet, he warns Romeo that “ violent delectations have violent terminals. ”[ 7 ]This in bend foreshadows the violent stoping of the drama, emphasized by the repeat of the word ‘violent ‘ .

Friar Lawrence seems to be more like a friend than a father figure to Romeo. A father figure would be more responsible and likely would n’t cognize the inside informations of Romeo ‘s personal life. For illustration, the quotation mark, “ wast 1000 with Rosaline? ”[ 8 ]shows Friar Lawrence knows about Romeo ‘s ‘love ‘ for Rosaline, whereas we ne’er do happen out if Lord Montague knows or cognize. Furthermore, when Romeo comes to the Friar with his petition for matrimony, the Friar responds with, “ In one regard I ‘ll thy helper be, ”[ 9 ]which suggests that he is more of a friend than a father figure. A male parent figure would be more likely to warn Romeo of the haste of this determination and of his volatile nature, and would non hold to adhere the twosome together in marriage. Friar Lawrence, nevertheless, agrees far excessively readily to be at all responsible, and so can be seen as more of a friend to Romeo. Besides, Friar Lawrence barely knows Juliet. When he exclaims “ O Juliet, I already know thy heartache, ”[ 10 ]he merely thinks he knows how she must experience upon hearing of Romeo ‘s expatriate. He has non been her confessor, and he merely knows her through Romeo. He has presumptively merely met her one time, and that is when he is get marrieding her to Romeo. What gives him the right to be playing around with the lives of these two immature lovers? Not to advert, the life of Paris? He barely gives a idea towards the effects of his actions and is therefore a foolhardy and irresponsible adult male.

In decision, Friar Lawrence is an of import character in the class of the drama. He is used by Shakespeare to bode the violent events in the drama, such as the deceases of several characters and the stoping itself. Although he appears to be a wise old adult male, he is shown to be foolhardy and irresponsible. Furthermore, subject of dichotomy in nature and in the nature of the characters is best displayed in the signifier of Friar Lawrence. He says or advises one thing, and does another, all in the infinite of a few proceedingss.