Key points
Friar Lawrence is a character from Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, an English playwright.
Friar Lawrence is an advisor and A person that one can share their private feelings with. to Romeo and Juliet.
The friar plays an important role in the plot, as he marries the couple in secret, and later comes up with a plan to pretend Juliet is dead.
Did you know?
A friar was a man who was part of a religious order, a group within the Catholic Church. Friars worked in communities, unlike monks, who lived separate from society. They travelled around preaching, treating the sick and helping the poor. Friars often took a A promise made to God to live simply without unnecessary possessions..
Plot summary
A plot summary of Romeo and Juliet:
Friar Lawrence’s key moments
Click through the slideshow to see Friar Lawrence’s key moments
Image caption, These images are taken from a 2002 production of Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The day after the Capulet party, Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet. Friar Lawrence reminds Romeo that he recently loved Rosaline and advises him to be careful, but agrees to marry the couple. The friar has good relations with both the Montagues and the Capulets and hopes that the two families will be united if Romeo and Juliet marry.
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Character traits
Trustworthy
Both Romeo and Juliet trust Friar Lawrence with their secrets. The friar has good relations with both the Montagues and the Capulets, and hopes that Romeo and Juliet’s marriage will bring peace between the two families.
Wise
The friar is wise, good at giving advice and acts as a role model to Romeo and Juliet. He criticises Romeo when he says he loves Juliet a few hours after he said he loved Rosaline.
Compassionate
The friar is kind and wants to help Romeo and Juliet be together and also bring peace to Verona. After Romeo is ordered to leave Verona and Juliet is ordered to marry Paris, Juliet goes to see the friar. She is upset and distressed and he comforts her and calms her down.
How else could Friar Lawrence’s character be interpreted?
Friar Lawrence is generally presented as a compassionate character. However, he could also be interpreted as a manipulative character who tries to bring Romeo and Juliet together for selfish reasons. If he could be seen as bringing peace to Verona he would be celebrated. He might also be able to benefit financially.
Changes in character
Although he appears as a wise and steady character, some of his actions could be seen as reckless.
At the end of the play, he regrets his part in the tragedy and asks the Prince to take his life as punishment. The Prince seems to excuse his role and says “We still have known thee for a holy man.”
Is the friar to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?
It could be argued that the friar’s risky plan helps cause the death of Romeo and Juliet. He suggests that Juliet pretend to be dead and fails to tell Romeo of the plan in time.
However, there are also other possible causes. For example:
Fate
Many people in Shakespeare’s time believed that an unstoppable force - fate - controlled everything and that this could not be changed. This would mean that Romeo and Juliet’s deaths were unstoppable.
The conflict between the Montagues and the Capulets
The families could be to blamed for making it difficult for them to be together in the first place. Prince Escalus’s suggests that the Montagues and Capulets are to blame.
Romeo and Juliet
The couple themselves could be to blame because of how quickly they act. They marry within a day of meeting, Romeo impulsively kills Juliet’s cousin Tybalt and both Romeo and Juliet take their own lives when they think the other is dead.
What do these key quotations mean?
Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.
Friar Lawrence
Act 2, scene 3
After Romeo comes to the friar for help, the friar advises him to be more careful.
For this alliance may so happy prove,
To turn your households’ rancour to pure love.
Friar Lawrence
Act 2, scene 3
The friar hopes that Romeo and Juliet’s marriage will end the conflict between the two families and bring peace to Verona.
These violent delights have violent ends.
Friar Lawrence
Act 2, scene 6
The friar warns that extreme emotions can have a negative result. This proves accurate, as Romeo and Juliet’s intense love does have a violent end.
Come, come away,
Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead;
Friar Lawrence
Act 5, scene 3
The friar arrives at the tomb after Romeo kills himself and tries to persuade Juliet to leave with him. She refuses and the friar leaves her because he is afraid of being found in the tomb.
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