How is Friar Lawrence

presented as an important
character in Romeo & Juliet?
Table 1 - Fatima, Fatemah, Omer, Uzair and Laiba
Introduction to the character
● The Friar is a kindhearted cleric who offers neutral advice to both Romeo and Juliet
● The centrality of the Friar’s role suggests a notable failure of parental love
● He is sometimes overconfident, in his own ability to make decisions (criticism of catholic clergy
playing God)
● He married Romeo and Juliet with the intention of ending the feud between the Montagues and
Capulets but this ended in their deaths
● The Friar had good morals and intentions but proved himself the most scheming and political
character in the play
● He has this extreme abnormal fascination with plants and their ability to produce and take away
life
● He is sometimes more of a sorcerer than a priest because he is able to concoct potions for many
situations, such as faking Juliet’s death
● He is the sole figure of religion in the play, and is also one of the main reasons Romeo and Juliet
met their tragic fates because in his attempts to avoid their death he ends up being a contributing
factor.
P - Gives Romeo honest advice but makes irresponsible decisions
Ev - “Holy Saint Francais, what a change is here! Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes”

Ex - The Friar explains to Romeo that his newfound “love” for Juliet is meaningless because
it’s so changeable because only the day before he was crying over another woman, the
unattainable Rosaline therefore the Friar is very skeptical of the love between Romeo and
Juliet but agrees to marry them to try and end the Capulet - Montague feud but his decision
was naive because he hadn’t properly thought through the implications or consequences of the
failure of their clandestine marriage

L - The Friar decides to marry Romeo and Juliet against his better advice in hopes that this
alliance may end the Capulet - Montague feud. The Friar may have given good advice to R & J
but didn’t follow his own advice and took a il-measured risk which was a contributing factor in
the deaths of R & J. The Friar’s plan to end the feud only worked after the double-suicide of R
& J so his plan was partially successful but at the cost of two young lives.
P - Meddles with fate
Ev - “Then gave I her ... The form of death”

Ex - The Friar tries to change the fate of the star-crossed lovers by cheating death and
giving Juliet a sleeping potion which makes her look dead but she wakes up after a few
hours to find Romeo dead by her side so she kills herself so they can finally be together
forever in death, the Friar challenges God indirectly by challenging fate and in the end he
loses this battle (shakespeare’s intentional criticism of the catholic church)

L - The Friar often challenges fate by trying to create a different path in life for R & J or
the Capulets and Montagues but just ended up being a contributing factor in their tragic
demise and the audience comes to realise that no matter whatever the Friar had tried he
would not have been able to change their destiny
P - Friar’s sorcerer-like characteristics
Ev : “within the infant rind of this weak flower Poison hath residence and medicine power”

Ex : The Friar uses his knowledge of herbs to help Juliet escape her marriage to Paris. One of
the recurring themes of R & J is the inseparability of good and bad/evil and in this the Friar
explains that poison and medicine can be retrieved from the same plant. The poison
overshadows Romeo’s death. Catholics were viewed with suspicion by many in Elizabethan
England, and the Catholic Friar, meddling with herbs, may have been considered
untrustworthy and sinister for this
reason.

L - The inseparability of good and bad/evil is linked to all the intentions, actions and
consequences of these actions, the Friars intentions were all pure and moral but the actions
performed to achieve these outcomes and their consequences were unfortunately evil
P - Cowardly
Ev - “ I dare no longer stay. ” “Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead;
And Paris too. Come, I’ll dispose of thee Among a sisterhood of holy nuns:
Stay not to question, for the watch is coming”

Ex - The Friar senses danger preeminent. He sees two men, both offspring
of powerful parents, dead. Instinctively, he flees. It can be argued that the
Friar should have stayed and dealt with the problem he helped fruition. For
this reason, we can describe the Friar as a cowardly deserter.

L-
P -Trustworthy
Ev - “I'll thy assistant be”

Ex - He keeps both R & J’s secrets safe. Aside from secrets told to him by
characters, being a spiritual figure means he deals with many confessions
that have been confessed to him by believers.

L - Rather than taking the role of a concerned, responsible adult and

advising R&J, he acts as an assistant to their scheme. Although he is
proved to be trustworthy and loyal, it can be argued that what R&J truly
needed was sensible advice from a trusted adult.
Form
Shakespeare was able to present his criticism of the catholic church so well through
the friar because R&J is a play. He may have chosen to include these ideas in the
love story because it would be played in front of a large audience who would receive
these ideals. Because the play is written in the Elizabethan era, a time where
protestantism vs catholicism was very relevant many in the audience may also agree
with these views.
Language

The writer uses formal language and proverbs when warning Romeo about the
suddenness of his change in decision when he abandons his love for Rosaline and
moves on to loving Juliet. This is portrayed when he states “Wisely and slow; they
stumble that run fast”.
Structure

It is clear that the Friar is crucial to the play and this becomes more and more
evident as the play progresses.

In Act 2 Scene 3, he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet, even though he is dubious at
first, he sees the bigger picture; the reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets;
what we later see to come true.

In Act 2 Scene 6, he tries to reason with Romeo about how to ‘love moderately’ has
Romeo not ignored this, the events may not have unfolded as they did.
Structure

Act 3 Scene 3, hides Romeo in a cell after he kills Tybalt, tries to convince him to
accept his banishment. After Romeo doesn’t have it and the Nurse intervenes, the
Friar begins the formation of a plan in the hopes of finding a solution to reconciling
the 2 lovers.

Act 4 Scene 1, he gives Juliet the potion after she threatens to stab herself. He
promises to give Romeo the letter. The plan is coming into fruition.

Act 5 Scene 3, After arriving at the Capulet tomb too late, he is captured by the
guards and confesses the whole story to the Prince. He is pardoned as the Prince
states that he still feels as though the Friar is a holy man