To what extent did Shakespeare make us believe that the Friar was to blame for the tragic events that happened in Romeo and Juliet Essay Example For Students

To what extent did Shakespeare make us believe that the Friar was to blame for the tragic events that happened in Romeo and Juliet? Essay In Shakespeares play, Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence plays a major role; in the impossible marriage of Romeo and Juliet, Juliets death plan as well as in Romeos death. Without the Friar many crucial and tragic events would not have happened in Romeo and Juliet, but how much does Shakespeare convince us that the Friar is to blame for the tragic ending, and that he is the sole influence that drives Romeo and Juliet to end their lives so terribly? The Friar is established as an honoured man, who sells herbs and medicines to the people of Verona and is an ancient pharmacist, who produces potions for both causes of good and evil. He makes his first appearance in the play at the beginning of Act Two, Scene 3, during which Shakespeare gives us a background to his thoughts and personality through his short lecture on herbal drugs that can kill and cure. O, mickle is the powerful grace that lies/ In plants, herbs, stones, and their true qualities. For naught so vile that on earth doth live / But to the earth some special good doth give; / Nor aught so good but, strained from that fair use, / Revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse. and Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast. give the impression that he is a wise and intelligent man, and from his speech you get the impression that he is good-hearted and has good intentions. The Friars close relationship with Romeo is also revealed in this scene, as Romeo confesses his love for Juliet to Friar Laurence, who is clearly accustomed to hearing Romeos confessions of love and who has evidently given him advice in the past. His knowledge of Romeos life builds the reputation that he is a man of trust, not one that would deceive a true friend, although other parts of the speech indicate a slight foreshadowing of the incidents that will occur Within the infant rind of this small flower / Poison hath residence, and medicine power; / Full soon the canker death eats up that plant. In this way, it would seem that Shakespeare is leading us to believe that the Friar is to some extent in control of the story and the plotline, and will play a vital part in the scenes ahead whether it is for the good of his own intentions or for Romeo and Juliets benefits. Perceptibly this morality literally applies to the drug that he will provide for Juliet, as well as the poison that Romeo takes to kill himself. However, it also surely reflects upon the romance around which the play centres, though the Friars meaning is questionable. Does he mean that love is true when it is freely given, but unworthy when it is used as the to ol for politics and agreements (between the Capulets and the Montagues) as modern audiences might assume, or does he mean that lawful married love is honourable and that it becomes sinful when it is carried out for unhonest desires amidst the shame of stoln contracts? After all, Friar Laurence does not immediately approve of Romeos plan to marry Juliet, and asks him Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear,/ So soon forsaken? In this scene the use of the Friars formal language of rhyme and proverbs as opposed to Romeos romantic poetry stresses the need for caution towards Romeo and represents the Friar as a fatherly sort of figure. As well as this, the Friars sophisticated tone of language shows his wisdom and understanding, which does change later in the play as he begins to get more desperate and uncertain of his actions. This change of character and decrease in confidence leads the audience to believe that perhaps the Friars plan is not so well-thought out after all and gives them reason to doubt that the Friar is an all-knowing wise man who knows what to do in problematic situations. Romeos arguments in favour of his current love for Juliet are hardly very creditable: Her I love now/ Does grace for grace, and love for love allow/ The other did not. In this scene (Act 2 Scene 3), Shakespeare shows Romeo as irrational and impatient, determined to marry Juliet after only one brief encounter the previous evening. The Friar even tries desperately to convince Romeo that he is being far too hasty, and that he should hold back and think about his true feelings if he is acting on impulse or if it is true love So soon forsaken? Young mens love then lies/ Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes. In this way, the Friar does do the right thing and does seem to respond to what the audience is actually thinking at this point (have they not only seen each other once? Is it not only the next day?). Shakespeare gives the audience someone to relate to and this builds up the trust between the audience and the Friar at the start of the play for additional dramatic effect later on. Friar Laurence does agree to help Romeo and Juliet as he is convinced by Romeos sincerity, but for a specific reason (in one respect, as he says), specifically that This alliance may so happy prove/ To turn your households rancour to pure love. Here the audience is given the idea that the Friars intentions are in fact good to resolve the everlasting feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. Looked at more closely, Friar Laurence could be accused of helping to arrange Romeo and Juliets marriage for reasons that have nothing to do with their love; though he wants to create peace, he is arguably as keen to use marriage for the purposes of alliance as Juliets father is when he attempts to make Juliet marry Paris. As things get more twisted and the plot thickens, the Friars motive for marrying Romeo and Juliet evidently leads to destruction, as everybody seems to keep secrets from each other for different purposes; whether it is for love, hate or for carrying on the family name. It is impossible that all of these plans will turn out well at least some will fail, and even though the Friar may be portrayed as a trigger for the chain of tragic events that follow, it cannot be all down to him. Shakespeare,Renaissance,Queen Elizabeth, and Elizabethan TheaterReferring back to the play, even after Mercutios death and Romeos banishment Friar Laurence does not see the destructiveness of Romeo and Juliets marriage. Instead he continues to attempt to keep Romeo and Juliet together. However, his plan is short-sighted, poorly thought out and risky. Friar Laurence devises the plan in haste and in desperation simply because Juliet is there in his presence threatening suicide rather than to marry Paris. Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it. / If, in thy wisdom thou canst give no help, / Do but call my resolution wise, / And with this knife Ill help it presently (Act 4 Scene 1). To appease Juliet, Friar Laurence gives her a potion to consume that will enable her to feign death, by this means avoiding her marriage to Paris. He calls his plan as desperate as an execution as he is telling her of it which is quite an ironic thing to say, as it suggests that if Juliet does decide to go ahead with his plan she could get killed in an exceptionally painful death approximating an execution, and his language here is indeed desperate. The fact that the Shakespeare gives the Friar language that causes him to appear extremely desperate and distressed at this point triggers you to begin to worry; given that he is established at the start of the play as a very wise, knowledgeable and holy man who can even prefigure some of the events that do in fact take part later on, this gives you more reason to consider that something is not quite right and that the plan is perhaps not working as well as anticipated. In addition, is Friar Laurence attempting to get himself out of the mess he has created by planning Juliets stimulated death? If Juliet did, to her dismay, get married to County Paris, she would have been a wife to two different men. In Shakespearean times, marriage laws were extremely strict and therefore this double marriage would ultimately have resulted in the Friars execution. This situation leads you to believe that Friar Laurence may just be acting on his own agenda, trying to save himself from the situation that he has put himself in rather than Romeo and Juliet, therefore giving you more reason to place more blame on him for the tragedy. More to the point, it is he who almost interrupts the dramatic scene of Romeo and Juliet dying in each others arms with his frantic talking as he enters the churchyard Saint Francis be my speed! How oft tonight / Have my old feet stumbled at graves! Whos there? The fact that he interrupts such an intimate and anticipated scene to some extent ruins the moment, and the audience are quite likely left feeling dreadfully annoyed with the Friar for this reason. In addition he stumbles over the graves, and this was known as a bad omen in Shakespearean times; all the more reason to get the feeling that the Friar was in reality not a matchmaker made in heaven. Conversely, despite all that has gone wrong, the Friar does admit in the final scene (in a rather longwinded speech) that he has done wrong and is ready to face the fatal consequences of his actions I will be brief, for my short date of breath / Is not so long as is a tedious tale. This sentence almost sums up how the Friar understands that his plan was Miscarried by his fault and he is ready for his old life / Be sacrificed, some hour before his time, / Unto the rigour of severest law. This could be Shakespeares way of showing us that the Friar does show remorse to a degree for his unlawful activities, and he is somewhat ashamed of his actions that lead to such devastation. Although the tragedy of Romeo and Juliets deaths is upsetting, the family feud between the Capulets and the Montagues is well and truly over, only because of the Friars plan going wrong. This therefore means that one of the Friars motives for the marriage plan (to make alliance between the two families) does in fact turn out well and according to plan, and some good does come out of his disastrous scheme. To conclude, the Friar is a very interesting character to analyse in Shakespeares play of Romeo and Juliet as there is no true answer as to whether or not Shakespeare was trying to show that he is to blame for the tragedy. He is guilty to some extent, for it is he who is mostly in control of the plotline throughout and could have done differently to adjust the ending, but do we actually want the ending to change? Romeo and Juliet die in each others arms for their extreme love for one and other and the feud between their two families is finally over, despite there being a few deaths along the way. Perhaps the Friars plan is for the greater good after all, as a happy ending would have defeated the purpose of Shakespeares tragedy.