Romeo and Juliet
How does Friar Lawrence and Romeo's relationship change throughout the play?
We meet the Friar in Act 2, and then he continues to be a charcacter for the rest of the story!
We meet the Friar in Act 2, and then he continues to be a charcacter for the rest of the story!
The Friar is Romeo's teacher and confidant. When we first meet him, the Friar thinks Romeo is too hasty in professing his love for Juliet (he was in love with another girl the day before), and he seems to see Romeo as too easily led, too easily prone to infatuation. After Tybalt's death, the Friar becomes increasingly frustrated with Romeo's behavior, especially after Romeo complains about his banishment. It angers the Friar that the boy could complain, when a punishment of death would have been more fitting. Friar Lawrence's attempt to help Romeo and Juliet be together is for lack of a better word..... a disaster. The two young people convince him to do things that he never would have participated in under other circumstances, and yet, they expect him to help without question. In the end, the Friar is left to grieve and take on guilt over their deaths. Romeo should have trusted..... the Friar should have put his foot down. Unfortunately, the love the Friar felt for the boy made him overlook common sense. Their relationship in many ways resembled that of a doting father and son.
Romeo and Juliet