Romeo and Juliet is a timeless story written by Shakespeare of two star-crossed lovers, eventually resulting in a tragic end. The two teenagers first meet at a ball, where they are each unsure of the other’s identity due to wearing masks. However, they eventually realize that they are madly in love, despite the fact that each is from one of the warring families in the town—the Capulets and the Montagues. Therefore, they are forced to continue their relationship in secret, fearing that the knowledge of this will cause their two families to fight. They recognize the risks behind this, but decide that their love is too strong. Eventually, they create a scheme involving several seemingly unbiased characters to help them escape so they can run away together and avoid the feud. However, there are several complications along the way and it is the ultimate fault of Friar Lawrence who develops miscommunication among the two lovers, ultimately resulting in their suicides.
Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet without considering the consequences. He recognizes that they are in love and that makes him feel guilty. Instead of offering them practical advice that this might not be intelligent, he gives into their request. He states, “For this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancor to pure love” (2.3.91-91). Friar Lawrence is very well aware of the severity of the feud, but perhaps he believes the marriage between the two children will bring the families together. However, he doesn’t initially realize that he encouraged their rash decisions. Had he known that they had just met and that Juliet was also betrothed to another man, Paris, he may not have agreed to marry them.
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"Romeo and Juliet: Who’s to Blame?".
Friar Lawrence does not confirm the plan with Romeo before Juliet is placed into a deep sleep, pretending she has been poisoned. While discussing the plan with another friar, he states, “in the meantime, against thou shalt awake, shall Romeo by my letters know our drift; and hither should he come; and he and I will watch thy waking, and that very night” (4.1.113). Instead of delivering the message regarding the plan to Romeo himself, Friar Lawrence sends another Friar to speak to him, increasing the chances of the plan being miscommunicated. This is exactly what happens, as the letters are misplaced and the plan forgotten by the messenger.
Finally, Friar Lawrence flees the scene, leaving the two teenagers to their own devices. Since they have proven to exhibit irrational behavior, it would have been beneficial to have an adult around to offer them advice or help them through this difficult situation. Before running away, he announces, “stay not to question for the Watch is coming; come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay” (5.3.158-159). Friar Lawrence is beginning to understand that his actions may have consequences because he shouldn’t have married the children of two warring families. Instead of being selfless and helping them overcome this, he flees, fearing that he will be punished for what he has done.
Although many characters contributed to the ultimate downfall of Romeo and Juliet, it is Friar Lawrence who is the most involved. First, he marries the two impulsive children quickly, without providing counsel and thinking about the consequences of the marriage. He also does not directly convey the escape plan to Romeo himself, making it more likely that the messenger will misplace the letters or miscommunicate. Finally, he flees when the plan is in action, unable to offer his support when they need him the most. This ultimately leads to the false assumption that Juliet has indeed been poisoned, causing Romeo to kill himself from a broken heart. When Juliet wakes and finds him dead, she does the same.
