Summary:
Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet serves to fulfill three main functions in the story. He is a confidant to Romeo, moves the plot along, and is instrumental to the tragedy at the end of the play. Therefore, even though Friar Laurence is in only seven scenes he is still an essential character to the play.
Friar Laurence
Mitchell Kirby
In 1959, a Greek poet said, "You'll come to learn a great deal if you study the insignificant in depth." This statement is true when analyzing the importance of minor characters. For instance, Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, appears to play a small role, because of his mere seven scenes. However, closer examination reveals that the Friar plays a fundamental role in the development of the story. He is a confidant to Romeo, moves the plot, and is instrumental to the tragedy at the end of the play.
At the beginning of the play the reader learns that Friar Laurence and Romeo are close friends. This is apparent because the Friar is the first person to whom Romeo turns with the news of the marriage, and for help after he kills Tybalt. After Romeo explains to the Friar his love for Juliet, he tells Romeo the only wise advice he gives in the whole play. The Friar explains that Romeo is being very rash in his decisions and should reconsider. Just the day before, Romeo was madly in love with Rosaline and is now over her as if he was never in love. The Friar believes Romeo bases his love for women on their beauty when he claims, "Young men's love then lies/Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes"(2.3.67-8). However, Romeo does not take this wise advice and holds his ground. At this moment the Friar realizes that the marriage of Romeo and Juliet can bring an end to the fighting between the houses. This would have been a good plan except Romeo later kills Tybalt causing even more chaos between the Capulets and Montagues. This leads to the second time that Romeo confides in the Friar. When Romeo has been banished from Verona by the Prince, the Friar tells Romeo to spend his wedding night with Juliet and after go to Mantua where he has set up arrangements for Romeo to stay. He says he will keep in touch with Romeo via letters to explain what is going on in Verona. Again in this situation the Friar helps Romeo deal with his problems. Without Friar Laurence, Romeo would have no one to guide him through these trying times.
Another role Friar Laurence acts out in the play is to move the plot along. Friar Laurences causes increasing action after Juliet finds out she is going to be forced to marry Paris. The first person Juliet turns to is the Friar, who she asks to help her. He encourages Juliet to fake her own death. The Friar tells her, "If, rather than to marry County Paris/Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself"(4.1.71-2). He gives her a vial of sleeping potion and the plan is underway. He later sends another Friar to Mantua to notify Romeo of the new development. Here the control the Friar has over the path of the play is apparent and will continue to be shown through the remainder of the story. Another event that conveys this role of the Friar is during execution of the plan. Friar Laurence goes to the Capulet house and tries to push the families into putting Juliet into the Charnel House more quickly. He uses references to God and heaven to calm the family down and to justify her death. He tells them, "Now heaven hath all/and all the better is it for the maid"(4.5.67-8). This plan works and the family realizes that she is in a better place and should be laid to rest with "haste." Without Friar Laurence to control the path of the story, all of the play's action would be non-existent.
Lastly, Friar Laurence is instrumental to the catastrophe at the end of the play. To comprehend this role one must first understand the sequence of events that leads up to the young lover's deaths. First, Friar is put into quarantine, and can't get a crucial letter to Romeo. This letter explains that Paris and Mr. Capulet have moved the wedding up a day. This is important because Juliet has to use the sleeping potion earlier as well. The whole burial process goes as planned except Romeo thinks everything is supposed to occur a day later. Friar Laurence's messenger misunderstands the Friar and thinks Juliet is really dead, which he conveys to Romeo when telling him the news of Verona. Romeo then buys poison and rushes to the Charnel House to see his beloved Juliet. Once he is inside the Charnel House he sees Juliet and says, "Death's pale flag is not advanced there"(5.3.96). He realizes that Juliet does not appear dead but he is so overcome with passion that his thoughts are clouded. He then kisses her, drinks the poison, and dies. When Juliet awakes the Friar is there with her. She sees young Romeo lying dead and is overcome by her passion as well. Stupidly Friar Laurence leaves Juliet alone with Romeo's dagger, and of course as everyone knows she stabs herself and dies as well. All of this could have been avoided if Friar Laurence was better at communication. At the very least Juliet could have been spared, had the Friar not absent-mindedly left her alone with Romeo's dagger. This series of events is mainly based on coincidences, which plague the Friar, and make his plan incapable of working. Therefore because of the backfire of the Friar's plan it can be said that he contributes to the tragedy at the end of the play.
In conclusion, Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet serves to fulfill three main functions in the story. He is a confidant to Romeo, moves the plot along, and is instrumental to the tragedy at the end of the play. Therefore, even though Friar Laurence is in only seven scenes he is still an essential character to the play.
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