Tragic Death of Romeo and Juliet - Book Report/Review Example

 Tragic death of Romeo and Juliet To which extent was Friar Lawrence responsible for the death of Romeo and Juliet brings to our mind his involvement in the plans and the important twists in the play that force the lovers to their tragic death. Romantic love stories often end in tragedy because of the loss of passion or a loved one. This is what happens in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet where two citizens of Verona, fall madly in love. Their love comes to a tragic end along with their lives, caused by a fatal misunderstanding and a persistent feud going on between their two families. Although there are a lot of other characters who contribute to the death of Romeo and Juliet, it seems that even though Friar Lawrence had no evil intentions, but because of his deep involvement in the lives of the lovers he is responsible, but only to some degree. His responsibility is mild compared to the accountability of other influences in the lovers’ lives, including friends and parents and the idea of fate and fortune. Even Romeo and Juliet, can both be held responsible for the loss of their lives because of their irrational behaviour. There are three major events which lead to the tragic end of this play beginning from the secret marriage of Romeo and Juliet, the fake death of Juliet to protect her from marrying Paris, and then the actual death of both the lovers. In all these situations, Friar Lawrence plays a major role though he was just a well wisher and only wanted to end the feud between the brawling households. He was a wise, careful and a kind hearted man and wanted to act as a peacemaker between the feuding families, but his good intentions were never fulfilled because the circumstances that surrounded the marriage made it impossible for peace to occur. The unfortunate turns the events took, made the two lovers pay with their lives instead of giving them happiness and bringing the families closer. Even though the Friar knew that the marriage was flawed, and his action may seem irresponsible but Romeo and Juliet’s chance meeting, their separation as a result of Romeo’s banishment, play a far greater role in the tragedy. Friar Lawrence wishfully hoped that some good might come out of their union. “Come, come with me, and we will make/short work; /For, by you leaves, you shall not stay alone/Till Holy Church incorporate two in one.” (Act 2, scene 6, 34-27) Had the two lovers not married, they might not have shared the passion and would not have committed suicide, thinking that their spouse was dead. Friar Lawrence had even warned Romeo that rushing into this act will not work out. Eventually, it was their marriage what triggered the events that would ultimately lead to the tragedy. The next event that contributed towards the death of Romeo and Juliet was when Friar gave Juliet the vial, telling her to drink it before going to bed. The sleeping potion would make her cold and drowsy and would make it appear that she had no pulse although the blood would still be running in her body. This act of faking death would save her from marrying Paris. Here once again, Friar Lawrence can be partially held responsible because he did not thoroughly plan the fake death of Juliet and also failed to inform Romeo about the actual situation. “I could not send it. Nor get a messenger to get thee, so fearful were they of the infection.” (Act 5, scene 2, 14-16) Friar Lawrence did not stress upon the importance of the letter and as a result, friar John did not see that it was delivered to Romeo. Another fault in the plan was that Romeo had no knowledge as to who would deliver him the letter. “I’ll find out your man/ and he shall signify from time to time/ every good hap of your chances here.” (Act 3, scene 3, 169-171) When Friar Lawrence tells Juliet to take the potion, he also tells her that he would send friar John to Mantua with a letter informing Romeo about their plan. At this point he should have personally sent the letter instead of relying on another person, especially when the contents of the letter were so important and urgent. Since it was the Friar who devised the entire plan of saving Juliet from marrying Paris by making her take the vial, he should have made sure that the information was delivered accurately and quickly to Romeo. But when the message was not delivered to Romeo, one is forced into believing that fate and fortune were also contributing to the tragic turn of events. Unfortunately, the news of Juliet’s death reached Romeo before he got the message sent to him by Friar Lawrence. However, fortune would not have had this disastrous effect, had Romeo and Juliet not been impulsive in their actions. If Romeo had not killed Yybalt to avenge Mercutio, he would not have been banished and Juliet’s marriage would not have been moved to an earlier date. As a result, nobody would have killed themselves to follow their love into the afterlife. Moreover, they both willingly commit suicide, and therefore, are ultimately responsible for their deaths and although they both take their own lives, yet they were driven into taking such an action because of the lack of support from their family and friends. Juliet apparently had no friend and relied only on the opinions of her nurse and parents. But all these people betray her when she refuses to marry Paris. Her father is appalled, telling her to, “Hang, your baggage, disobedient wretch.” (Act 3, scene 5, 160) and her mother almost disowns her, “Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.” (Act 3, scene 5, 203) On the other hand, Romeo’s parents are nowhere to be seen. The only father figure for him is Friar Lawrence whom Romeo greets, “Good morrow, father.”(Act 2, scene 3, 31) and the Friar responds by calling Romeo, “Young son.” (Act 2 scene3, 33). And though the greeting appears appropriate because of the religious context, but this interchange has a greater resonance than just an exchange between a priest and a penitent. The Friar stands in for Romeo’s father because he is his confidant and the only person to whom he turns for advice. Friar Lawrence is also the last person Juliet turns to, when all the others had forsaken her. We can therefore infer that the responsibility of the death of Romeo and Juliet lies not only with the Friar but also with the other main characters of the play. The idea of chance plays a much greater role in the tragedy than any other character. The lovers’ characters compel them to make choices and also significantly contribute to the event of their death. This does not excuse the Friar’s actions, but it does not put his behaviour and the play into perspective. Bibliography Absolute Shakespeare Go to the website here: http://absoluteshakespeare.com The Literature Network Go to the website here: http://www.online-literature.com Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Go to the AskSam website here for more useful links: http://www.asksam.com/ebooks/Shakespeare/Romeo_Julie.asp Read More