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Friar Lawrence Responsible For The Deaths Of Romeo And Juliet

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In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the decisions and actions of Romeo’s and Juliet’s parents, friends, and family contributed to the death of the teenagers. Romeo and Juliet were lovers who came from the two feuding families of Verona, the Capulets and the Montagues. After various people complicated and weakened the marriage, Romeo and Juliet committed suicide. Knowing that several people are responsible for the couple’s death, Prince Escalus stated, “some shall be pardoned, and some punished (5.3.319).” But who is unequivocally at fault for the tragedy, and who should be righteously pardoned? Many believe that Friar Lawrence is the chief culprit for this sorrowful calamity. Although Friar Lawrence made rash and spontaneous decisions, he was not responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because his sincere kindness and his honorable intentions fueled his actions. Although Friar Lawrence had respectable …show more content…

When Juliet threatens to commit suicide, Friar Lawrence took the necessary measures and provided Juliet with a plan. After hearing about the marriage her father arranged for her, Juliet ran to Friar Lawrence to receive advice. Feeling depressed and anxious about her forced marriage, Juliet exclaimed, “If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help, Do thou but call my resolution wise, And with this knife, I’ll help it presently (4.1.53-55).” Juliet implied that if Friar Lawrence didn’t formulate a solution to help her, she would kill herself. Feeling pressured by the threat that Juliet made, Friar Lawrence created a plan with the resources he had at hand. One might argue that this plan was what ultimately killed Romeo and Juliet. However, since Juliet’s suicide threat coerced Friar Lawrence, he was forced to rapidly create a plan to calm Juliet. To conclude, Friar Lawrence’s love towards Juliet led Friar Lawrence to make hasty and spontaneous decisions in order to safeguard

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