friar

• 'these violent delights have violent ends'
• Friar Lawrence


  A Catholic priest
• Verona was part of the Catholic Phoenician Republic when Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet
• Juliet says she will go to the friar to make confession and to be absolved in act 3 scene 5
• England had separated from the Roman Catholic Church under Henry VII in 1534 and Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in 1597 when tensions between Protestants and Catholics were deep
• Whatever Shakespeare says about Friar Lawrence can also be interpreted as a message about Catholicism
• Friar Lawrence


  • He is Romeo's confidant
  • He knows what's happening in Romeo's life
  • He is an astute judge of Romeo's character
• Juliet: 'Friar Lawrence is a holy man'
• The prince: 'Friar Lawrence is a holy man'
• Friar Lawrence decides to marry Romeo and Juliet


  Believes this alliance may so happy prove to turn your household's rancor to pure love
• Friar Lawrence tells Juliet to drink a potion to fake her death


  So she can hide in the Tomb and run away with Romeo to Mantua
• Friar Lawrence's speech about the power of plants

  Some plants have the capacity for both good and evil depending on how they are used
• Friar Lawrence thinks he can use human beings just as he uses herbs, attempting to use Romeo and Juliet to make peace between the Montagues and Capulets
• The results of Friar Lawrence's plans are tragic
• Friar Lawrence gives a long summary of everything that's happened with Romeo and Juliet in act 5 scene 3
• The prince doesn't want to take Friar Lawrence's life, echoing Juliet's words that he is a holy man
• 'posion has residence and medicine power' foreshadowing of future events, frair tries to do good by dealing with bad through marrying romeo and juliet to try and fix the family grudge
• 'virtue itself turns vice' shows how friar deals with humans as if plants