Friar Lawrence- Romeo&Juliet

Azrah Bashir
Word count: 780
How is Friar Lawrence Presented In The Play?

I have chosen to write about Friar Lawrence in Act 3 scene 3 where he is talking to Romeo about being banished. The reason I picked this is because it is interesting to see that the way Friar Lawrence talks about being banished is completely different to Romeo’s views on it. I have also selected to study Act 4 scene 1 because it shows that Friar Lawrence has a distinctive character in the way that he behaves.
Friar Lawrence explains to Romeo that he has nothing to worry about because when he is banished, he is going to see the whole world and realise that Verona is only a part of it, “the world is broad and wide” This quote gives the impression that the friar is trying to tell Romeo that his banishment is not a bad things he could have been put to death. It also shows me that he is looking at it from a logical point of view. Friar Lawrence is given the role to comfort Romeo; he is to convince him that banishment isn’t bad.
In Romeo’s response to Friar Lawrence’s explanation, he tells us that he believes that there is nothing beyond the walls of Verona, “ There is no world without Verona walls, but hell itself.” He is literally saying that Verona is the world and anything outside that is hell. Romeo is saying there is nothing beyond the walls of Verona, so when he is banished he will leave the city and also leave the world, therefore entering hell. Romeo knows that he is putting Friar Lawrence in a situation in which his response would have to be clever as he is challenging what Friar Lawrence said.
Friar Lawrence does not disappoint us with his reply. He tries to make Romeo see sense as though he is a figure of authority. Friar Lawrence tells Romeo that he is infact lucky to be banished, because the options as it were, was death or banishment, so being banished was being let of easily. Friar Lawrence is presented as someone who knows best and the person who knows what he is...