Romeo and Juliet Act 5

Cece Bell, Rebecca Dyer, and John Shandalala
Ms. Voelkl
+English 1
4th Block
Act 5 Paragraph

      Friar Lawrence is the most responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.  He chose to marry them without their parents’ consent, and against his own wisdom, which ended in Juliet being engaged a second time. (2.6 9-15) “These violent delights have violent end. And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as the kiss, consume.  The sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness. And in the taste confounds the appetite. Therefore love moderately.  Long love doth so. Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.” Friar is telling Romeo that these sudden delights can have very bad endings, and that he should watch it because love too fast is as bad as love too slow. Love is good in moderation. This quote shows Friars responsible for warning Romeo that this might be a mistake and foreshadows that with all this good and wonderful love will have a price to pay in the future. But again goes against his opinion and marries them. Friar Lawrence also could have stopped Juliet from pretending to die on her wedding day by confessing to what he did and not giving her the vile. Friar tells Juliet, (4.1 75-78) “A thing like death to chide away this shame, That cop’st with death himself to ‘scape from it; And if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy.”
Friar is telling Juliet that she can kind of tease death and avoid the shame of getting married to Paris while she is already married to her love, Romeo. He also says “and if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy,” well he doesn’t want to have the blame for pressuring Juliet into pretending she is dead, so he just says that if she dares to go through with it, he will give her the vile. By giving this option to Juliet he gives more room for mistakes to occur in this love tragedy. Which evidently does happen, in this next quote. The next reason why the Friar is the most responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths are he...