Friar Laurence knows that Romeo and Juliet have feelings for each other. Friar Laurence is even the man that was willing to marry Romeo and Juliet. While Romeo and Friar Laurence were waiting for Juliet on the altar, Friar Laurence tells Romeo,“These violent delights have a violent ends/ And in their triumph die.” (2.5.9-10) Friar Laurence knows that their marriage will bring about consequences, and he still chose to marry them. If Friar Laurence didn’t marry Romeo and Juliet, their deaths wouldn’t have occurred. After Romeo is banished from Verona, Friar Laurence helps Juliet come up with a plan for her not to marry Paris.
Firstly, Friar Laurence married Romeo and Juliet knowing that their families hated each other and that it could end very poorly (Shakespeare 944-45). Friar knew this was a bad idea, but he continued with it and married the two. However, if he did not do this he would never be in trouble and Romeo and Juliet would then have to get married the ordinary way, thus, letting both families know. Next Friar decides to give Juliet a vial which will put her in a death-like state and sends a letter to Romeo about the plan, but it does not get to him (Shakespeare 993-1012). If Friar Laurence did not give Juliet the vial, Romeo would not kill himself because he thinks Juliet is dead.
This is where they first meet. Maybe if Juliet’s father hasn’t allowed Romeo to stay at the party they wouldn’t have met, this could have stopped the romance between then before it began and neither of them would have died. When Romeo goes to Juliet’s house she’s says that she has no joy of this contract [love] tonight, it is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden(act….). Juliet believes that it is too rash and she isn’t too sure if they are in love but she falls for what Romeo says. They hardly knew each other why didn’t they says I can’t be with him/her, I have to get over him/her.
The plan sounds good at first, but when the slightest mistake happens the plan ends in devastation. I think the Friar acts foolishly because, firstly, he is the one who marries Romeo and Juliet. Since Romeo and Juliet are two children who were married at a young age, it made them unable to make considered decisions. Friar Lawrence's other foolish action is giving Juliet a potion that will put her into a death-like sleep "Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilling liquor drink thou off," He does send a message to Romeo, but it dosnt reach Romeo. The Friar helps Juliet fake her death and fool her parents.
Juliet's parents call her crazy for talking this way. Yet Capulet calls her mean names and says that she will marry Paris. The Nurse takes up for Juliet and they get into an argument. Capulet says she will marry Paris and says that is final. Juliet asks for pity but it is not given.
Upon further investigation, Friar Lawrence should receive the blame. Admittedly, Tybalt has a large influence on Romeo and Juliet’s death, because he caused the fight. Romeo tried to avoid it, but Mercutio joined in and started the fight and later Tybalt killed Mercutio. Romeo got mad and killed Tybalt and got exiled from Verona. However, Friar Lawrence is more responsible than Tybalt for the deaths of our “star cross’d lovers” because he allowed Romeo and Juliet marry and it caused Romeo to avoid the fight at first with Tybalt, than later tried to stop the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio and caused Mercutio to get killed by Tybalt.
It is also shown during the balcony scene when she agrees to marry Romeo after knowing him only a day and she is not even sure herself that Romeo wants to marry her. After his marriage she is told by her nurse she is to marry Paris. Thinking that her only option was to die or hear a plan presented by Friar Lawrence to get her out of a second marriage. Romeo fell in love very easily (Rosaline.) When he first met Juliet, he seemed to have forgotten about Rosaline Thinking Juliet was dead, Romeo thought that his only option was to take his life out of grief for Juliet.
This feud brought problems along with it, such as the killing of Tybalt by Romeo. Juliet had said: “What’s in a name?” which explains her ill fate of being a Capulet and Romeo being a Montague. When Romeo tells his servant, “Ay, mine own fortune in my misery.” This sentence tells us he does not care for what Juliet’s name, nor his is. Bad luck plays a major role in the story of two-star-crossed lovers. There is an example of this when Romeo attends the Capulet’s party, and this is where he is first exposed to Juliet and where the misfortune begins.
Fate is the prominent reason for the death of both Romeo and Juliet. In the prologue, they are illustrated as “A pair of star-crossed lovers” and later on their love is described as “death mark’d”. Right in the beginning, Shakespeare demonstrates that fate will bring them together, but it will also be the cause of their death. The play could have had a very different conclusion if some circumstances had been different. Perhaps the biggest determining factor of Romeo and Juliet’s demise was the fact that their families were feuding.
He speaks of how only the deaths of two star crossed lovers will break the violence, although it is said in a way that will not be noticed by those viewing the play for the first time. Plays in Shakespeare’s time were viewed many times, as it was the only available source of entertainment. Romeo and Juliet, sometimes referred to as the most tragic love story of all, is a story of young love between two people in families engaged in a deadly feud. The families fight in public at the start of the play, resulting in a death penalty from prince Escales if the peace of Verona is disturbed again. Meanwhile, Romeo, the son of Lord Montague, gatecrashes a masquerade ball hosted by Lord Capulet in honour for a potential marriage between his daughter Juliet and a wealthy man named ‘Paris’.