Skip to main content

In Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, what quotes show that Friar Laurence cares about Romeo's happiness?

Friar Laurence shows his concern for the wellbeing of Romeo (and for the potential opportunity for peace between the Montagues and Capulets that his union with Juliet could bring) in Act Two, Scene Six. Friar Laurence expresses this hope by stating, "So smile the heavens upon this holy act, / That after hours with sorrow chide us not!" He wants this marriage to be a blessed one that will bring joy to replace the violence between these families. Still, he harbors concern that this love is moving too fast and cautions Romeo:



These violent delights have violent ends


And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,


Which as they 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.



Someone who had no personal investment in Romeo's happiness would not take the time to counsel him in this manner. Friar Laurence's advice is sound: Don't rush into anything. Don't get ahead of yourselves. Proceed with caution. This is not the first nor last time that Friar Laurence has encouraged Romeo to think carefully about his actions; earlier in Act Two, Friar Laurence tells Romeo to move "[w]isely and slow" for "they stumble that run fast."


This persistent concern and the repeated use of adages suggests that Friar Laurence plays an almost parental role in Romeo's life. In fact, when Romeo flees to Friar Laurence's cell after killing Tybalt, Friar Laurence is the one to bring him the news of his banishment. He attempts to soften this blow with language of endearment:



Too familiar


Is my dear son with such sour company:


I bring thee tidings of the prince's doom.



Again, Friar Laurence calls for careful thought and action: "Be patient, for the world is broad and wide." Although he is mostly gentle with Romeo, Friar Laurence finally gives him a dose of tough love when Romeo threatens to kill himself in a fuss over his banishment. Friar Laurence responds to this sharply: "Fie, fie, thou shames they shape, thy love, thy wit..." 


Perhaps the strongest argument for Friar Laurence's interest in Romeo's happiness is that he is willing to testify on the lovers' behalf to the Prince, even though this risks his reputation within Verona. He acknowledges this when he states that he stands "both to impeach and purge / Myself condemned and myself excused." Though he is not ultimately able to save Romeo from his dim fate, Friar Laurence retains his commitment to Romeo and Juliet's message through the act of telling the truth: that love should triumph over all.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more