the friar

Question 1

entreated her to come forth / & bear this work of heaven with patience

Answer 1

• claims to have tried to persuade Juliet to be less hasty - uses religious imagery to justify that he only meant good , but it somehow falls flat in the face of this tragedy.
• as aforementioned, lizabethans were devoutly religious & this FL would have been granted with a lot of inherent trust from the audience because of this. - yet his ability to still do wrong show him to be inherently human. - exemplifies that even men guided by religion can still commit wrong , no matter his intentions

Question 2

“baleful weeds”

Answer 2

• intro of friar, come with a long soliloquy from him as he tends to his plants. He speaks of “baleful weeds” , evoking the theme of death which is ever - present & foreshadowing the poison we see Romeo drink at the plays denouement

Question 3

“wisely & slow. They ____ that run ___”
A2 S3

Answer 3

• he is a mediator of Romeo’s expectations , advising him “wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast” encouraging him to be less hasty
• friars were & still are often tasked with providing people with advice not solely on matters of faith, - Romeo confides in FL , not his own father showing Lawrence acts as a parental figure to Romeo - characterises him as wise + unbiased.

Question 4

“The ___ is broad and wide”

Answer 4

the world is broad and wide
- tries to manage Romeo’s frustration
- FL is paternal in his mediation - attempts to reconcile conflict but does not succeed in this
- perhaps this is Shakespeare communicating the overwhelming power of fate, in that mediation & logic cannot surmount it , despite the friars best efforts

Question 5

let my old life be ___ […] unto the river of the _____ law
A5 S3

Answer 5

• he begs “let [his] old life be sacrificed […] unto the river of the severest law” - shows that like a true religious man , he is willing to repent for his sin - he pleads for salvation
• ultimately the friar had the best intentions & is willing to repent to rove this, but despite his good intentions , he could not overcome the insurmountable power of fate
• whole play is dramatically ironic as we know what will happen to the lovers from the onset & yet somehow we still root for them as though they might escape their fate - our hope , however, like the hope of characters like FL is shown to be futile