Religious Useless Figures in Romeo and Juliet

In Romeo and Juliet, we can see some events that turn the story into another genre. Once a romantic comedy, the play changes into a tragedy unleashed by the death of Mercutio. This drastic change of the play is due to the forces of order failing miserably in their roles. Such forces of order relate to the political power invested upon the Prince, but special attention is needed on who is the agent of spiritual tragedy that causes the play’s fatal ending: Friar Laurence.

Friar Laurence is a character that makes things possible, but when it means to bring back peace and love, he fails as he is the factor for confusion to arise. The play focuses on a pair of young lovers who have barely discovered every aspect of themselves in their adolescence, and who have nothing to learn from their parents; a group of violent and impulsive people in a never-ending war whose reason is never explicit. It is in this context in fair Verona in which the lovers seek refuge in Friar Laurence, who agrees to marry them. It was probably a good idea considering that with that he tried to (...), but everything changes after the letter telling Romeo of Juliet’s fake death. The letter never makes to Romeo’s hands, being it the only mission the Friar had. He, thus, becomes the agent of chaos for the play as he unleashes Romeo in a suicidal mission.

In fact, the Friar is to be blamed for several instances that were vital for the lovers to finally settle together within the play. Recalling the death of Mercutio among several fatal events in the play, Weinberger (2003) mentions “friar Laurence’s carelessness in not telling Friar john that the letter to Romeo was important,” “Friar Laurence slowness in getting to the tomb when he realizes Romeo has not been informed of the plot, “and his “further carelessness in abandoning her (Juliet) in the tomb” (352). He essentially mentions of Laurence’s failures in helping the lovers to be finally be together in peace. The Friar Laurence, in the sense, is seen as an entity of love and peace failing as he does not provide the space for Romeo and Juliet to love each other; moreover, he, in his carelessness, provokes Romeo to return to Verona only to kill Paris before committing suicide. The religious entity of understanding and peace in Verona is useless against impulsiveness in Romeo and the power of love itself as represented in Juliet.

As a conclusion, I can say that the play is ground for debate between religious and secular authority. But both kinds of authorities fail in their roles and their help and guidance has slipped by unrecognized.

Works Cited

Weinberger, Jerry. "Pious Princes and Red-Hot Lovers: The Politics of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." The Journal of Politics 65.2 (2003): 350-375. Web.