Romeo and Juliet-- Friar Lawrence

I'm choosing to write my blog post about Friar Lawrence. Friar Lawrence, although not the main character in Romeo and Juliet, does play an important role in their relationship. Romeo spent a lot of time convincing Friar Lawrence to marry him and Juliet. Friar Lawrence seems kind hearted and as if he has good intentions, although I think that he knows Romeo and Juliet will end somewhat hectically. I don't know yet if this is a smart choice on his behalf, but I do see that he has hidden motives. He wants to put an end to the harsh fighting between the Montagues and the Capulets, and I see this with his actions.

Friar Lawrence gives Romeo very good advice, especially when it comes to need of moderation, and for Romeo to slow down in his actions. We discussed this a little in class and I do believe that Romeo needs to slow down. He says he loves Rosaline, but as soon as he sees Juliet, that love for Rosaline disappears. I think this is solely because Juliet is more beautiful than Rosaline, because he says "has my heart loved until now?" before he has even spoken to her. I don't think that Juliet sees this yet though, and Romeo is content with his love for her. I think that the only person in the plot who sees the faults in their relationship is Friar Lawrence. Friar Lawrence knew Rosaline and insists Romeo take it slower. I think this is because he sees the risks of a Capulet and a Montague in a relationship. The good to come out of it, though, would be the end of the hateful relationship, and a calmer Verona.

I think that Friar Lawrence is an extremely complex character with a lot of knowledge, and I don't know exactly what he plans to do with it. Romeo seems to make decisions without really considering the percussions, and I think Friar Lawrence thinks through each of his actions. This makes him a very wise character in the book, and I think he is very interesting and has a lot of potential to make a lot of important decisions in the plot. This makes me excited to read more about Friar Lawrence. I feel as if he has a lot to uncover, and a lot of his schemes will unfold throughout the pages.

Romeo and Juliet- Love

While reading Romeo and Juliet and focusing on the themes in class, I've noticed a huge connection between love and hate. It seems throughout the plot line that Shakespeare incorporates the two and seems to make his characters mistake love and hate for each other. In the start of Act One, the Montagues and Capulets are known to have a history of hate and violence. They even begin to fight in the streets in the first scene, and even at an attempt to be broken up, can not help but cause violence because of their differences. I found this very interesting because when you think of Romeo and Juliet, you immediately think of romance and love. Already in the story of two lovers I see the element of hate, and how that relates back to love in the end.

The story of Romeo and Juliet is ultimately about love, and although many already know that there's not a happy ending to this story, the book has proven so far that love is very difficult. Love is commonly thought of as sweet, happy and easy. So far the story has taught me that love is far from easy, and can actually be extremely powerful and violent. Romeo says in Act One Scene 3, "Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like a thorn." I took this to mean Romeo questioning if love was dainty and easy, and concluding that it is too hard, too mean, too rowdy and it hurts. This is the kind of love I have seen so far in Romeo and Juliet.

I'm excited to see how the love plays out between Romeo and Juliet and how that may alter their opinions on hate. When they fall in love and begin to question the hate existing between their families, I believe they will see that love is more dominant and can overpower even the deepest hate. Although love can be mean, difficult, and hurt and Romeo doesn't think that it is worth it, I hope that his opinions will change when he does meet Juliet. At this point in the story, though, Romeo does not think much of the Capulets besides that they are terrible people. It is interesting that after so many years of hate, it only took a second for Romeo to fall in love.