In this post, discuss your feelings about Friar Lawrence and the Nurse–can an argument be made that it is really all their faults Romeo and Juliet are in the mess that they are in? Or do you think Friar Lawrence and the Nurse are innocent victims of the situation? Support your thinking with specific examples.
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April 14, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I do not think that Friar Lawrence and the Nurse are not part of the mess Romeo and Juliet are in. Juliet and Romeo are poor kids that asked for their help and they decided to help them. If Romeo and Juliet did not ask them to help they would not be apart of the mess they are in.
April 14, 2009 at 12:08 pm
I think it is partially Friar Lawrence and the nurse fault but it is also that the family fights and dislikes Romeo that they had to do that. With the Friar Lawrence saving Juliet from getting married again and that knowing everyone thinks Juliet is dead and Romeo is killing him self.
April 14, 2009 at 12:09 pm
I think Friar Lawrence and the nurse are innocent victims in this because they really never did anything to affect Romeo and Juliet. The only thin the Friar did was he married them and the nurse helped Juliet with Romeo.
April 14, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I believe it is partially their fault, but it is also the fault of the two families and their quarrel. Friar Lawrence is making their love possible which is wonderful, but he is also sealing a disaster. The nurse keeps changing her opinions, and this is probably making Juliet very stressed. The nurse thinks that Romeo is a fine man and that Juliet is lucky, but then she says Juliet should marry Paris. All of these things have amounted up to become a well known catastrophe.
April 14, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I really like the personality of the nurse. I like that she cares so much about Juliet and that she helped raise her. The friar Larance is not my favorite person in the book. He shows no love towards Juliet and all he wants is for Juliet to get married to this rich family friend.
April 14, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I agree with Mike. He said that they really didn’t make a big difference in the love fair. I agree with that.
April 14, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I agree with Rachel L. because it they are just helping Juliet and Romeo. I mean if Romeo didn’t kill Tybalt at that time Juliet’s parents probably would not have cared as much that she married Romeo.
April 14, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I disagree with Mike because as he said the Friar married them, but that was a big contribution to the mess they are in. Because of that, Juliet faked death so she wouldn’t have to marry again, and then Romeo hears of this and wants to kill himself too. Friar Lawrence also gave Juliet the means of faking the death to continue a forbidden love. The nurse did help Juliet, but she also contradicted her and that must not have helped.
April 14, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I agree with Madison when she says that Romeo and Juliet had to marry behind their families back. The fighting between the families made Romeo and Juliet’s mess harder to fix.
April 14, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I think that if the Friar would not have given Juliet the vial, that she would not have been that as concerned about if Romeo would be there in the morning. The nurse just tries to comfort her, but it does not alway work.
April 14, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I think that it was the nurse fault to because if she never said anything about juliet and Paris getting married then juliet would of told the nurse that she was going to commit fake death. I don’t think it was friar lawrance’s fault at all because since he gave her the potion it made romeo think she was dead and put romeo out of his misery because romeo and juliet were not supposed to be with each other. The juliet realizes the same and she gets out of her misery to.
April 14, 2009 at 2:19 pm
I think that the nurse and Friar Lawerence are dragged into the mess Romeo and Juliet made because they like and respect the wishes of Romeo and Juilet even as crazy and irresponsible they may be because they want them to be hapy and they feel sorry for them. They are innocent because they are just affected by Romeo and Juilet’s whims
April 14, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I agree with rachel, i do not tink that the friar and the nurse caussed this mess. I think that they are inocent victems who were only involved because they decided to help Romeo and Juliet.
April 14, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I think that the whole fiasco is in part Friar Lawrence’s fault. His plan was overly complicated. Juliet could have just walked out of the house. Instead, they go with Friar Lawrence’s overly complicated and dramatic idea. She never had to fake her own death. However, Friar Lawrence probably meant well. I don’t think the nurse did anything wrong.
April 14, 2009 at 3:54 pm
I think that Friar Lawrence is possibly the worst holy man ever. Assisted suicide is probably not something he learned in school. Helping Juliet is one thing, but getting rid of her is just unreal.
As for the nurse, she switched sides too quickly. She was all over Romeo…and then she just changed. Juliet had a right to be angry with her sudden change in heart.
I disagree with Moorea. Friar Lawrence and the nurse are definitely in fault. Romeo and Juliet weren’t i fault.
April 14, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I believe that they are both innocent.Friar Lawrence married Romeo and Juliet but it was their decision to be married. The nurse seemed to help Juliet. while they both interfered they were innocently helping.
April 14, 2009 at 4:33 pm
I think that Friar and the Nurse are not innocent charecters as the Friar marries Romeo and Juliet when Juliet is too young but loves Romeo and they get caght in this web of lies, and the Nurse helps Juliet talk to and see Romeo as he has been exiled and banished from the land. I also think that part of them is innocent though because as Elise said Romeo and Juliet WANT to get married and the nurse is just helping sooth and calm Juliet but she still knows that she is doing wrong.
April 14, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I find it impossible to claim that this is the fault of the nurse and the friar. They respond to the actions of Romeo and Juliet. The friar is a man of god. He works to protect them and to end the hatred between families. the nurse thinks of juliet as her own child. They are simply victims of a twisted affair
April 14, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I believe that Romeo and Juliet dragged the nurse and the friar into this like in I.V.142-160 Juliet drags the Nurse in to ask about who the boys were at the dance. So im going to stick to my opinion that the Nurse and the Friar were dragged into all this by Juliet and Romeo.
I strongly agree with Alec and disagree with Karli because well the Friar wanted her to be married Romeo because Romeo had somewhat of a close relationship with him and plus the Friar is trying to protect the marriage between Romeo and juliet and not have juliet marry another man whom she doesnt even like.
April 14, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I think that Friar Lawrence and the nurse are both innocent of the troubles of Romeo and Juliet. The two love struck kids asked them for their help and they agreed. I think that the friar and the nurse agreed to make the two kids happy. I totally agree with Alec when he says that the friar and nurse are victims of a twisted affair. I also agree with Moorea because I think that the friar and nurse are just trying to help the kids because that’s what they really want even if it’s really irresponsible.
April 14, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Friar Lawrence and the nurse are both innocent. They are just trying to help two kids that are in love. Friar lawrence married them to make them happy. The nurse is like juliet’s mother. Juliet’s own mother doesn’t even care for juliet. I think what makes juliet happy makes the nurse happy.
April 14, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I think Friar Lawrence and the Nurse are the innocent victims of the love affair. They did everything that they could do for Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence is a priest and must help his lambs. He also wanted to bring peace to Verona by unifying the two families with Romeo and Juliet’s love. The nurse is like Juliet’s real mother because she raised her. The nurse cared about her more than Lady Capulet. She just wanted Juliet to be happy. They were both doing what they were supposed to do, the friar took care of his lambs and the nurse tried to make Juliet happy.
April 14, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I agree with Mike on how Firar lawerence and the nurse are innocent victoms and that all friar lawerence did was marry them and the nurse just told Juilet who Romeo was and other stuff like that, and they really shouldn’t be accused of anything
April 14, 2009 at 5:37 pm
I agree with Rachel; I don’t think that it is Friar Lawrence’s and the Nurse’s fault that Romeo and Juliet are in the mess that they are in. Friar Lawerence was telling Romeo that maybe he should slow down because Romeo had just been so infatuated with Rosaline until he saw Juliet and then he loved her. The nurse had been telling Juliet that she liked Romeo, but sghe would rather have Juliet marry Paris(she felt that he was more polite and respectful). I just think that the Friar and the nurse were two outsiders that accidently got pulled into the whole mess.
April 14, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I agree with Mike and Evan. I don’t think what has happened to Romeo and Juliet is their fault. That’s like blaming your dog for eating your homework, when you left it out. It’s a useless excuse. Friar Lawrence married Romeo and Juliet because he saw the love there, he didn’t know that Juliet’s parents were arranging her marriage with Paris. The Nurse just wants Juliet to be happy, she is like a daughter to her. The Nurse also didn’t know that Juliet was to be married that soon to Paris. No one did.
April 14, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Complex question: I agree with half of the class that Friar Lawrence and the Nurse aren’t really responsible for this mess. They have basically been forced into the situation, putting them in an uncomfortable position. First Romeo forces the Friar to have him and Juliet married. Then both Romeo and Juliet force the Nurse and the Friar to help them keep in contact. Then Juliet forces the Friar to give her a potion when she must marry Paris. So who are the people to blame? Romeo and Juliet.
April 14, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Friar Lawrence and the Nurse definitely have impacted Romeo and Juliet’s relationship and mess, but it is not fair to blame them for the WHOLE thing. There are also other characters that had contributed to the mess such as Lady Capulet, Capulet, Paris, and Tybalt. There is no question that the Friar and the Nurse have helped and influenced it, but ultimately Romeo and Juliet would have ended up together no matter who was involved.
April 14, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I believe it isn’t Friar Lawrence’s fault at all. He is just put into the whole thing. He is a nice guy who is just trying to help Romeo and Juliet. An example is when Romeo and Juliet come to get married Friar Lawrence is just being nice and helping the two of them.
April 14, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I believe that Friar Lawrence and the Nurse are not the ones at fault for what is happening. The marriage between Juliet and Romeo was sudden and it was their own idea. Romeo and Juliet should have both spent more time planning for these kinds of problems, but they were too impatient. The Friar and the Nurse are just trying to help the two lovers, but they are not the problem makers. For example, when Juliet went to the Friar, he helped her and let her use his special potion. The Nurse helped by delivering messages to and from Romeo and Juliet. Therefore, Romeo and Juliet are the real problem makers, not the Friar and the Nurse.
April 14, 2009 at 6:00 pm
I don’t think it’s Friar Lawrence’s and the nurses fault because the majority of the time there just trying to get Romeo and Juliet out of all the different troubles they have gotten them selves into. I think if Romeo and Juliet didn’t have them then they would have been in a whole lot more trouble.
April 14, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I disagree with Kelsey on the idea that the Friar is a bad guy. He was just trying to help, and he would have rather seen Juliet fake her death than stab herself to death (for real). That actually makes the Friar seem like a more holy man because he was trying to prevent a suicidal act by offering an alternative, and the alternative was to deceive her family.
April 14, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I believe that they did not help put them in this mess at all. I actually feel bad for them. The Friar was asked to marry Romeo and Juliet, and the nurse has always worked for Juliet’s family. They were just doing their jobs.
April 14, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I agree with Nick. The Friar is for sure not trying to kill Juliet, it’s a fake poison, hes actually trying to stop her from stabbing herself.
April 14, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I disagree with Racheall on the idea that the Friar is at fault because he married them. Romeo came and asked him if he would. Its part of the Friars job to marry two people. Plus if he didn’t Romeo would have thrown a huge hissy fit over and then would have gone on to do something entirely irrational. I also back up Nick and Josh all the way because the Friar was just trying to prevent Juliet from committing suicide.
April 14, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I belive that Friar Lawrence was just trying to help Romeo and Juliet togeather and to keep Juliet from killing herself, where as the nurse is at first doing everything in the best interests of Juliet, but later, after Tybults death, she has started to do everything in the best intrests of Capulet. I agree with what Josh and Nick are saying. The friar is just a good hearted man.
April 14, 2009 at 7:36 pm
i think friar lewrence and the nurse are innocent because they were just trying to help out. friar lewrence was trying to prevent juilet from commiting suicide . thats why he gave her the idea. but romeo thinks juilet is dead.so he is going to poison him self and die in front of juilets tomd just to show how much he loves her.
April 14, 2009 at 7:37 pm
I disagree with Darien on the matter of the Friar and the Nurse being dragged into the situation. I believe that they both agreed to help when the situation arose. The Friar did not need to help Juliet fake her own death to see Romeo.
April 14, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I disagree with Robin in the case of that they were too young to be married. This was a more common age to be wed in those times.
April 14, 2009 at 7:53 pm
I don’t think there is fault to be dealt to anyone. Romeo and Juliet are in love and are drawn to each other. You can’t blame them for that. Friar Lawrence and the Nurse are just looking out for their parties’ best interests, as good guardians should. Neither Friar Lawrence nor the Nurse was aware of the convoluted sequence of events that would follow their decisions, nor were Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence did create trouble by marrying them, but that was because he could tell it was what they both deeply wanted and he knew their love was genuine. He couldn’t deny them marriage, and he didn’t even know about the arranged marriage between Paris and Juliet. The Nurse just wants what is best for Juliet, which isn’t a cause for blame, so not only are Friar Lawrence and the Nurse victims of the situation, but so are Romeo and Juliet.
April 14, 2009 at 8:04 pm
I think the situation that Romeo and Juliet are in is not entirely Friare Lawrence and the Nurse’s fault. I believe it is Romeo and Juliet’s for the most part. Friar Lawrence and the Nurse have only been encouraging the marriage which is not a bad thing because they see that Romeo and Juliet are happy and in love. They are also protecting the young couple and their marriage by making sure County Paris does not marry Juliet.
April 14, 2009 at 8:24 pm
i think that they are both innocent because all they are doing is helping like bring him to the house and find him and stuff. I think that Juliet and Romeo have the problems by them self. I think it’s their own fault that they have thoughs problems.
April 14, 2009 at 8:25 pm
i agry with jenn that the nurse and friare lawrence are just tring to help out
April 14, 2009 at 8:53 pm
I don’t think that it is their falt that they are a part if Romeo and Julets mess. I agree with Jen that they are jut trying to help out in some ways but sometimes it seems like they got draged it to parts of (more the nurse the friare Lawrence) Romeo and
Julet have some major problems and are deffently in need if all the help they can get.
April 14, 2009 at 9:00 pm
I think that Romeo and Juliet are at fault, and Friar Lawrence and the nurse are just trying to help. Romeo and Juliet are the ones who are trying to be together. Because the Friar and the nurse are trying to help, I can understand why some people think theat they are getting in the way. Quite honestly, at first, I thought that the Friar and the nurse were at fault. After reading some of the other responses, I am persuaded to think that if Romeo and Juliet got themselves into this mess, and their fault cannot be put on someone else’s shoulders.
Romeo and Juliet have been together for what, two or three days now? Love at first sight is what got them into this whole mess, and if you were to start at the beginning of the book, you would see that neither the nurse nor the Friar helped Romeo and Juliet wind themselves up into this twisted ball of trouble.
There fore, I agree with Jen, Jackson and all of the other peple who have stated what I have said.
April 15, 2009 at 5:33 am
I think that the Friar and Nurse contributed in the predicament that Romeo and Juliet are in. I think Friar Lawrence should have made sure that the letter reached Romeo, and that the Nurse shouldn’t have told Juliet to marry Paris because then she would be in on the whole plot. But I think the main contributor in this madness is Tybalt. He killed Mercutio, got Romeo banished, and sent the Capulet family into unrest. And to make matters worse, enter Tybalt asking for Juliet. Overall, I think that Friar and the Nurse are doing more good then bad. I mostly agree with the people who said that Friar was just dragged into some of the confusion, but it seems to me that Nurse is the kind of person who jumps at the chance to get in a confusion and almost make matters worse. I think that no blame should be dealt out to Romeo, Juliet, Friar or Nurse, but I definitely think there are some to blame.
April 15, 2009 at 6:16 am
I think Romeo and Juliet are to blame for their own situation. When the Nurse gives Juliet advice on how to handle the situation with marrying Paris she is blamed for giving her advice to Juliet and having her do what her parents want even though she’s already married. Friar Lawerence just happens to get involved when Juliet must marry Paris and nobody else knows she is married to Romeo. It’s not the Friar’s fault for just being there when Romeo and Juliet got married. If anyone is to blame it’s Romeo and Juliet, but I don’t think anyone should be blamed because Juliet didn’t think she would have to marry Paris and neither did Romeo.
April 15, 2009 at 6:35 am
The nurse and the Frair have the same amount as guilt as Romeo and Juiliet. meaning they are in the same place as Romeo and Juiliet they will get in the same amount of trouble as R and J if they get cuaght. For that reason i like them. they beileve in true love.
April 15, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Since the Friar and the Nurse are trying to help Romeo and Juliet, they are at fault for the situation that they are in. The Friar only caused trouble when he did not send a personal letter to Romeo explaining the situation before hand, so that if he received news that Juliet was dead, he would have known not to do anything about it, and he would have come to see her wake. The Friar should have also come earlier, as soon as it was dark, to the tomb since he knew that Romeo did not know about the whole truth in the matter. He could have stopped Romeo from killing himself long enough to see Juliet’s awakening. It is also somewhat the Nurse’s fault because if she had realized that Romeo was not just a whim to her Mistress Juliet, then she could have sent a letter, that explained the whole situation, faster than the Friar could have, coming from an influential family as opposed to a poor Friar. If she had realized that Juliet had truly loved Romeo, she would not have advised Juliet to marry Paris, but to go to Mantua, or she could have advised her to do what she eventually did. The Nurse and the Friar are as much at fault, if not more than Romeo and Juliet.
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April 21, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I agree with Kelsey and Tyler, I think that the Friar was a little too wierd when it came to his idea on how to get the coupple away from their families ,but I also thtnk that the Nurse was not to blame for anything.