preview

Romeo And Juliet Friar Lawrence Speech Analysis

Decent Essays

When people think about monks and friars, they generally think of someone dressed in a brown cloak and a horseshoe haircut. People picture them helping the poor and preaching to peasants, or living in secrecy, helping Robin Hood provide for the poor. In a sense, Friar Lawrence helps people and goes behind aristocrats backs’ to do so. In Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence has an interesting speech he makes in Act II. The Friar talks of natural beauty, the good and evil sides of life, and the power of nature. The first message Friar Lawrence talks of is of the beauty of nature. Friar Lawrence states, “The gray-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night, check’ring the eastern clouds with streaks of light.”(pg 844/ line 1-2) …show more content…

Plants, poison, drugs, medicine, life, nature, and humans are all examples of things the friar lists as being good and bad. Friar Lawrence exclaims, “Many for many virtues excellent, none but for some, and yet all different.”(pg 845/line 13-14) Here the friar explains that the earth produces wonderful products, and that there is a wide variety of these things. Friar Lawrence explains how these products can be good and bad. For example the friar mentions, “For naught so vile that on the earth doth live but to the earth some special good doth give; nor aught so good but, strained from that fair use, revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse.”(pg 845/ line 17-20) The friar is simply stating how things can be used for good and bad. Again, the Friar restates himself by saying, “Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, and vice sometime by action dignified.”(pg 845/ line 21-22) Once more, Friar Lawrence speaks of good and evil purposes for items.The friar goes on to use a flower as an example. He preaches, “Within the infant rind of this weak flower poison hath residence and medicine power; for this, being smelt, with that part cheers each part; being tasted, stays all senses with the heart.”(pg 845/ line 23-26) Here the friar just provides evidence for his previous …show more content…

A quotation from Romeo and Juliet that perfectly displays the friar’s point is, “O, mickle is the powerful grace that lies in plants, herbs, stones, and their true qualities; for naught so vile that on the earth doth live but to the earth some special good doth give.”(pg 845/ line 15-18) In this quotation, Friar Lawrence talks of how plants, herbs, and stones all have significant “powers” to heal you, or kill you. An example of powerful natural occurrences that happen frequently are tornadoes, wind, rain, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes. In the previous paragraph, I mention a flower’s power. The friar elegantly said, that a small, trembling flower, could have the power to help you, but it could also be your demise. It is amazing how such a small thing, can greatly affect us

Get Access