In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence warns the lovers about the dangers of their secret relationship.
Friar Laurence secretly marries Romeo and Juliet, hoping that the union will end the feud between their families. However, he repeatedly recognizes that their intense romance is moving too quickly. His warning that violent delights have violent ends becomes one of the play’s clearest statements about the danger of uncontrolled passion.
The friar is not simply a wise observer. His decisions also contribute directly to the catastrophe: he performs the secret marriage, shelters Romeo after the killing of Tybalt, gives Juliet the sleeping potion, and fails to ensure that Romeo receives the explanatory letter.
Because he helps the lovers, audiences sometimes treat Friar Laurence as entirely responsible for their deaths. Shakespeare presents a more complicated picture. The feud, family pressure, violence, chance, and failed communication all combine with the friar’s risky plans.