Saturday, August 12, 2017

Why doesn't Friar Laurence understand how Romeo feels in act 3?

Romeo's experience is so far removed from that of Friar Laurence that he undoubtedly has a difficult time in relating to Romeo's predicament.
First, Romeo is wealthy. In the prologue, we learn that this is a story of "two households, both alike in dignity." Early in act 1 we see the feast that the Capulets are hosting, full of merriment and excess. There are several textual supports that suggest the Montagues are just as wealthy. In contrast, friars of this time were only to beg money for the poor, and they were not supposed to keep any for themselves. As payment for their teachings, they were to accept food and clothing. Romeo comes from a background that a friar has only secondhand access to.
Second, Romeo has fallen in and out of love in this play. The friar is at first confused when Romeo is sharing his feelings for Juliet, as he was pining away after Rosaline the day before. Friars, in service to God, did not marry, so to witness this young man falling helplessly in love and wanting to marry Juliet the same day is certainly a foreign emotion to Friar Laurence.
Third, Romeo has committed murder and is now facing the consequences. As a servant of God, this certainly is beyond Friar Laurence's realm of experience.
All of this leads to the following exchange in act 3, scene 3:




FRIAR LAWRENCELet me dispute with thee of thy estate.






ROMEOThou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel.Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love,An hour but married, Tybalt murderèd,Doting like me, and like me banishèd,Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hairAnd fall upon the ground, as I do now,Taking the measure of an unmade grave. (3.3.64–72)







When he seeks to give Romeo some advice, Romeo basically responds by questioning how the friar could possibly have anything to offer in this situation. He has never been in love, he has never committed murder, and he doesn't know what it's like to be banished from a life of privilege into the unknown. Although the friar means well, Romeo recognizes that he lacks the experience to offer valuable insights.

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