Romeo and Juliet: Friar Lawrence

The Friar Laurence is a herbalist within the order of the Franciscan monks. All the other characters in the play trust him. He is Romeo’s “confidence” and Juliet’s “Ghostly confessor”. His door is always open for people that are in trouble or in need of help such as Romeo and Juliet. He will do anything in his power for the greater good
“In one respect, I’ll thy assistant be
For this alliance may so happy prove
To turn your household’s rancour to pure love”
In this case it is to end hostilities between the feuding houses with the marriage of Romeo and Juliet. Even Prince Escalus knows him to be trusted and “still have known thee for a holy man”.


The Friar Laurence’s main role in Romeo and Juliet is as a herbalist. We know this from the first time we see him and we also know that he is a wise man with knowledge of flowers and the feelings and actions of man. As he is picking the flowers he makes a very observant speech about the capabilities of man an...