WS ABC #30 Shakespearean Friars

In his plays, Shakespeare makes the use of five friars:
Friar Francis in Much Ado About Nothing
Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet
Friar Peter in Measure for Measure
Friar Thomas in Measure for Measure 
Friar John in Romeo and Juliet

In this blog, I am going to concentrate on the first two, Friars Francis and Lawrence.

FRIAR FRANCIS is the well-meaning friar who has the job of marrying Hero and Claudio in Much Ado. When Hero faints after being slandered by Claudio at the wedding, the friar suggests that it is published that Hero has died of grief. Claudio feels remorse and later marries the 'revived' Hero. In the final scene, not only does Friar Francis join Hero and Claudio in holy matrimony, but he also does the same with Beatrice and Benedick, the two loquacious heroes of the play.

Friar Francis marrying Hero & Claudio in Kenneth Branagh's                           version of "Much Ado about Nothing."

FRIAR LAWRENCE is another-meaning friar who secretly marries Romeo and Juliet. At the beginning of the play in Act II, sc.iii, he foreshadows the grim ending of the play when he refers to the life and death of plants and how they can be compared to people. Unfortunately for the friar, and even more so for our 'star-crossed lovers,' his plan becomes unstuck as both Romeo and Juliet die in the end.

Friar Lawrence in Zefferelli's film version of "Romeo and                                                                  Juliet."

Question: Was this friar, despite his good intentions, a good guy? After all, it was his plan that led to the untimely demise of Romeo and Juliet.

Interestingly enough, both of these friars are called on to act as the 'middlemen' in these two plays. In a way, they both 'play God' and use the device of shamming death to try and bring a joyful solution to the conflict. Unfortunately, in R&J it doesn't work out that way.

Another point is that these friars are representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. This was certainly not an institution that was 'flavour of the month' during the **Jacobethan period. They both play a vital and pivotal role in both of these plays. 

       Pete Posslethwaite as the Friar in "Romeo and Juliet." 

**I have recently discovered the word, 'Jacobethan,' a word that covers Shakespeare's life time and playwriting career. I will  be using it from now on quite happily. 

Next time: The First Folio of Shakespeare's plays.
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