For my scene we decided to focus on the foreshadowing and how Friar Lawrence tried to control fate, we used the scenes where Friar Lawrence tries to talk to Romeo and Juliet about Romeo being banished. Our scene shows how Romeo tries to control what happens next in the relationship, it shows more when he talks to Juliet than when he talks to Romeo because when he talks to Juliet he states a clearly thought out plan for what is going to happen next, according to him. Friar Lawrence is the main reason for the downfall of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet because he tried to control fate instead of letting fate control itself.
In the first scene we performed, Friar Lawrence and Romeo were talking about how to deal with the fact that he was banished, Friar Lawrence bascially told him to just suck it up and swallow the beans when he said "From Verona art thou banished, the world is far and wide for you Romeo" this basically is telling Romeo that he can find another place better than Verona and another woman better than Juliet. Romeo responds, heartbroken and desperate, he says that "there is no world without Verona walls, nothing but torture, purgatory, hell itself". This is obviously stating that Verona is the only place that he knows, the only place where he feels at home and if he were to go anywhere he wouldn't feel right because he has only been in Verona's walls and he doesn't know anything else so the outside world scares him. Romeo threatens to kill himself when he says "thou cutt'st off my head with a golden axe and smilst upon the stroke that murders me" which basically means to my knowledge, that when Friar Lawrence speaks of banishment, he's basically telling him to kill himself so he could smile at him while he did it, because Romeo feels like life is not worth living without Juliet or Verona and the Frair is telling him to be a man and do what is expected of him, but as we'll soon find out that is not the case. Romeo then goes on a rant about philosophy saying "unless philosphy can displant a town, reverse a prince's doom or make a Juliet it helps not, it prevails not" to where the Friar replies "I see madmen have no ears". Romeo then storms out and that is the end of the first scene. This is the beginning where you begin to see Friar Lawrence's attempted dominance over the situation as he tries to take over Romeo's conscience.
In the sceond scene we performed, Friar Lawrence showed how controlling he is when he completely manipulates Juliet into performing an act that is supposed to reunite her with Romeo forever where they will live happily ever after which just doesn't happen. It starts where Juliet comes in absolutely freaking out as she says "Oh shut the door and after you do come weep with me" meaning close the door behind us and then come cry with me over Romeo's banishment where Friar Lawrence replies "Oh Juliet I already know the content of your grief" meaning I already know whats wrong, I know what you're going to tell me. Juliet then announces her death wish when she says "and with this knife I hold it presently, I long to die" which means now that Romeo, she has nothing to live for so she wants to die. Friar Lawrence now shows his controlling ways when he says "Hold, daughter! I do spy a kind of hope, which craves as desperate an execution as that is desperate which we would prevent. If rather than to marry County Paris, thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, then is it likely thou wilt undertake a thing like death to chide away this shame, that cop’st with Death himself to scape from it; and if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy. Here he basically says if she dares to accept a task so dangerous as death, which she threatened and if fear didn't hold her back he would give her something to fix the situation. Juliet accepts, saying she'd do anything to be with Romeo forever. Friar Lawrence then announces his plan which begins the downfall of the romance of Romeo and Juliet when he says "Hold then. Go home, be merry, give consent to marry Paris. We’n’sday is tomorrow; tomorrow night look that thou lie alone, take thou this vial, being then in bed, and this distilling liquor drink thou off, when presently through all thy veins shall run a cold and drowsy humor; for no pulse. To wanny ashes, thy eyes’ windows fall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death, thou shalt continue two and forty hours, and then awake as from a pleasant sleep. In the mean time, against thou shalt awake, shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, and hither shall he come, an’ he and I will watch thy waking, and that very night shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua. And this shall free thee from this present shame. Juliet agrees and goes home.
For the rest of the essay I will sum up how my analysis is accurate to the scenes I chose and I will explain how my thesis is true by giving more evidence and using the evidence already stated to back up my argument.
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