More Than Romeo and Juliet

In all of the best works of literature, each of a writer’s characters has a purpose whether the role is small or big. Even if it goes unnoticed, the small characters usually play a key role to the story’s plot development. These minor characters also add depth to the story’s world and also help in the development of the major characters’ personality. In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the minor characters of Friar Lawrence, the Nurse, and Tybalt are in many ways the most pivotal characters to the play’s development.

Friar Lawrence, a small, yet important character, is pivotal to the play’s development. For example, shortly after Romeo and Juliet meet, Friar Lawrence decides to do as Romeo and Juliet wish and marry them in order to make peace between their families; “Come, come with me, and we will make short work, /for by your leaves, you shall not stay alone / Till Holy Church incorporate two in one”. (II, 6, 35-37) Though the Friar has good intentions in deciding to do as Romeo pleads, the marriage only leads to complications and deceit. Another instance when Friar Lawrence is a key character is when he gives Juliet a poison that will put her into a deathlike sleep in a plan to reunite her with Romeo; “Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, /And if thou darest, I’ll give thee remedy”. (IV, 1, 73, 77) Friar Lawrence’s plan is clearly not well thought-out because it is much too risky and many safer plans would have had better results. The regrettable outcome of this plan is that Romeo believes that Juliet is actually dead and he takes his own life because of it. The final example of Friar Lawrence’s importance to the play is when he sends another Friar to give Romeo letters explaining his plan; “Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, /And hither shall he come”. (IV, 1, 116-117) When the letters are not delivered to Romeo, it is clear that Friar Lawrence is overly confident in his plan, and this confidence leads to Romeo and Juliet’s death. Knowing the importance of these letters, it would be expected that Friar Lawrence would have involved himself in the delivery of them, but he had not considered the possibility of failure that ended up occurring. These instances demonstrate that Friar Lawrence is of huge importance to the play’s development despite his shortage of lines.

The role of the Nurse appears minor in the context of the main idea of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, but the Nurse actually is in many ways vital to the play’s development. One example of the Nurse’s importance is when she acts as a message carrier between Romeo and Juliet; “I will tell her, sir, that you do protest, which, as / I take it, is a gentlemanlike offer”. (II, 4, 181-182) If it had not been for the Nurse, communication between the two lovers would be very near impossible and much too risky, for no one else knows of their relationship. Another significant instance in which the Nurse continues to play an important role is when she comforts Juliet and promises to retrieve Romeo from Friar Lawrence’s cell; “Hie to your chamber. I’ll find Romeo / to comfort you. I wot well where he is. / Hark you, your Romeo will be here at night. / I’ll to him. He is hid at Lawrence’ cell”. (III, 3, 151-154) This scene shows how Juliet relies on the Nurse for comfort and assistance. Without the Nurse to comfort her, Juliet may have made some rash and harmful decisions. The final and most important example of the Nurse’s importance to the play is when she too gives into the thought that Juliet is better off marrying Paris; “Then, since the case so stands as now it doth, / I think it best you married with the county”.(III, 5, 229-230) This scene is of utmost importance because the Nurse has been Juliet’s only comfort and support, and when the Nurse finally gives in, it seems