Lesson video

Hello everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton.

I'm here to guide you through your learning journey today.

This lesson is called Exploring the role of Friar Lawrence in Act 2, Scene 3 of "Romeo and Juliet." Now I think Friar Lawrence is one of the most fascinating characters in the play because of the actions he takes as well as what he might represent in terms of religion and society.

So if you're ready, grab your pen, laptop, Evians for this lesson and let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain the role of Friar Lawrence and his relationship to Romeo within Act 2, Scene 3 of "Romeo and Juliet." So we have four words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They'll be identified in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to point them out to you as well, so you can see them being used in context.

So the first word is Friar, which means someone who belongs to a religious order, a group within the Catholic church.

So we know that Friar Lawrence belongs to a religious order.

He's a religious man.

Our second key word is duality, which means the state of combining two different things.

We're going to be thinking about what the Friar might suggest about the duality of human nature.

Our third key word is secular, which means not connected with religious or spiritual matters.

Now, Elizabethan society was not secular.

Religion played a very important part in people's lives.

Our final key word is tragedy, which means a play dealing with tragic events and often ends with a death.

We're going to be thinking how the Friar's speech in Act 2, Scene 3 might foreshadow the tragic ending of "Romeo and Juliet." So I'll just give you a moment to write down those keywords and their definitions.

So pause the video, write them down now.

Fantastic.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So we have three learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle we're just going to take a few minutes to explore the context of religion in Elizabethan society and how important it was.

For our second learning cycle we're going to look at the Friar's speech at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 3, and what it might suggest about the Friar, but also about human nature in general.

For our third learning cycle we're going to look at what Act 2, Scene 3 tells us about the relationship between Friar Lawrence and Romeo.

So let's start by just thinking about the context of religion in Elizabethan society.

I think it's important to do because our government and society today are less religious now than they were in Elizabethan England.

And it can be hard sometimes to understand just how important religion was.

So "Romeo and Juliet" was first published in 1597.

Religion played a significant role in people's lives during the Elizabethan period.

Now in Elizabethan England, people believed that God had set out an order for everything, known as the Great Chain of Being.

The Church was central to people's lives, and the Monarch decided the religion of the country.

Anyone not following that religion, faced religious persecution.

So hopefully this gives you an idea of just how important religion was to people in the Elizabethan period.

Now, Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" contains the character Friar Lawrence.

So just to make sure we understand what the title of Friar means for the character, let's talk through a little bit of information.

So Friars were devoted to a religious life.

They were religious people who lived and worked among regular people in society, rather than being a religious building such the monastery.

So they're connected to society, rather than being separated from it.

They were also able to provide religious and spiritual guidance for people.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which of the following statements is true.

A, Elizabethan England was more secular than religious.

B, the Church was central to people's lives in Elizabethan England.

Or C, Friars live separately to regular people in monasteries.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now secular is one of our key words.

It means not connected to religious or spiritual matters.

And that does not apply to Elizabethan England.

And Friars lived and worked amongst regular people.

So the correct answer is B.

The Church was central to people's lives in Elizabethan England.

So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We now have the first task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is think about the following information.

So Romeo and Juliet both rely on Friar Lawrence's help and advice throughout "Romeo and Juliet." Romeo and Juliet turn to the Friar rather than their parents or their friends.

And the name Lawrence means God has helped.

And what I'd like you to do is discuss how you think Shakespeare's representing religion through the character of Friar Lawrence.

So what do you think Shakespeare might be saying about religion through Friar Lawrence? Pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss.

Welcome back, having some great discussions there.

What I'd like you to do now is think about Aisha and Sofia's ideas.

Think about how well they align with your ideas.

So Aisha said, "I think Shakespeare's representing how important religion was in terms of guiding people's lives." And Sofia said, "I agree.

I also think he's showing how religion was considered more important than family and secular ties." So pause the video, think about how well Aisha and Sofia's ideas align with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now when you're reading a text, I think it's so important to remember the characters are constructions of a writer.

Shakespeare wrote them to have a particular effect on the audience.

So always keep in mind what they might be suggesting or representing about people in general or an idea within society.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now at the second learning cycle, where we're going to think about the Friar's speech at the start of Act 2, Scene 3 and what it might tell us about the Friar and human nature in general.

So we first meet Friar Lawrence in Act 2, Scene 3.

The Friar is gathering herbs and thinking about the properties of plants as he does so.

He says, "Within the infant rind of this weak flower, poison hath residence and medicine power." So what I'd like you to think about is what do you think Friar Lawrence is saying about plants? Consider what poison and medicine might suggest.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now you might have thought about the words poison and medicine and thought that Friar Lawrence is saying that plants have the power to both heal and harm people.

Now Friar Lawrence extends his commentary on plants to consider human beings as well.

He says, "Two such opposed kings encamp them still In man as well as herbs, grace and rude will." So what I'd like you to think about is what do you think Friar Lawrence is saying about the nature of people? Think about the words grace and rude.

What does it mean to be gracious and what does it mean to be rude? How might that link to what we've just said about plants? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone, some great ideas there.

Now you might have linked the ideas of grace and rudeness and what we just said about plants and thought the Friar was saying that people have the capacity for both good and evil within them.

So now let's take a look at some of the words used in Friar Lawrence's speech.

So with baleful, which means threatening harm, tomb, grave, and death.

So what I'd like you to think about first is what do all of these words have in common? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Well welcome back, everyone.

Now as Alex says, "They're all to do with death and harm." So what I'd like you to think about now is what do you think Friar Lawrence's speech might be foreshadowing? So what might it be hinting about what will happen in the future? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, as Alex says, "I think it's foreshadowing the tragic ending of the play." Now this is something that Shakespeare does all throughout "Romeo and Juliet." We know from the prologue that Romeo and Juliet have a tragic ending and Shakespeare continually reminds us of that throughout the play.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Friar Lawrence considers human nature within his opening speech in Act 2, Scene 3? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Now the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like to tell me why it's true.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said that Friar Lawrence suggests that people have the capacity to commit both good and evil acts.

He's considering the duality of human nature.

So the two sides of human nature.

So very well done if you've got those right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

And now to the second task of the lesson.

Now arguably Friar Lawrence's speech at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 3 does two things.

It suggests that Friar Lawrence is aware of the duality of human nature, the capacity of someone or something to be both good and evil.

It also foreshadows Romeo and Juliet's tragic end.

So what I'd like you to think about is why do you think Shakespeare introduced us to Friar Lawrence through this speech? What does it suggest about his character? I'd like you to write a short answer explaining your ideas.

So pause the video, write your answer now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some amazing work there.

So what I'd like you to do is think about Izzy's answer.

Think about how well it aligns with your ideas.

So Izzy said, "By considering human nature and the capacity for duality, I think Shakespeare's presenting Friar Lawrence as a wise man who has a deep understanding of people and how people work.

By foreshadowing Romeo and Juliet's tragic end within the speech, perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting that Friar Lawrence possesses the capacity to predict future events and thus as these ideas of wisdom and knowledge." So pause the video, think about how well Izzy's ideas align with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I think the presentation of Friar Lawrence as being wise and knowledgeable is really important 'cause it helps to reveal how religion was thought of at the time.

What's interesting is whether you think Friar Lawrence is still presented as wise and knowledgeable at the end of the play.

That's something you might like to go away and think about.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now at the third learning cycle.

We're going to think about Friar Lawrence and Romeo's relationship and how we also might interpret the advice the Friar gives to Romeo.

Now, Romeo enters the scene part way through Friar Lawrence's speech, but he doesn't interrupt him or announce his presence.

Now, we might think that's slightly odd because Romeo's the main character of the play, but he stands aside and lets the Friar finish the speech uninterrupted.

So what I'd like you to think about is what might that signify about how the other characters in the play see Friar Lawrence.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone, some great ideas there.

Now, as Sam says, "I think it signifies that the other characters see Friar Lawrence as more important than themselves, his thoughts are more important than their desire to talk to him and they respect him." So again, it highlights the importance of religion in society.

It takes priority of everything else.

So let's start thinking about the relationship between Romeo and Friar Lawrence.

So when he hears that Romeo did not spend the night in his own bed Friar Lawrence asks, "God pardon sin! Wast thour with Rosaline?" Now this implies that Friar Lawrence knew about Romeo's feelings for Rosaline and this is important because in Act 1, Scene 1, Romeo's father declares he neither knows "nor can learn of him" what is troubling Romeo.

So Romeo's father didn't know about Romeo's love for Rosaline, but yet the Friar does.

So what I'd like to think about is what does that suggest about the relationship between Friar Lawrence and Romeo? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might have said.

Now, the fact the Friar knows about Romeo's love for Rosaline shows they've discussed it and it shows that Romeo trusts the Friar.

The fact the Friar knows more about Romeo's life than his own father shows that Romeo opens up more to the Friar than to his own family.

So now for quick check for understanding,.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Shakespeare implies that Romeo's relationship with Friar Lawrence is meaningful? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Now the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's true.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said that Shakespeare implies Romeo shares his emotions and aspects of his life with the Friar rather than his own family.

So very well done if you've got those right.

Now, upon discovering that Romeo now loves Juliet rather than Rosaline, Friar Lawrence informs Romeo, he was merely doting on Rosaline rather than loving her.

So doting means showing affection and being infatuated rather than being in love.

So what I'd like you to think about is what do you think the significance of Friar Lawrence saying this is? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, when we read the play, we get the impression that Shakespeare wants us to understand that Romeo's true love is Juliet rather than Rosaline.

And this is something the Friar seems to understand.

So as Jacob says, "I think it suggests that Friar Lawrence understands Romeo and understands him better than Romeo understands himself." It as if Friar is wise, it's just he has a close relationship with Romeo.

So once Romeo's revealed he's now in love with Juliet rather than Rosaline, he then requests that Friar Lawrence agrees to marry the two of them.

Despite his reservations, the Friar responds, "In one respect I'll thy assistant be, For this alliance may so happy prove To turn your household's rancour to pure love." So here the Friar's agreeing to the marriage because he believes it will solve the feud, rancour, between the families.

Now the Friar agrees to the marriage because he believes it will solve the feud between the families.

So what I'd like you to think about is what do you think this reveals about the Friar and the role he plays within society? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might have said.

Now, we know from the start of the play, the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets is causing bloodshed on the streets.

So you might have thought the Friar puts the good of the many before his personal feelings.

The fact he feels that he must step in and help might also suggest he sees as his duty to try and help society.

It also might potentially reveal the importance of religion, its purpose and duty is to try and stop anything that might harm society in general.

Now the Friar ends his conversation with Romeo, with a final piece of advice.

"Wisely and slow.

They stumble that run fast." So here the Friar's advising Romeo to think carefully as impulsive decisions can lead to negative consequences.

So what I'd like to think about is what do you think this suggests about the Friar as a character? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might have said.

Now, the Friar's advice is good advice.

We should think about the consequence of our actions before we actually do them.

So perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting the Friar has wisdom.

The fact that Friar is offering advice also suggests he's trying to guide Romeo.

He's trying to help him through life and show him how to live.

Now, this reinforces the closeness of their relationship.

And maybe it suggests the Friar is a fatherly figure and a mentor to Romeo.

So now for a quick check for understanding, why does the Friar agree to marry Romeo and Juliet? Is it A, he believes they're truly in love and thinks they deserve happiness together.

B, he wants to upset the Montagues and Capulets.

Or C, he believes it will solve the problems between the Montagues and Capulets.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now the Friar believes the marriage will solve their household's rancour, so it'll solve their problems. So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

And now the final task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is write a short answer to the question, how does Shakespeare present the relationship between Friar Lawrence and Romeo? Now you might consider that Romeo shares his emotions and aspects of his life with Friar Lawrence and that Friar Lawrence tries to offer advice to Romeo.

So pause the video, write your answer now.

Welcome back, everyone, some great work there.

What I'd like you to do is now read back through your answer and reflect on the following ideas.

So did you consider the fact that Friar Lawrence knows more about Romeo's life than Romeo's family do? Did you consider that Romeo's willingness to share his life with Friar Lawrence over his own family could indicate their close relationship? And did you consider that Friar Lawrence's advice to Romeo not only shows he wants the best for Romeo, but also he knows him well enough to know he's impulsive in nature.

So pause the video, read back through your answer now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, as I said earlier, I think the Friar is such an interesting character in the play, particularly because he arguably represents religion.

Looking at the Friar's character might reveal what Shakespeare thought of religion and the role it played within society.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

In Elizabethan England, religion played a central role in people's lives.

Friar Lawrence's role as an advisor to Romeo and Juliet arguably represents the importance of religion.

Friar Lawrence's speech in Act 2, Scene 3 indicates his knowledge of human nature and emotions.

Shakespeare arguably presents Friar Lawrence and Romeo as having a very close relationship, I really hope you enjoyed the lesson everyone.

I hope to see for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.