FRIAR LAURENCE
FRIAR
LAURENCE
‘These violent delights
have violent ends’
[Act II, scene 6, 9]
Played by
Jeff Alexander
Biography
Friar Laurence is a member of the Franciscan order in Verona. He advises the youth, who come to visit him with their problems. Romeo comes to him with one problem: he wishes to marry Juliet, the daughter of his father’s rival.
Although the Friar thinks it is a hasty decision, he performs the secret marriage in the hope that it will bring peace between their families. The fighting continues though and Romeo is banished from the city for killing Tybalt. When Juliet asks for help in avoiding being forced to marry Paris (her parents’ preferred suitor), the Friar suggests the plan of feigning her death. He intends to get a message to Romeo to tell him of this plan…but it is tragically undelivered.
Also Called
‘father’
[Romeo: Act II, scene 3, 27]
‘holy Friar’
[Nurse: Act III, scene 3, 81]
‘brother’
[Friar: John Act V, scene 2, 22]
‘I’m playing…Friar Laurence and Lord Montague. It took me that long to answer the question because I’ve been in two previous productions of Romeo and Juliet and I’ve played different characters!’
(Jeff Alexander, Lord Montague)
Remembering back to his first time hearing about the idea of the Globe, Jeff takes us through his journey with Shakespeare, the play and as an actor since then.
More coming soon…