William Shakespeare Quotes

Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 3. Friar Laurence is speaking about his role in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. He tells Prince Escalus that if he is at fault, he should be sacrificed and punished under the severest law. Laurence’s responsibility in the tragic deaths of the lovers, and indirectly in the deaths of Paris and Lady Montague, is much debated. There is no doubt that his rushed decision to marry the teenage couple in secret and without their parents’ consent was reckless and ill-advised. His intentions were good, to create peace between the couple’s feuding families. But sometimes the best intentions can have a bad outcome.