Friar Lawrence is motivated by two factors in
Romeo and Juliet. First, he is a monk. Therefore we must assume
that he is living for the greater good, for the glory of God, to serve, etc. This is an
underlying motivation for him to do anything that would better society. His ultimate
goal in helping Romeo and Juliet is to bring the feuding families together. He believes
this marriage will do just that.
Additionally, when we
first meet Friar Lawrence in Act 2, it is obvious he has had a long time
friendship/advisorship with Romeo. He already knows all about Romeo's infatuation with
Rosaline, and likely other girls as well. This suggests Romeo has been confiding in
Friar Lawrence for some time. When he brings up his new love for Juliet, Friar Lawrence
speaks to him like a father-figure and friend. He obviously has seen Romeo bounce from
one infatuation to another in the past. His close relationship is confirmed later in
the play when Romeo comes to him crying and the Friar says something to the effect of,
"Stop acting like a woman." Only a good friend could say something like
that.
Likely, Friar Lawrence realizes that Romeo's love for
Juliet is different than the other girls, and desires to see his young friend happy and
settled down at last. Coupled with his motivation to bring the two families together,
Friar Lawrence truly believes he is doing the right thing by helping the young
lovers.
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