Meet Friar Lawrence: The Catholic Priest
Friar Lawrence is a Catholic priest from the Franciscan order, which explains his exclamation "Holy St Francis!" The title 'Friar' means 'Brother' and was only used in Catholic monasteries, showing us that Romeo and Juliet is set in a Catholic country like Italy.
Shakespeare deliberately made him Catholic because England was Protestant at the time, and Catholics were seen as old-fashioned and superstitious. This adds an exotic, slightly mystical quality to the character that audiences would have recognised.
His Catholic faith shows through his Latin greeting "Benedicte" (meaning "Blessing") and his belief in Providence - the idea that God controls everything. However, he also believes people's actions are influenced by their personality and nature.
Key Point: We first meet him gathering herbs and flowers in Act 2 Scene 3, which cleverly sets up his later ability to create the potion that Juliet drinks.
