Blog 6

Agree with the following statement and use specific details and quotes from the text to support your argument:
Friar Lawrence is a peacemaker.

I agree with the statement that "Friar Lawrence is a peacemaker," because Lawrence is not only a scientist but also a priest.  Based on the two identities he has, he is potentially inclined to a peacemaker.  The more specific details can make the statement more clear, so the next is that why I think Lawrence is a peacemaker.

As a scientist, he can make the medicine to heal people and also can make the poison to kill people.  When Lawrence comes to the stage, he acts as a herbal scientist while he is like a worshiper to nature.  He says, "Many for many virtues excellent, None but for some, and yet all different. O, mickle is the powerful grace that lies in plants, herbs, stones, and their true qualities...Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, And vice sometime by action dignified...In man as well as herbs, grace and rude will; And where the worser is predominant, Full soon the canker death eats up that plant."  First, Lawrence appreciates the power of nature.  He thinks nature is human's mother and this magic mother is omnipotent.  Then, he compares the plant to the human.  He believes that the herbs have no difference from the human.  The all compete with each other, so sometimes they are kind because they can improve themselves together, but sometimes they are evil because they kill others to protect themselves.  All herbs have their functions, so all the human have their own personality and specialty.  The last line and the most important lines Lawrence provides is that everything related to crime cannot live longer.  From the sentence he says, we can say that he is a wise old man, who knows every knowledge and see the truths behind the appearance clearly.  He can understand the evil mind that people have, but from the last sentence, we can see that he believes that the evil mind cannot be stronger because this mind can put people to death.  It is a common sense that war is like a demon, which advocates the human to make evil actions.  It disobeys the saying of Lawrence.  Therefore, he can be seen as a peacemaker. 

As a priest and Romeo's close people, when he hears that Romeo falls in love with Juliet and wants to marry her, Lawrence shows his big surprise.  After a few second, he agrees to be the witness of their marriage.  He explains, "O, she knew well Thy love did read by rote that could not spell.  But come, young waverer, come go with me, In one respect I'll thy assistant be;  For this alliance may so happy prove To turn your households' rancor to pure love."  It demonstrates that Lawrence is a thoughtful person.  Even though he got shocked, he finally agrees to be the witness after thinking.  It is from a deep consideration instead of an emotional and subjective reaction so we can know that he really wants to make a good advice to Romeo's future, and he also wants to solve the hate between the two families.  As a conclusion, Lawrence is a peacemaker.