Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's first authentic tragedy. It's about two lovers who commit suicide when their feuding families prevent them from being together. The play has many characters, each with their own role in maintaining the plot. Some characters have very little to do with the plot; but some have the plot revolving around them. Although the character of Friar Laurence spends only a short time on stage, he is crucial to the development of the opera's conclusion. It is Friar Laurence's good intentions, his willingness to take risks, and his shortsightedness that lead to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Friar Laurence doesn't have much stage time, but the time he does have is crucial to the plot. Through his words, Friar Laurence demonstrates that he is well-intentioned, but sometimes short-sighted, and that he is not afraid to take risks to help others. He might do something out of the ordinary if he thinks the outcome will help someone he cares about. For example, when he says "In a sense I will be your assistant; / since this alliance may prove so happy, / to turn your family's grudge into pure love" (II.iii.97-99), he is saying that the he only reason he will marry Romeo and Juliet is that he hopes the marriage will put an end to the hostilities between the two houses. When he says "Romeo from my letters will know our direction, / and hither he will come; and he and I / will watch when you wake, and that same night / Romeo will take you to Mantua" (IV.i.116-119), his the intention is clearly to comfort and reassure Juliet. Unfortunately, for all its good intentions, the play still ends in tragedy. Friar Laurence is a man who is not afraid to take risks to help someone; for, in Act 2, Scene 6, when he marries Romeo and Juliet, he is risking his reputation as a Friar, in order to help the two lovers. Furthermore, when he says, "Take this vial, while in bed, / And drink this distilled liquor" (IV.i.95-96), he is suggesting that Juliet drink a potion so that she may feign her own death and avoid marrying Paris. This was an extremely risky thing to do because anything could happen to Juliet while she was unconscious. Even after all he did to help Romeo and Juliet, the play still ended in tragedy due to Friar Laurence's shortsightedness..