I'm going to re-ask the Romeo+Juliet question in much more detail... and editing.?

Question

At our school we are having a mock trial and Friar Lawrence is going to be the defendant. I am personally being forced to be John. Anyway.. she is saying that Lawrence can be blamed for assisted suicide for Rome and Juliet. She says that he could not marry the children without permission because apparently back in the 1300s(I think?) children... especially women were considered property of their fathers so they need permission to marry someone. She also says that the Friar should have reported when Romeo and Juliet at one point both threatened the Friar with killing themselves... she says it wasn't technically a confession so the Friar should have reported them to the families.. although when Juliet threatened to kill herself she indeed did say she was going to confession to get forgiveness for her sins(having the fight with her father). My teacher is basically saying the Friar did everything wrong. He should never have given Juliet the potion and shouldn't have come up with that whole

idea of bringing them together in the end. My teacher says he could be blamed for assisted suicide. One of my thoughts on this is... I don't even think that is assisted suicide. Wouldn't assisted suicide be something like Friar Lawrence giving Juliet the dagger to stab herself and giving Romeo the poison(which the Apothecary gave him)? She said there is one way to acquit the Friar... me personally I think there would be 100s of ways. But what is this one way? She is also being psychotic saying we aren't basing this on our Constitution but stuff we know... I know the Constitution! Well what way can he be acquited that would make my teacher happy?


I wish I could've been defense attorney!

Answer 1

Well the marriage wasn't legal anyway even if they'd been adults, because he was a Friar, not a Priest.

Also, back then there were no "mandated reporter" laws like we have today, so there was no obligation on him to tell anyone anything.

Remember, no-one can be convicted of a crime unless they do something that's illegal under the law AS IT IS WHEN THEY DO IT. There's no 'reteroactive crimes'. To convict Laurence, the prosecutor needs to prove that something he did was illegal under the laws of 13th century Florence.

Um... sparhawk.... R&J isn't set in England :-) It's set in Italy - Florence, if I remember my high school Shakespear right, so it would be Florentine law, because Italy didn't exist as a country then.

Richard

Answer 2

The Friars intent was to heal both houses through a marriage. He was hopeful that if they were united through the marriage of Romeo and Juliet that the hostilities would decline. So you could argue that his aim and intent were consistent with his role as a spiritual leader.

Also back in those days the Church of England had great influence over civil maters. You might try telling your teacher that your client wishes to be tried in an ecclesiastical court because as a Friar he is subject to a higher authority.

As to the charge itself, I am not sure that assisted suicide was even a crime back then. You may want to see if you can look up any information on English law in those times.

Answer 3

your teacher is all wrong, the friar was just trying to help the whole time.
it`s just that romeo was an idiot, that`s what ;)
like hun, go to the hospital & make sure shes dead before you decide to kill yourself!

Answer 4

you teacher is cheating: picking and choosing.

She decides she likes the 12th century law about women being property but 2007 law about assisted suicide. No fair!