Friar Lawrence's lines in act 2, scene 3, are significant because they foreshadow vital events that will happen in the play. On the surface, it seems like Friar Lawrence is talking about a garden and the plants that grow there. However, what he says about plants and nature is significant—because he makes the point that many plants can be both healing and poisonous depending on how they are used.
When he says,
“The earth that's nature's mother is her tomb;
What is her burying grave that is her womb,”
In act 2, scene 3, he is talking about the cycle of rebirth—things that are buried bring new life and things that are brought to life also die. The words that he says have a deeper meaning that foreshadows the tragedy at the end of the play.
Friar Lawrence marries Romeo and Juliet to bring their families together—the marriage is...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
like a type of new life, in Friar Lawrence’s faith marriage is seen as becoming a new person together as a couple, one flesh. But it isn’t their new life that brings new life to their families; rather it is their death. The tragedy ofRomeo and Juliet is not just that they love each other enough to die than be without, but rather that their families had to experience significant loss, the death of their children, to make peace. That is the metaphor and foreshadowing of the line, they are buried, and out of their death comes peace and new life for Verona.
The above words come from Friar Lawrence's opening soliloquy in act 2, scene 3. He's in the garden, picking plants and flowers with which he's going to make a variety of medicines and potions. The Friar observes that in nature what is good is often mixed in with the bad. So the extract from one particular plant may be beneficial in certain doses but deadly poisonous in others. It all depends on how they are used. Friar Lawrence then goes on to say the following:
The earth, that’s nature’s mother, is her tomb. What is her burying, grave that is her womb.
What the Friar means by this is that nature is the source of life as well as a place of death. The natural world is where all forms of life come to die. For instance, plants are born in the soil, yet it is the soil to which they will eventually return when they wither and die. The world around us provides ample nourishment for the various forms of life, but if nature is misused or abused, then death and suffering can result.