Romeo and Juliet
Friar John
Messenger friar
A fellow Franciscan trapped by a plague quarantine, who cannot deliver the Friar's letter to Romeo.
Friar John is a quiet, dutiful monk who serves under Friar Laurence. He is sent to Mantua with the letter that explains Juliet's potion and the plan for Romeo to meet her at the tomb. He is meek, honest and apologetic.
He is a small figure, but his bad luck changes everything. The letter is the one link between the planned escape and the world, and he cannot do his job because of circumstances no one could control.
“I could not send it—here it is again—nor get a messenger to bring it thee, so fearful were they of infection.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
A plague quarantine stops Friar John from reaching Mantua. He comes back to Friar Laurence and says he could not send the letter or find a messenger willing to carry it.
Friar Laurence sees at once what this means, calling the letter full of dear import, and decides to go to the tomb alone. By that time Romeo has already heard the wrong news from Balthasar. Friar John's failure is one of the accidents that make the tragedy.
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