Question

read friar laurence’s dialogue from act v, scene iii of romeo and juliet. but he which bore my letter, friar john, was stay’d by accident, and yesternight return’d my letter back. based on these lines, what role did friar john play in the catastrophe? he delivered friar laurence’s letter to the wrong person. he continually forgot to deliver friar laurence’s letter. he made the choice not to deliver friar laurence’s letter. he was prevented from delivering friar laurence’s letter.

Explanation:

To determine Friar John's role, we analyze the dialogue: "But he which bore my letter, Friar John, Was stay'd by accident, and yesternight Return'd my letter back." The phrase "stay'd by accident" means he was prevented (by an accident) from delivering the letter. Let's evaluate the options:

• Option 1: The dialogue does not mention delivering to the wrong person, so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: There's no mention of forgetting; he was prevented, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The text says he was "stay'd by accident," not that he chose not to deliver, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: "Was stay'd by accident" directly supports that he was prevented from delivering the letter.

Answer:

D. He was prevented from delivering Friar Laurence’s letter.