Friar John is a minor character in William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. He is a Franciscan friar who is tasked with delivering an important message from Friar Laurence to Romeo.
In the play, Friar Laurence devises a plan for Juliet to avoid marrying Paris, which involves giving her a potion that will make her appear dead. He sends Friar John to Mantua to inform Romeo of the plan so that he can return to Verona when she awakens. However, Friar John is detained by a plague outbreak in the city and is unable to deliver the message.
This failure leads to a series of tragic misunderstandings. Romeo, not receiving the message that Juliet is not truly dead, decides to take his own life. When Juliet awakens and finds Romeo dead beside her, she takes her life as well. Friar John’s role, though small, represents the theme of fate and miscommunication that is central to the tragedy of the play.