What does the plague have to do with Friar Laurence in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

The plague is
not really a major theme, but is briefly mentioned in the final act. The plague becomes a
serious issue for because it thwarts his
plans to informof 's faked death and arrange for him to meet her at the tomb and
take her safely to Mantua.

The reference to the
plague most likely refers to the Black Plague, or
bubonic plague, which began in the early 14th century, the century in which
is set in. The bubonic plague was highly infectious and killed millions.
Friar Laurence had written a letter to Romeo explaining events and had
commissioned Friar John to carry it to Romeo in Mantua. However,did
not want to travel to Mantua by himself and sought a fellow brother to accompany him. The
problem was that this fellow friar had been "visiting the sick," and the local
authorities suspected them both of being "in a house / Where the infectious pestilence did
reign" (V.ii.7, 9-10). As a result, both Friar John and his fellow friar were
quarantined inside the house until it was known for sure that
neither of them were also carrying the disease. The severe consequence for Friar Laurence is
that, because Friar John was under quarantine, Friar Laurence's letter was not
delivered to Romeo. Therefore, it was never explained to Romeo that Juliet's
death was faked, and Romeo was unable to notice for himself that she was not truly dead. As a
result, Romeo commits suicide so he can die by his wife's side, and Juliet follows suit.


Therefore, the plague severely influences Friar Laurence's
plans and results in the real deaths of both Romeo
and Juliet.

href="http://www.veronafor2.com/verona.html">http://www.veronafor2.com/verona.html
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death