I'm going to assume you mean Act III, scene 3, where the
Friar launches a tirade against Romeo and his seeming cowardice. He
compare Romeo to a beast and a woman, bringing a certain power to his speech, while at
the same time suggesting Romeo's unbelievable irrationality. For
Elizabethan audiences, women and animals were considered equally devoid of logical and
reason, so the Friar's remarks here would resonate with those
watching.
The Friar's apostrophes also serve
to chastise Romeo for his behavior. At different points in this scene,
the Friar laments "O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness!" and "O woeful sympathy! Piteous
predicament!" It's as though Romeo's reaction has driven him to crying out, identifying
Romeo's faults as he does so. He also discusses Romeo's shape love and
wit, saying each is destroyed or perverted by his behavior. By addressing
each of these aspects by name, the Friar is logically breaking down Romeo's illogical
response.
Finally, his rhetorical questions
serve the same purpose. As he asks Romeo each question, he forces Romeo
to think through his decisions and his desires, pointing out how harmful each can
be:
Hast thou
slain Tybalt? Wilt thou slay thyself?
And slay thy lady that in thy life
lives,
By doing damned hate upon thyself?
Why railest thou on thy
birth, the heaven, and
earth?
Each of these devices
serves to drive home the Friar's point to Romeo, which is: Wake up and consider yourself
lucky!
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