So smile the heavens upon this holy act,
That after hours with sorrow chide us not!
– William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 6. Friar Laurence begins to harbor doubts about the wisdom of secretly marrying Romeo and Juliet and hopes that he is doing the right thing. He prays that the heavens, which he personifies, don’t punish them with misery. This is foreshadowing of the chain of tragic events that occur after the teenage couple rush into marriage. There is much irony in what Friar Laurence says with sorrow soon coming as a result of their union.