Pardoned or Punished: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

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Pardoned or Punished? The play, Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is about a tragedy of two star crossed lovers who want nothing more than to be together forever. “…Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” (2.2.35-36) Romeo, a Montague, who is young and passionate, meets Juliet at a Capulet party. When they meet, it’s love at first sight. Juliet, a Capulet, is a beautiful young lady tired of being controlled by her father, Lord Capulet. The two families are in a never ending feud that comes between Romeo and Juliet’s love. In the course of four and a half days, Romeo and Juliet plan their marriage with the help of Priest Friar Laurence and Juliet’s Nurse. After the couple is married, Romeo is banished from the city of Verona, causing an issue for their ideal fate together. Lord Capulet forced Juliet to marry Count Paris after she married Romeo, leaving Friar to structure a plan to avoid a second marriage for Juliet. Juliet takes a sleeping potion that makes her believably dead for forty-two hours – during this time, Romeo was to be told that she is still alive; however he was not, so he purchased illegal poison so that he did not have to live without Juliet. Juliet wakes up only to find her true love lying dead next to her, thinking it necessary to stab herself with a dagger. After the couple dies, there leaves one question; Who should be pardoned, and who should be punished? The Nurse should be pardoned, while Friar Laurence and Count Paris should be punished. There are characters in Romeo and Juliet that should be pardoned. The Nurse should be excused for her actions in the play. Although she made the decision to help Juliet without the consent of her parents, she was thin... ... middle of paper ... ...ither.” (3.5.155-156) Juliet would not have to fake fatality if she did not have to marry Paris the next day. If Lord Capulet had not moved the wedding to the next day, then Romeo would have gotten then letter he was originally supposed to receive and Friar Laurence’s plan would have worked out effortlessly. In addition, the father would never allow Juliet to marry Romeo considering he is a Montague, the rival of their family. This made the plan for Juliet to marry Romeo even harder. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, many characters were to blame and some to be pardoned. Friar Laurence and Lord Capulet were the most responsible for the problems Romeo and Juliet face. Where as the Nurse tried helping and did the what was best for the couple although it was not what Juliet wanted. The nurse did the most realistic mature thing by telling Juliet to simply marry Paris.

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