Prince Escalus from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: The Ideal Monarch

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In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke as a source, where he changes details, like the role of the Prince, to add more meaning to the play through his showing of an ideal monarch.
Prince Escalus in Romeo and Juliet is the ruler of Verona, which is the setting of the play. He is based on the Prince in Romeus and Juliet. When Shakespeare took his character, he changed his characteristics, slightly but in an important way. The Prince is first mentioned as the ruler of the town of Verona in Romeus and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, the Prince is first seen stopping the street fight between the families and servants. From the beginning, the Prince is seen as being a strict, but fair ruler. The street fight is not in Romeus and Juliet, but Brooke uses a description of the town and the struggle to set the scene. In Romeo and Juliet, the street fight is used to introduce characters like the Prince. He lays down the law and acts in the name of the citizens. Shakespeare starts showing the ideal ruler, the one with the people in ...

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