Tuesday, November 3, 2015

What are the reasons that the prince decided to sentence Romeo to exile instead of death?

As the previous post points out, there is no overt
statement offered Shakespeare's part as to why the Prince does not have Romeo
executed.  Nevertheless, there are implications in the narrative of the play, such as
the fact that Mercutio, who is Romeo's friend, is a relative of the
Prince.


Another possible explanation for the Prince's not
exacting his earlier pronouncement of death to those whom he has
told



If ever
you disturb our streets again,


Your lives shall pay the
forfeit of the peace
(1.1.70



is that the Prince
feels that demanding Romeo's death may cause even more feuding and killing. For, Romeo
has a reputation of being a peaceful man, according to Lord Capulet, so his act demands
cause.


These are two reasons for which the reader can find
substantiation in the text, an essential to proving one's response.  Certainly, opinion
never has any argumentative powers or verity in responding to objective questions in
literature.

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