does not
say some should be pardoned and some punished; he says, "Some shall be
pardoned and some punished." This is an important distinction. Should
implies a moral imperative; shall simply asserts what will happen in the
future. The Prince does not issue a sentence against any of the parties. After hearing the
situation from , he absolves him of any guilt in the matter by saying, "We still have known
thee for a holy man." With that, he moves on to question 's attendant, , and County 's
Page. Since Paris was murdered by Romeo, no one can be punished for that crime. Sinceeach
committed suicide, no one can be punished by law for their deaths.
The Prince
then calls forth Montague and Capulet, "these enemies." He says, "See what a
scourge is laid upon your hate." He means that the punishment for their feud lies before
them in the form of their dead children. But he doesn't stop there. He notes that he didn't do
enough to correct the ongoing hostility between the two clans, and thus he is also responsible.
For that, he has "lost a brace of kinsmen." He declares, "All are punished."
The "all" referred to includes the extended families of the Montagues and Capulets as
well as himself.
The Prince pardons Friar Lawrence for his role in the
deaths. He does not intend to punish anyone. The deaths that have already occurred are
punishment enough for the Montagues, the Capulets, and the Prince. Readers and/or viewers of the
play must decide if they agree with the Prince's verdict. Many might believe that Friar Lawrence
showed a distinct lack of wisdom in how he counseled the two infatuated lovers. Yet how does a
Prince punish such a "crime"? The natural consequences that will flow in terms of his
own remorse and his reputation will be severe. Capulet was verbally abusive toward , which isn't
a crime the governmentthen or nowpunishes. The natural consequence for treating her that way was
losing her. The "crimes" committed by those who are still alive at the end of the play
are not the types of crimes that can be punished by government, but, as the Prince declares,
"all are punished."
No comments:
Post a Comment