Discussion Topic
The characters in Romeo and Juliet who should be pardoned or punished
Summary:
In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence and the Nurse should be pardoned for their well-intentioned but misguided efforts to help the lovers. Conversely, Tybalt and Paris should be punished for their roles in escalating the violence and conflict. The ultimate responsibility lies with the feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets, who should be held accountable for perpetuating the cycle of hatred.
Who should be pardoned and punished in Romeo and Juliet?
Even though he is dead, we cannot pardon Romeo for his actions and dragging Juliet unwittingly into death. Let’s not forget that at the beginning of the play Romeo was “deeply” in love with Rosaline, and she had rebuffed him. In fact Friar Laurence mocked Romeo about his fleeting emotions.
Friar Laurence should be called in by his religious superiors and punished, for he has committed several infractions. For one thing, he has had no right to marry Juliet and Romeo without the knowledge of their parents and others. In the Catholic Church at that time, bans were to be posted for engaged couples six months prior to their marriages. Also, there were to be witnesses to the marriages. Another infraction of Friar Laurence's is his tampering with what appears to be alchemy as he has an elixir for Juliet. Then, he shirks responsibility runs from the Capulet tomb when he knows...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
what will happen. These acts of Friar Laurence are unfitting for a friar who takes the vows of the religious life.
I agree with #2. The Nurse and the Friar are the only two in the play who know about the secret marriage and the plans to avoid Juliet's marriage with Paris. They are the adults and completely culpable for the deaths of the two young people.
The parents of both Romeo and Juliet are also at fault since they have willingly continued with a feud of which no one knows the cause. They should have been the mature ones and nipped that in the bud, but in their defense, they grew up with this being engrained in their own beings as well.
Who will be punished or pardoned after Romeo and Juliet's deaths?
That's a great question, as it requires some deep character analysis for the entire play.
Friar Lawrence holds a great deal of the blame in this situation. Juliet is a young girl of thirteen when she comes to the friar for help. Romeo, though older, also trusts the counsel of the friar. Both young people are greatly led astray by this "holy man," as the prince labels him. Friar Lawrence encourages them to lie to their parents, develops a plan for young Juliet to drink a poison to appear dead (and hopefully not actually kill herself in the process), and weds the couple privately and in direct opposition to the wishes of Juliet's father. None of these are the actions of a truly holy man, and he deserves some punishment for a series of horrible actions that directly led to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Juliet's nurse also deserves punishment. Although she acts out of love for Juliet, she directly acts to circumvent the marriage arranged by Lord Capulet, her boss. She puts Juliet's reputation and life on the line through her devious actions and also fails to safeguard Juliet once she helps set the marriage plan in motion. She has information that Juliet's family doesn't have, and she should have known that a desperate young girl needed to be monitored more closely at the very least. The nurse's advice to Juliet after Romeo is banished is conflicting:
I think you are happy in this second match,
For it excels your first. Or if it did not,
Your first is dead, or ’twere as good he were,
As living here and you no use of him. (III.v.234-237)
Encouraging Juliet to take a second husband when she already has a living one isn't exactly the best advice and no doubt confuses such a young girl. She tries to convince Juliet that Romeo is "dead" (though he isn't) and that Romeo won't try to challenge it (but he certainly could have). The nurse provides poor guidance and leadership to this girl in need of strong counsel.
The Prince comes down pretty hard on the fathers, and they likely will face some punitive action as well. While Lord Capulet is gracious to Romeo in the opening scenes, later he pushes Juliet to a point of no return:
Lay hand on heart, advise.
An you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend.
An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets,
For, by my soul, I’ll ne’er acknowledge thee,
Nor what is mine shall never do thee good.
Trust to ’t, bethink you. I’ll not be forsworn. (III.v.201-206)
Telling his daughter that she will be effectively dead to him if she doesn't comply with his wishes pushes Juliet into a corner. She feels that it's impossible to tell him the truth and that it's impossible to get out of this marriage. Although these lines reflect an oppression of women that was common in this era, the tension still directly leads to Juliet's death. The prince seems to agree.
I would argue that Lady Capulet bears blame as well. She tells Juliet to follow the wishes of her father, and even as a woman well-versed in her daughter's struggles, she fails to provide adequate support for her.
Of course, at the bottom of society's rungs, the apothecary will surely be punished for providing the actual poison and would have no real means of recourse or defense. Although he is undoubtedly just trying to make enough money to survive and has no personal interest in the way it all plays out, his intervention leads to devastation.