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Romeo And Juliet Essay : Pardoned Or Punished

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Pardoned or Punished The play Romeo and Juliet is a romantic tragedy written by William Shakespeare about two star-crossed lovers from feuding families who die at the end of the story. Romeo and Juliet meet at Capulet party and instantly fall in love. With the help of the local friar, Friar Lawrence, and Juliet’s nurse, they get married after knowing each other only a day, without their parents’ consent. Shortly after the marriage, Romeo is banished for fighting and killing Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, forcing him to leave their city of Verona. At the same time, Juliet's father, Lord Capulet, tells her she has to marry Paris, a cousin to the Prince, or else he will kick her out of their home. Friar Lawrence comes up with a plan in which Juliet will take a sleeping potion which makes her look dead for 42 hours and then Romeo will come to Verona to get her and take her away with him to a city a day's ride away. Romeo does not receive the message that Juliet really isn't dead and believes her death to be true. He gets poison from a poor apothecary and dies beside Juliet in the Capulet tomb. Juliet wakes up to find Romeo dead beside her, along with Friar Lawrence who came to try and stop Romeo. Juliet refuses to leave and kills herself to be with him. After their deaths, the Prince declares that, “Some shall be pardoned, and some punished” (Shakespeare ???). The characters in the play that should be pardoned are Friar Lawrence, Lord Montague, and the Nurse. To begin with,

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