• PRINCE ESCALUS

Some readers call Prince Escalus a maturing character because he understands the seriousness of the feud and tries to do something about it.

Prince Escalus, the ruler of Verona, represents law and order. We see him three times during the play: at the opening, when the fight breaks out; in the middle, after Tybalt and Mercutio are killed; and at the end, after Romeo, Juliet, and Paris are dead. By entering after each climax, he helps define the structure of the play. All through the play, he talks like a prince. He gives orders and expects them to be obeyed.

In his first speech, he shows anger at the senseless fighting that has been threatening Verona's peace. It's happened three times lately. Besides fining both families, he lays down a strict new law: anyone caught fighting in Verona's streets will face death. The second time he comes in is after Mercutio, one of his relatives, has been killed. This causes the Prince to view the feud in a personal way:

"I have an interest in your hate's proceedings My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding." (III, i, 190-91)

Again he fines the families and banishes Romeo from Verona. While he is wise and understands the seriousness of the feud, unfortunately, he doesn't know the details of Romeo and Juliet's plight.

By his last entrance, the Capulets, the Montagues, and he have each suffered another death in the family. He contains his grief and unearths the story; he takes his share of the blame for not having been more strict. He acknowledges that his is not the final authority, that heaven has had the final judgment in this case.

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