Friar Laurence Should Be Pardoned In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Crime And Punishment
In, “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, the Prince says near the end of the story, “Some shall be pardoned, some punished,” (5*3*308). Friar Laurence should be punished for his actions that inevitably led to the death of Romeo and Juliet. On the contrary, the nurse should be pardoned for her action as she was only looking out for Juliet and trying to protect her.

Friar Laurence’s actions should not go unpunished, as his actions in the play directly led to the death of Romeo and Juliet. A cause for Friar Laurence being punished can be found in act two scene six when after agreeing to marry the two lovers, tells them, “Come, come with me, and we will make short work;” (2*6*35). During the Renaissance, the period

Evidence of this can be found in act one, scene three when Lady Capulet speaks to Juliet about marrying Count Paris. The nurse, upon hearing this, is full of joy and exclaims, “A man, young lady! Lady such a man as all the world-why he’s a man of wax.” (1*3*76-77). This outcry from the nurse exemplifies how caring the nurse is towards Juliet because she knows enough about Count Paris that she is certain he will be a good husband for Juliet. It also shows that she is like a mother to Juliet, overjoyed and happy for her daughter to have found a man. A second excerpt about how much she cares for Juliet can be found in act three, scene five, when she advises Juliet when speaking about her marriage to Romeo, “I think it best you married the County. O, he’s a lovely gentleman! Romeo’s a dishclout to him,” (3*5*218-220). This explains to the reader that the nurse does not approve of Romeo as she believes that Juliet will not be happy with him, and should instead marry the Count, who will provide for her with ease. The nurse telling Juliet to marry Paris should remove any blame from the nurse as she attempts to convince Juliet to forget