The Prince of Verona demands that those fighting stop immediately or they will be punished with “pain of torture” (79). The Prince is angry, and rightly so. This is not the first occasion when the Montagues and Capulets disturbed the streets of Verona. Moreover, the Montagues and Capulets are “rebellious subjects” (74), for the Prince had ordered them in the past to put an end to their feud. To disobey the commands of their Prince is an act of treason; and, usually, such acts of betrayal were punished by death. The Prince, however, has been lenient and merciful in the past; but he realizes that he will need to be much stricter and far less merciful in the future.
His decision to treat the Montagues and Capulets more harshly in the future plays a significant role in the main plot, for young Romeo will be the first to experience the harsher penalties set down by the ruler of Verona. In addition, the Prince’s decision coming at this time also relates to the theme of fate – or misfortune – that affects the star-crossed lovers. One event follows another – events beyond Romeo’s control – and these unfortunate events eventually result in the tragic outcome of the tale.
The language of the Prince is emotional but precise. The Prince refers to the members of the warring families as “beasts” (76). The word is appropriate. During the Renaissance beasts or animals were distinguished from humans by their lack of reason. Only humans have reason, which was viewed as a special gift from God so that all people could distinguish right from wrong and virtue from sin. The Prince, then, is affirming the concept that the Montagues and the Capulets are acting irrationally. Not only are they acting thoughtlessly and criminally, they are also acting sinfully. They are disregarding the special gift from God as they attempt to kill one another (such an act is also a Mortal Sin, the breaking of one of God’s Ten Commandments).
Because of the seriousness of the situation (because peace and order are at risk), the Prince declares that the penalties will be extremely severe in the future:
If ever you disturb our streets again
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
(89-90)
In other words, any Montague or Capulet who starts a fight will be executed. The Prince regretfully realizes that only the threat of death may possibly end the feud. All other measures are insufficient.
After the Prince and the Capulets leave the street, Montague talks to Benvolio. The nephew explains how the fight started, and then Lady Montague asks him if he had seen Romeo. Benvolio responds that he had seen Romeo earlier that morning in the woods outside of town. According to Benvolio, Romeo seemed moody and glum and avoided his company. So, Benvolio did not talk to him.
Benvolio specifically notes that he saw Romeo by a “grove of sycamore” (114). During the Renaissance many flowers, plants, and trees were believed to contain special properties and were used symbolically by poets. The sycamore, because of its pronunciation, because it sounds like sick-amour (amour being the French word for love), thus symbolized lovesickness. In the love poetry of the Renaissance being lovesick meant being a victim of unrequited love. In many love sonnets, such as the ones that appear in Sir Philip Sidney’s Astrophil and Stella, a man is hopelessly in love with a woman, but the woman does not return that love. The man, then, becomes moody and restless. He can neither eat nor sleep. All he can do is daydream about the girl he adores. Although neither Benvolio nor the parents of Romeo know what is wrong with the young man, the Renaissance audience would pick up on the clue. Romeo is lovesick. Romeo loves a woman who does not love him back.
Romeo’s condition is confirmed by
Montague’s description of him. Montague informs Benvolio that Romeo has been acting listlessly during the past few days. He does not appear to sleep during the night, and he is constantly sighing (lines 124-26). Both of these are symptoms of the unrequited lover.