In act 1, scene 1, as the play opens, Prince Escalus breaks up yet another street brawl between the hotheaded Montagues and Capulets. This is the third time the families have caused an uproar in Verona. Escalus states he has had it, and he declares that any Montague or Capulet caught street fighting will be put to death:
If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
Romeo, always impulsive, marries Juliet, then, almost immediately, kills her cousin Tybalt in a street brawl after Tybalt kills his close friend Mercutio.
Romeo's father pleads with Escalus for Romeo's life. When Escalus learns that Romeo killed Tybalt in response to Tybalt killing Mercutio, the Prince notes that Mercutio was his relative, saying:
My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding.
Escalus shows mercy and decides, given the circumstances, to merely banish Romeo. But he is also very clear that Romeo must leave immediately and that if he is found within the city, he will be killed. Escalus says that if he doesn't deal harshly with these street fights, people will continue to die.
This penalty, of course, is terrible for Romeo, who is now separated from Juliet.
In act 3, scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, Prince Escalus banishes Romeo from Verona. He does this because Romeo kills Tybalt, a member of the Capulet family. Romeo's reason for killing Tybalt was simple: Tybalt killed Romeo's friend, Mercutio.
Lady Capulet demands blood for the killing of Tybalt, but, luckily for Romeo, the Prince does not enforce the death penalty. Instead, he tells Romeo that he is banished from Verona. Romeo must leave the city immediately and, if he does not, will be killed. Similarly, he will be killed if he returns to Verona.
The banishment is a disaster for Romeo. Having just married Juliet, Romeo is now forced to separate from her. As Romeo later says to Friar Lawrence, being banished from Verona is like being banished from the world. Juliet is his world, and without her he is plunged into hell.
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