Crime and Punishment
Elizabethans valued order more than anything else. It was very important that everything had its place. They condemned beggars and the unemployed, and lawbreakers of any kind were regarded with the utmost disdain. They had harsh and extreme punishments for high crimes such as treason, and radical punishments for less serious crimes.
Quotes from Romeo and Juliet:
"Pain of torture from these bloody hands
Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground
And hear the sentence of your moved prince."
--Prince Escalus Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 77-79
"If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace."
--Prince Escalus Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 87-88
"Pain of torture from these bloody hands
Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground
And hear the sentence of your moved prince."
--Prince Escalus Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 77-79
"If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace."
--Prince Escalus Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 87-88
Shannon Forty, Anagha Iyengar