Romeo and Juliet Theme of Exile

Romeo and Juliet is not necessarily a political work, and so, in the play, exile is a purely personal matter. Romeo and Juliet, the children of warring families, carry out a clandestine love affair. They have just been secretly married when Romeo is banished from Verona, their home city, for violating an order of the Prince. The prospect of Romeo's exile is unbearable to both of the lovers. Exile, for them, is no less than death, simply because exile means separation from each other. "Heaven is here, / Where Juliet lives; and every cat and dog / And little mouse, every unworthy thing, / Live here in heaven and may look on her; / But Romeo may not," Romeo says in frustration. Romeo and Juliet's passionate interpretation of exile as separation from a loved one would make an interesting contrast to political accounts of exile.

1. Why is Romeo banished from Verona, exactly? Is it his fault?
2. Lord Capulet threatens to disown Juliet and throw her out on the street. Why does he do this?
3. Does Romeo's exile have a symbolic function in Romeo and Juliet?
4. In what way is Juliet herself metaphorically exiled while Romeo is literally exiled?
5. For Romeo, is exile indeed worse than death?

Death and exile are synonymous for Romeo and Juliet because they cannot bear to live apart.

Juliet risks being exiled from her family, who threaten to disown her when she refuses to marry Paris.