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"our"
Discussion
Act 1,
Scene 1
Lines 94-98

An explanation of the Prince’s use of the royal “we” in Act 1, Scene 1 of myShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Prince

You, Capulet, shall go along with me;
And Montague, come you this afternoon,
To know our farther pleasure in this case,
To old Free-town, our common judgment-place.
Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.

Medieval monarchs often referred to themselves in the plural to reinforce the idea that they were divinely chosen. When a royal member of the court referred to himself as "we," he meant "God and I." In his address, the prince follows this tradition by using the first person plural "our" to mean "my."