Read the excerpt below from Act V, Scene 3 and answer the question.
PRINCE This letter doth make good the friar's words,
Their course of love, the tidings of her death:
And here he writes that he did buy a poison
Of a poor 'pothecary, and therewithal
Came to this vault to die, and lie with Juliet.
Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague!
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love.
And I for winking at your discords too
Have lost a brace of kinsmen: all are punish'd. 290
CAPULET O brother Montague, give me thy hand:
This is my daughter's jointure, for no more Can I demand.
MONTAGUE But I can give thee more:
For I will raise her statue in pure gold;
That while Verona by that name is known,
There shall no figure at such rate be set
As that of true and faithful Juliet. 300
CAPULET As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie;
Poor sacrifices of our enmity!
PRINCE A glooming peace this morning with it brings;
The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;
Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
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What is Prince Escalus’s significance within the play, both here and in his appearances in Acts I and III? How do his actions, decisions, and words relate to the play’s structure and themes? In the space below, write a minimum 150-word response analyzing Prince Escalus as a character, as a part of the play’s structure, and as he relates to thematic elements and the play’s overall message. Include specific examples from the text in your analysis.