Enter a Gentleman hastily, with a bloody knife. Gent. Help! help! O help! Alb. What kind of help? Edg. What means that bloody knife? Edm. I was contracted to them both; all three Alb. Produce their bodies, be they alive or dead! This judgment of the heavens, that makes us tremble, Touches us not with pity. [Exit Gentleman. See'st thou this object, Kent? (The bodies of Goneril and Regan are brought in.) Yet Edmund was belov'd: Alb. Even so.-Cover their faces. Edm. I pant for life:-Some good I mean to do, Alb. Run, run, O, run! Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little. Ha! What is't thou say'st?-Her voice was ever soft, Off. 'Tis true, my lords, he did. Lear. I have seen the day, with my good biting faulchion Lear. This is a dull sight: Are you not Kent? Your servant Kent: Where is your servant Caius? rotten. Kent. No, my good lord; I am the very man ;- Lear. You are welcome hither. Kent. Nor no man else; all's cheerless, dark, and deadly. [selves, And desperately are dead. Lear. Very bootless. Enter an Officer. Off. Edmund is dead, my lord. Edg. To who, my lord?-Who has the office? send With boot, and such addition as your honours Thy token of reprieve. Alb. Haste thee, for thy life. [Exit Edgar. Alb. The gods defend her! Bear him hence Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl!-O, you are men Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so for ever! I know, when one is dead, and when one lives; Have more than merited. All friends shall taste Lear. And my poor fool is hang'd! No, no, no life: more, Never, never, never, never, never!— That would upon the rack of this tough world Alb. Bear them from hence.-Our present Is general woe. Friends of my soul, you twain Alb. The weight of this sad time we must obey; [Exeunt, with a dead march. TYBALT, Nephew to Lady Capulet. BALTHAZAR, Servant to Romeo. Servants to Capulet. ABRAM, Servant to Montague. Three Musicians. Boy. Page to Paris. PETER. An Officer. LADY MONTAGUE, Wife to Montague. LADY CAPULET, Wife to Capulet. JULIET, Daughter to Capulet. Nurse to Juliet. Citizens of Verona; several Men and Women, lations to both houses; Maskers, Guards, Watchmen, and Attendants. SCENE,-During the greater Part of the Play, in Verona; once, in the Fifth Act, at Mantua. PROLOGUE. Two households, both alike in dignity, A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Do, with their death, bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could re move, Is now the two hours' traffick of our stage; To which, if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. ACT I. SCENE I.-A public Place. Enter SAMPSON and GREGORY, armed with swords and bucklers. Sam. Gregory, o'my word, we'll not carry coals. Gre. No, for then we should be colliers. Sam. I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw. Gre. Ay, while you live, draw your neck out of the collar. Sam. I strike quickly, being moved. Gre. But thou art not quickly moved to strike. Sam. A dog of the house of Montague moves me. Gre. To move, is-to stir; and to be valiant, is -to stand to it: therefore, if thou art mov'd, then run'st away. Sam. A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. Gre. That shews thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall. Sam. True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall:-therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. Gre. The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men. Sam. 'Tis all one, I will shew myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads. Gre. The heads of the maids? Sam. Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Gre. They must take it in sense, that feel it. Sam. Me they shall feel, while I am able to stand: and, 'tis known, I am a pretty piece of flesh. Gre. "Tis well, thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been Poor John. Draw thy tool; bere comes two of the house of the Montagues. Enter ABRAM and BALTHASAR. Sam. My naked weapon is out; quarrel, I will back thee. Gre. How? turn thy back, and run? Sam. Fear me not. Gre. No, marry; I fear thee! [begin. Sam. Let us take the law of our sides ; let them Gre. I will frown, as I pass by; and let them take it as they list. Sam. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it. Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Sam. No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir. Gre. Do you quarrel, sir? Sam. If you do, sir, I am for you; I serve as good a man as you. Abr. No better. Enter BENVOLIO, at a distance. Gre. Say-better; here comes one of my master's kinsmen. Sam. Yes, better, sir. Abr. You lie. Sam. Draw, if you be men.- -Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. (They fight,) Ben. Part, fools; put up your swords; you know not what you do. (Beats down their swords.) As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: (They fight.) Enter several Partizans of both Houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs. 1 Cit. Clubs, bills, and partizans! strike! beat them down! [tagues! Down with the Capulets! Down with the MonEnter CAPULET, in his gown; and Lady CAPULET. Cap. What noise is this?-Give me my long sword, ho! [a sword? La. Cap. A crutch, a crutch!-Why call you for Cap. My sword, I say!-Old Montague is come, And flourishes his blade in spite of me. Enter MONTAGUE, and Lady Montague. Mon, Thou_villain, Capulet,—Hold me not, let me go. [foe. La. Mon. Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a Enter Prince, with Attendants. Prin. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage Mon. Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?-Speak, nephew, were you by, when it began? Ben. Here were the servants of your adversary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach: I drew to part them; in the instant came The fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepar'd; Which, as he breath'd defiance to my ears, He swung about his head, and cut the winds, Who, nothing hurt withal, hiss'd him in scorn: While we were interchanging thrusts and blows, Came more and more, and fought on part and part, Till the prince came, who parted either part. La. Mon. O, where is Romeo?-saw you him to-day? Right glad I am, he was not at this fray. Ben. Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun Peer'd forth the golden window of the east, A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad; Where,-underneath the grove of sycamore, That westward rooteth from the city's side,So early walking did I see your son: Towards him I made; but he was 'ware of me, And stole into the covert of the wood: I, measuring his affections by my own,— That most are busied when they are most alone,— Pursu'd my humour, not pursuing his, And gladly shunn'd who gladly fled from me. Mon. Many a morning hath he there been seen, With tears augmenting the fresh morning's dew, Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs: But all so soon as the all-cheering sun Should in the farthest east begin to draw The shady curtains from Aurora's bed, Away from light steals home my heavy son, Shuts up his windows, locks fair day-light out, And private in his chamber pens himself; And makes himself an artificial night: Black and portentous must this humour prove, Unless good counsel may the cause remove. Ben, My noble uncle, do you know the cause?" Mon. I neither know it, nor can learn of him. Ben. Have you impórtun'd him by any means? Mon. Both by myself, and many other friends: Is to himself—I will not say, how trueBut he, his own affections' counsellor, But to himself so secret and so close, So far from sounding and discovery, As is the bud bit with an envious worm, Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, Or dedicate his beauty to the sun. Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow, We would as willingly give cure as know. Enter ROMEO, at a distance. Ben. See where he comes: So please you, step I'll know his grievance, or be much denied. Ben. Good morrow, cousin. Is the day so young? Ah me! sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast? Ben. It was:-What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours? [them short. Rom. Not having that, which, having, makes Rom. Out of her favour, where I am in love. Ben. Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof! Rom. Alas, that love, whose view is mufiled still, Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will! Where shall we dine?-O me!-What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here's much to do with hate, but more with love:- O heavy lightness! serious vanity! Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms! [Exeunt Farewell; thou canst not teach me to forget. Par. Of honourable reckoning are you both; Cap. But saying o'er what I have said before: Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick My child is yet a stranger in the world, health! Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh? Ben. No, coz, I rather weep. Rom. Good heart, at what? Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. (Going.) Ben. Soft, I will go along; An if you leave me so, you do me wrong. Rom. Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he's some other where. Ben. Tell me in sadness, who she is you love. Rom. What, shall I groan, and tell thee? Ben. But sadly tell me, who. Groan? why, no; Rom. Bid a sick man in sadness make his will:Ah, word ill urg'd to one that is so ill!In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman. Ben. I aim'd so near, when I suppos'd you lov'd. Rom. A right good marksman!--And she's fair I love. Ben. A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit. Rom. Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit With Cupid's arrow, she hath Dian's wit; And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd, From love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd. She will not stay the siege of loving terms, Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes, Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold: O, she is rich in beauty; only poor, That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store. Ben. Then she hath sworn, that she will still live chaste? [waste; Rom. She hath, and in that sparing makes huge For beauty, starv'd with her severity, Cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise; wisely too fair, To merit bliss by making me despair: She hath forsworn to love; and, in that vow, Do I live dead, that live to tell it now. Ben. Be rul'd by me, forget to think of her. Rom. O, teach me how I should forget to think. Ben. By giving liberty unto thine eyes; Examine other beauties. Rom. "Tis the way To call her's, exquisite, in question more: These happy masks, that kiss fair ladies' brows, Being black, put us in mind they hide the fair; He, that is strucken blind, cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight lost : Shew me a mistress, that is passing fair, What doth her beauty serve, but as a note, Where I may read, who pass'd that passing fair? She hath not seen the change of fourteen years; Let two more summers wither in their pride, Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride. Par. Younger than she are happy mothers made. Cap. And too soon marr'd are those so early made. The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she, She is the hopeful lady of my earth: But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart, My will to her consent is but a part; An she agree, within her scope of choice Lies my consent and fair according voice. This night I hold an old accustom'd feast, Whereto I have invited many a guest, Such as I love; and you, among the store, One more, most welcome, makes my number mart. At my poor house look to behold this night Earth-treading stars, that make dark heaven light Such comfort, as do lusty young men feel When well-apparell'd April on the heel Of limping winter treads, even such delight Among fresh female buds shall you this night Inherit at my house; hear all, all see, And like her most, whose merit most shall be: Such, amongst view of many, mine, being one, May stand in number, though in reckoning none. Come, go with me ;-Go, sirrah, trudge about Through fair Verona; find those persons out, Whose names are written there, (gives a paper.) and to them say, My house and welcome on their pleasure stay. [Exeunt Capulet and Paris. Serv. Find them out, whose names are writte here? It is written-that the shoemaker shoold meddle with his yard, and the tailor with his last, the fisher with his pencil, and the painter with s nets; but I am sent to find those persons, whose names are here writ, and can never find what names the writing person hath here writ. I must to the learned:-In good time. Enter BENVOLIO and ROMEO. Ben. Tut, man! one fire burns out another's burning, One pain is lessen'd by another's anguish; Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning One desperate grief cares with another's la guish : Take thou some new infection to thy eye, Rom. For your broken shit. Ben. Why, Romeo, art thou mad? Rom. Not mad, but bound more than a madma Shut up in prison, kept without my food, Whipp'd, and tormented, and-Good-eʼen, good fellow. [read! Rom. Stay, fellow: I can read. (Reads.) Signior Martino, and his wife, and daughters; County Anselme, and his beauteous sisters; The lady widow of Vitruvio; Signior Placentio, and his lovely nieces; Mercutio, and his brother Valentine; Mine uncle Capulet, his wife, and daughters; My fair niece Rosaline; Livia; Signior Valentio, and his cousin Tybalt; Lucio, and the lively Helena. A fair assembly; (gives back the note.) Whither should they come? Serv. Up. Rom. Whither? Serv. To supper; to our house. Rom. Whose house? Serv. My master's. Rom. Indeed, I should have asked you that before. Serv. Now I'll tell you without asking: My master is the great rich Capulet; and if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray, come and crush a cup of wine. Rest you merry. [Exit. Ben. At this same ancient feast of Capulet's Rom. When the devout religion of mine eye Rom. I'll go along, no such sight to be shewn, But to rejoice in splendour of mine own. [Exeunt. SCENE III-A Room in Capulet's House. Enter Lady CAPULET and Nurse. La. Cap. Nurse, where's my daughter? call her forth to me. Nurse. Now, by my maiden-head,-at twelve year old, - bade her come.-What, lamb! what, lady-bird! od forbid!-where's this girl?—what, Juliet! Jul. How Nurse. Your mother. Jul. Madam, I am here. What is your will? [awhile, La. Cap. This is the matter :-Nurse, give leave Je must talk in secret.-Nurse, come back again; have remember'd me, thou shalt hear our counsel. hou know'st, my daughter's of a pretty age. Nurse. 'Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour. La. Cap. She's not fourteen. Nurse. I'll lay fourteen of my teeth, ad yet, to my teen be it spoken, I have but four,e is not fourteen; how long is it now Lammas-tide? La. Cap. A fortnight, and odd days. Nurse. Even or odd, of all days in the year, me Lammas-eve at night, shall she be fourteen. isan and she,-God rest all Christian souls!ere of an age.-Well, Susan is with God; e was too good for me: But, as I said, Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen; at shall she, marry; I remember it well. is since the earthquake now eleven years; id she was wean'd,-I never shall forget it,all the days of the year, upon that day: I had then laid wormwood to my dug, Sitting in the sun under the dove-house wall, Aud since that time it is eleven years: And, pretty fool, it stinted, and said-Ay. Jul. And stint thou too, I pray thee, nurse, say L. his grace! Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nurs'd: La. Cap. Marry, that marry is the very theme I came to talk of:-Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your disposition to be married? Jul. It is an honour that I dream not of. Nurse. An honour! were not I thine only nurse, I'd say, thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat, La. Cap. Well, think of marriage now; younger than you, Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, Are made already mothers: by my count, Nurse. A man, young lady! lady, such a man, As all the world-Why, he's a man of wax. La. Cap. Verona's summer hath not such a flower. Nurse. Nay, he's a flower; in faith, a very flower. La. Cap. What say you? can you love the gen tleman? This night you shall behold him at our feast; And see how one another lends content; That book in many's eyes doth share the glory, men. |