ROMEO & JULIET ACT 2 PROLOGUE BENVOLIO

Enter Chorus He ran this way, and leap’d

Chorus this orchard wall:
Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie, Call, good Mercutio.
And young affection gapes to be his MERCUTIO
heir; Nay, I’ll conjure too.
That fair for which love groan’d for and Romeo! humours! madman! passion!
would die, lover!
With tender Juliet match’d, is now not Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh:
fair. Speak but one rhyme, and I am
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again, satisfied;
Alike betwitched by the charm of looks, Cry but ‘Ay me!’ pronounce but ‘love’
But to his foe supposed he must and ‘dove;’
complain, Speak to my gossip Venus one fair
And she steal love’s sweet bait from word,
fearful hooks: One nick-name for her purblind son and
Being held a foe, he may not have heir,
access Young Adam Cupid, he that shot so
To breathe such vows as lovers use to trim,
swear; When King Cophetua loved the beggar-
And she as much in love, her means maid!
much less He heareth not, he stirreth not, he
To meet her new-beloved any where: moveth not;
But passion lends them power, time The ape is dead, and I must conjure
means, to meet him.
Tempering extremities with extreme I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes,
sweet. By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,
Exit By her fine foot, straight leg and
ACT 2 SCENE 1. A lane by the wall of quivering thigh
Capulet’s orchard. And the demesnes that there adjacent
lie,
Enter ROMEO That in thy likeness thou appear to us!
ROMEO BENVOLIO
Can I go forward when my heart is And if he hear thee, thou wilt anger him.
here? MERCUTIO
Turn back, dull earth, and find thy centre This cannot anger him: ‘twould anger
out. him
He climbs the wall, and leaps down To raise a spirit in his mistress’ circle
within it Of some strange nature, letting it there
Enter BENVOLIO and MERCUTIO stand
BENVOLIO Till she had laid it and conjured it down;
Romeo! my cousin Romeo! That were some spite: my invocation
MERCUTIO Is fair and honest, and in his mistres s’
He is wise; name
And, on my lie, hath stol’n him home to I conjure only but to raise up him.
bed.
BENVOLIO
Come, he hath hid himself among these
trees,
To be consorted with the humorous
night:
Blind is his love and best befits the dark.
MERCUTIO
If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.
Now will he sit under a medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of
fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh
alone.
Romeo, that she were, O, that she were
An open et caetera, thou a poperin pear!
Romeo, good night: I’ll to my truckle-
bed;
This field-bed is too cold for me to sleep:
Come, shall we go?
BENVOLIO
Go, then; for ’tis in vain
To seek him here that means not to be
found.
Exeunt
ACT 2, SCENE 2. Capulet’s orchard.
Enter ROMEO
ROMEO
He jests at scars that never felt a
wound.
JULIET appears above at a window
But, soft! what light through yonder
window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious
moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her maid art far more fair than
she:
Be not her maid, since she is envious;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.
It is my lady, O, it is my love!
O, that she knew she were!
She speaks yet she says nothing: what
of that?
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.
I am too bold, ’tis not to me she speaks:
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her
eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till
they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her
head?
The brightness of her cheek would
shame those stars,
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in
heaven
Would through the airy region stream so
bright
That birds would sing and think it were
not night.
See, how she leans her cheek upon her
hand!
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!
JULIET
Ay me!
ROMEO
She speaks:
O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o’er my
head
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing
clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the air.
JULIET
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou
Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my
love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
ROMEO
[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I
speak at this?
JULIET
‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a The orchard walls are high and hard to
Montague. climb,
What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor And the place death, considering who
foot, thou art,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part If any of my kinsmen find thee here.
Belonging to a man. O, be some other ROMEO
name! With love’s light wings did I o’er-perch
What’s in a name? that which we call a these walls;
rose For stony limits cannot hold love out,
By any other name would smell as And what love can do that dares love
sweet; attempt;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me.
call’d, JULIET
Retain that dear perfection which he If they do see thee, they will murder
owes thee.
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, ROMEO
And for that name which is no part of Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
thee Than twenty of their swords: look thou
Take all myself. but sweet,
ROMEO And I am proof against their enmity.
I take thee at thy word: JULIET
Call me but love, and I’ll be new I would not for the world they saw thee
baptized; here.
Henceforth I never will be Romeo. ROMEO
JULIET I have night’s cloak to hide me from their
What man art thou that thus bescreen’d sight;
in night And but thou love me, let them find me
So stumblest on my counsel? here:
ROMEO My life were better ended by their hate,
By a name Than death prorogued, wanting of thy
I know not how to tell thee who I am: love.
My name, dear saint, is hateful to JULIET
myself, By whose direction found’st thou out this
Because it is an enemy to thee; place?
Had I it written, I would tear the word. ROMEO
JULIET By love, who first did prompt me to
My ears have not yet drunk a hundred inquire;
words He lent me counsel and I lent him eyes.
Of that tongue’s utterance, yet I know I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far
the sound: As that vast shore wash’d with the
Art thou not Romeo and a Montague? farthest sea,
ROMEO I would adventure for such
Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike. merchandise.
JULIET JULIET
How camest thou hither, tell me, and Thou know’st the mask of night is on my
wherefore? face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my Lest that thy love prove likewise
cheek variable.
For that which thou hast heard me ROMEO
speak to-night What shall I swear by?
Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain JULIET
deny Do not swear at all;
What I have spoke: but farewell Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious
compliment! self,
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say Which is the god of my idolatry,
‘Ay,’ And I’ll believe thee.
And I will take thy word: yet if thou ROMEO
swear’st, If my heart’s dear love–
Thou mayst prove false; at lovers’ JULIET
perjuries Well, do not swear: although I joy in
Then say, Jove laughs. O gentle thee,
Romeo, I have no joy of this contract to-night:
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully: It is too rash, too unadvised, too
Or if thou think’st I am too quickly won, sudden;
I’ll frown and be perverse an say thee Too like the lightning, which doth cease
nay, to be
So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the Ere one can say ‘It lightens.’ Sweet,
world. good night!
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond, This bud of love, by summer’s ripening
And therefore thou mayst think my breath,
‘havior light: May prove a beauteous flower when
But trust me, gentleman, I’ll prove more next we meet.
true Good night, good night! as sweet repose
Than those that have more cunning to and rest
be strange. Come to thy heart as that within my
I should have been more strange, I must breast!
confess, ROMEO
But that thou overheard’st, ere I was O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?
ware, JULIET
My true love’s passion: therefore pardon What satisfaction canst thou have to-
me, night?
And not impute this yielding to light love, ROMEO
Which the dark night hath so The exchange of thy love’s faithful vow
discovered. for mine.
ROMEO JULIET
Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear I gave thee mine before thou didst
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree request it:
tops– And yet I would it were to give again.
JULIET ROMEO
O, swear not by the moon, the Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what
inconstant moon, purpose, love?
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
JULIET ROMEO
But to be frank, and give it thee again. So thrive my soul–
And yet I wish but for the thing I have: JULIET
My bounty is as boundless as the sea, A thousand times good night!
My love as deep; the more I give to Exit, above
thee, ROMEO
The more I have, for both are infinite. A thousand times the worse, to want thy
Nurse calls within light.
Love goes toward love, as schoolboys
I hear some noise within; dear love, from
adieu! their books,
Anon, good nurse! Sweet Montague, be But love from love, toward school with
true. heavy looks.
Stay but a little, I will come again. Retiring
Re-enter JULIET, above
Exit, above
JULIET
ROMEO
Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer’s
O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard.
voice,
Being in night, all this is but a dream,
To lure this tassel-gentle back again!
Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.
Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak
Re-enter JULIET, above
aloud;
JULIET
Else would I tear the cave where Echo
Three words, dear Romeo, and good
lies,
night indeed.
And make her airy tongue more hoarse
If that thy bent of love be honourable,
than mine,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word
With repetition of my Romeo’s name.
to-morrow,
ROMEO
By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,
It is my soul that calls upon my name:
Where and what time thou wilt perform
How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues
the rite;
by night,
And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay
Like softest music to attending ears!
And follow thee my lord throughout the
JULIET
world.
Romeo!
Nurse
ROMEO
[Within] Madam!
My dear?
JULIET
JULIET
I come, anon.–But if thou mean’st not
At what o’clock to-morrow
well,
Shall I send to thee?
I do beseech thee–
ROMEO
Nurse
At the hour of nine.
[Within] Madam!
JULIET
JULIET
I will not fail: ’tis twenty years till then.
By and by, I come:–
I have forgot why I did call thee back.
To cease thy suit, and leave me to my
ROMEO
grief:
Let me stand here till thou remember it.
To-morrow will I send.
JULIET Chequering the eastern clouds with
I shall forget, to have thee still stand streaks of light,
there, And flecked darkness like a drunkard
Remembering how I love thy company. reels
ROMEO From forth day’s path and Titan’s fiery
And I’ll still stay, to have thee still forget, wheels:
Forgetting any other home but this. Now, ere the sun advance his burning
JULIET eye,
‘Tis almost morning; I would have thee The day to cheer and night’s dank dew
gone: to dry,
And yet no further than a wanton’s bird; I must up-fill this osier cage of ours
Who lets it hop a little from her hand, With baleful weeds and precious-juiced
Like a poor prisoner in his twisted flowers.
gyves, The earth that’s nature’s mother is her
And with a silk thread plucks it back tomb;
again, What is her burying grave that is her
So loving-jealous of his liberty. womb,
ROMEO And from her womb children of divers
I would I were thy bird. kind
JULIET We sucking on her natural bosom find,
Sweet, so would I: Many for many virtues excellent,
Yet I should kill thee with much None but for some and yet all different.
cherishing. O, mickle is the powerful grace that lies
Good night, good night! parting is such In herbs, plants, stones, and their true
sweet sorrow, qualities:
That I shall say good night till it be For nought so vile that on the earth doth
morrow. live
Exit above But to the earth some special good doth
ROMEO give,
Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in Nor aught so good but strain’d from that
thy breast! fair use
Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet Revolts from true birth, stumbling on
to rest! abuse:
Hence will I to my ghostly father’s cell, Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied;
His help to crave, and my dear hap to And vice sometimes by action dignified.
tell. Within the infant rind of this small flower
Poison hath residence and medicine
power:
For this, being smelt, with that part
cheers each part;
Being tasted, slays all senses with the
ACT 2, SCENE 3. Friar Laurence’s
heart.
cell.
Two such opposed kings encamp them
Enter FRIAR LAURENCE, with a basket still
FRIAR LAURENCE In man as well as herbs, grace and rude
The grey-eyed morn smiles on the will;
frowning night,
And where the worser is predominant, Within thy help and holy physic lies:
Full soon the canker death eats up that I bear no hatred, blessed man, for, lo,
plant. My intercession likewise steads my foe.
Enter ROMEO FRIAR LAURENCE
ROMEO Be plain, good son, and homely in thy
Good morrow, father. drift;
FRIAR LAURENCE Riddling confession finds but riddling
Benedicite! shrift.
What early tongue so sweet saluteth ROMEO
me? Then plainly know my heart’s dear love
Young son, it argues a distemper’d head is set
So soon to bid good morrow to thy bed: On the fair daughter of rich Capulet:
Care keeps his watch in every old man’s As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine;
eye, And all combined, save what thou must
And where care lodges, sleep will never combine
lie; By holy marriage: when and where and
But where unbruised youth with how
unstuff’d brain We met, we woo’d and made exchange
Doth couch his limbs, there golden of vow,
sleep doth reign: I’ll tell thee as we pass; but this I pray,
Therefore thy earliness doth me assure That thou consent to marry us to-day.
Thou art up-roused by some FRIAR LAURENCE
distemperature; Holy Saint Francis, what a change is
Or if not so, then here I hit it right, here!
Our Romeo hath not been in bed to- Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so
night. dear,
ROMEO So soon forsaken? young men’s love
That last is true; the sweeter rest was then lies
mine. Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.
FRIAR LAURENCE Jesu Maria, what a deal of brine
God pardon sin! wast thou with Hath wash’d thy sallow cheeks for
Rosaline? Rosaline!
ROMEO How much salt water thrown away in
With Rosaline, my ghostly father? no; waste,
I have forgot that name, and that name’s To season love, that of it doth not taste!
woe. The sun not yet thy sighs from heaven
FRIAR LAURENCE clears,
That’s my good son: but where hast Thy old groans ring yet in my ancient
thou been, then? ears;
ROMEO Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth
I’ll tell thee, ere thou ask it me again. sit
I have been feasting with mine enemy, Of an old tear that is not wash’d off yet:
Where on a sudden one hath wounded If e’er thou wast thyself and these woes
me, thine,
That’s by me wounded: both our Thou and these woes were all for
remedies Rosaline:
And art thou changed? pronounce this that Rosaline.
sentence then, Torments him so, that he will sure run
Women may fall, when there’s no mad.
strength in men. BENVOLIO
ROMEO Tybalt, the kinsman of old Capulet,
Thou chid’st me oft for loving Rosaline. Hath sent a letter to his father’s house.
FRIAR LAURENCE MERCUTIO
For doting, not for loving, pupil mine. A challenge, on my life.
ROMEO BENVOLIO
And bad’st me bury love. Romeo will answer it.
FRIAR LAURENCE MERCUTIO
Not in a grave, Any man that can write may answer a
To lay one in, another out to have. letter.
ROMEO BENVOLIO
I pray thee, chide not; she whom I love Nay, he will answer the letter’s master,
now how he
Doth grace for grace and love for love dares, being dared.
allow; MERCUTIO
The other did not so. Alas poor Romeo! he is already dead;
FRIAR LAURENCE stabbed with a
O, she knew well white wench’s black eye; shot through
Thy love did read by rote and could not the ear with a
spell. love-song; the very pin of his heart cleft
But come, young waverer, come, go with the
with me, blind bow-boy’s butt-shaft: and is he a
In one respect I’ll thy assistant be; man to
For this alliance may so happy prove, encounter Tybalt?
To turn your households’ rancour to BENVOLIO
pure love. Why, what is Tybalt?
ROMEO MERCUTIO
O, let us hence; I stand on sudden More than prince of cats, I can tell you.
haste. O, he is
FRIAR LAURENCE the courageous captain of compliments.
Wisely and slow; they stumble that run He fights as
fast. you sing prick-song, keeps time,
Exeunt distance, and
proportion; rests me his minim rest, one,
ACT 2, SCENE 4. A street. two, and
Enter BENVOLIO and MERCUTIO the third in your bosom: the very butcher
MERCUTIO of a silk
Where the devil should this Romeo be? button, a duellist, a duellist; a gentleman
Came he not home to-night? of the
BENVOLIO very first house, of the first and second
Not to his father’s; I spoke with his man. cause:
MERCUTIO ah, the immortal passado! the punto
Ah, that same pale hard-hearted wench,
reverso! the ROMEO
hai! Good morrow to you both. What
BENVOLIO counterfeit did I give you?
The what? MERCUTIO
MERCUTIO The ship, sir, the slip; can you not
The pox of such antic, lisping, affecting conceive?
fantasticoes; these new tuners of ROMEO
accents! ‘By Jesu, Pardon, good Mercutio, my business
a very good blade! a very tall man! a was great; and in
very good such a case as mine a man may strain
whore!’ Why, is not this a lamentable courtesy.
thing, MERCUTIO
grandsire, that we should be thus That’s as much as to say, such a case
afflicted with as yours
these strange flies, these fashion- constrains a man to bow in the hams.
mongers, these ROMEO
perdona-mi’s, who stand so much on Meaning, to court’sy.
the new form, MERCUTIO
that they cannot at ease on the old Thou hast most kindly hit it.
bench? O, their ROMEO
bones, their bones! A most courteous exposition.
Enter ROMEO MERCUTIO
BENVOLIO Nay, I am the very pink of courtesy.
Here comes Romeo, here comes ROMEO
Romeo. Pink for flower.
MERCUTIO MERCUTIO
Without his roe, like a dried herring: Right.
flesh, flesh, ROMEO
how art thou fishified! Now is he for the Why, then is my pump well flowered.
numbers MERCUTIO
that Petrarch flowed in: Laura to his lady Well said: follow me this jest now till
was but a thou hast
kitchen-wench; marry, she had a better worn out thy pump, that when the single
love to sole of it
be-rhyme her; Dido a dowdy; Cleopatra is worn, the jest may remain after the
a gipsy; wearing sole singular.
Helen and Hero hildings and harlots; ROMEO
Thisbe a grey O single-soled jest, solely singular for
eye or so, but not to the purpose. the
Signior singleness.
Romeo, bon jour! there’s a French MERCUTIO
salutation Come between us, good Benvolio; my
to your French slop. You gave us the wits faint.
counterfeit ROMEO
fairly last night. Switch and spurs, switch and spurs; or
I’ll cry a match.
MERCUTIO MERCUTIO
Nay, if thy wits run the wild-goose Thou desirest me to stop in my tale
chase, I have against the hair.
done, for thou hast more of the wild- BENVOLIO
goose in one of Thou wouldst else have made thy tale
thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my large.
whole five: MERCUTIO
was I with you there for the goose? O, thou art deceived; I would have made
ROMEO it short:
Thou wast never with me for any thing for I was come to the whole depth of my
when thou wast tale; and
not there for the goose. meant, indeed, to occupy the argument
MERCUTIO no longer.
I will bite thee by the ear for that jest. ROMEO
ROMEO Here’s goodly gear!
Nay, good goose, bite not. Enter Nurse and PETER
MERCUTIO MERCUTIO
Thy wit is a very bitter sweeting; it is a A sail, a sail!
most BENVOLIO
sharp sauce. Two, two; a shirt and a smock.
ROMEO Nurse
And is it not well served in to a sweet Peter!
goose? PETER
MERCUTIO Anon!
O here’s a wit of cheveril, that stretches Nurse
from an My fan, Peter.
inch narrow to an ell broad! MERCUTIO
ROMEO Good Peter, to hide her face; for her
I stretch it out for that word ‘broad;’ fan’s the
which added fairer face.
to the goose, proves thee far and wide a Nurse
broad goose. God ye good morrow, gentlemen.
MERCUTIO MERCUTIO
Why, is not this better now than God ye good den, fair gentlewoman.
groaning for love? Nurse
now art thou sociable, now art thou Is it good den?
Romeo; now art MERCUTIO
thou what thou art, by art as well as by ‘Tis no less, I tell you, for the bawdy
nature: hand of the
for this drivelling love is like a great dial is now upon the prick of noon.
natural, Nurse
that runs lolling up and down to hide his Out upon you! What a man are you!
bauble in a hole. ROMEO
BENVOLIO One, gentlewoman, that God hath made
Stop there, stop there. for himself to
mar.
Nurse ROMEO
By my troth, it is well said; ‘for himself to I will follow you.
mar,’ MERCUTIO
quoth a’? Gentlemen, can any of you tell Farewell, ancient lady; farewell,
me where I Singing
may find the young Romeo?
ROMEO ‘lady, lady, lady.’
I can tell you; but young Romeo will be
Exeunt MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO
older when
Nurse
you have found him than he was when
Marry, farewell! I pray you, sir, what
you sought him:
saucy
I am the youngest of that name, for fault
merchant was this, that was so full of his
of a worse.
ropery?
Nurse
ROMEO
You say well.
A gentleman, nurse, that loves to hear
MERCUTIO
himself talk,
Yea, is the worst well? very well took, i’
and will speak more in a minute than he
faith;
will stand
wisely, wisely.
to in a month.
Nurse
Nurse
if you be he, sir, I desire some
An a’ speak any thing against me, I’ll
confidence with
take him
you.
down, an a’ were lustier than he is, and
BENVOLIO
twenty such
She will indite him to some supper.
Jacks; and if I cannot, I’ll find those that
MERCUTIO
shall.
A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! So ho!
Scurvy knave! I am none of his flirt-gills;
ROMEO
I am
What hast thou found?
none of his skains-mates. And thou
MERCUTIO
must stand by
No hare, sir; unless a hare, sir, in a
too, and suffer every knave to use me at
lenten pie,
his pleasure?
that is something stale and hoar ere it
PETER
be spent.
I saw no man use you a pleasure; if I
Sings
had, my weapon
An old hare hoar, should quickly have been out, I warrant
And an old hare hoar, you: I dare
Is very good meat in lent draw as soon as another man, if I see
But a hare that is hoar occasion in a
Is too much for a score, good quarrel, and the law on my side.
When it hoars ere it be spent. Nurse
Romeo, will you come to your father’s? Now, afore God, I am so vexed, that
we’ll every part about
to dinner, thither. me quivers. Scurvy knave! Pray you, sir,
a word:
and as I told you, my young lady bade
me inquire you ROMEO
out; what she bade me say, I will keep And stay, good nurse, behind the abbey
to myself: wall:
but first let me tell ye, if ye should lead Within this hour my man shall be with
her into thee
a fool’s paradise, as they say, it were a And bring thee cords made like a
very gross tackled stair;
kind of behavior, as they say: for the Which to the high top-gallant of my joy
gentlewoman Must be my convoy in the secret night.
is young; and, therefore, if you should Farewell; be trusty, and I’ll quit thy
deal double pains:
with her, truly it were an ill thing to be Farewell; commend me to thy mistress.
offered Nurse
to any gentlewoman, and very weak Now God in heaven bless thee! Hark
dealing. you, sir.
ROMEO ROMEO
Nurse, commend me to thy lady and What say’st thou, my dear nurse?
mistress. I Nurse
protest unto thee– Is your man secret? Did you ne’er hear
Nurse say,
Good heart, and, i’ faith, I will tell her as Two may keep counsel, putting one
much: away?
Lord, Lord, she will be a joyful woman. ROMEO
ROMEO I warrant thee, my man’s as true as
What wilt thou tell her, nurse? thou dost steel.
not mark me. NURSE
Nurse Well, sir; my mistress is the sweetest
I will tell her, sir, that you do protest; lady–Lord,
which, as Lord! when ’twas a little prating thing:–
I take it, is a gentlemanlike offer. O, there
ROMEO is a nobleman in town, one Paris, that
Bid her devise would fain
Some means to come to shrift this lay knife aboard; but she, good soul,
afternoon; had as lief
And there she shall at Friar Laurence’ see a toad, a very toad, as see him. I
cell anger her
Be shrived and married. Here is for thy sometimes and tell her that Paris is the
pains. properer
Nurse man; but, I’ll warrant you, when I say so,
No truly sir; not a penny. she looks
ROMEO as pale as any clout in the versal world.
Go to; I say you shall. Doth not
Nurse rosemary and Romeo begin both with a
This afternoon, sir? well, she shall be letter?
there. ROMEO
Ay, nurse; what of that? both with an R.
Nurse blood,
Ah. mocker! that’s the dog’s name; R is She would be as swift in motion as a
for ball;
the–No; I know it begins with some My words would bandy her to my sweet
other love,
letter:–and she hath the prettiest And his to me:
sententious of But old folks, many feign as they were
it, of you and rosemary, that it would do dead;
you good Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead.
to hear it. O God, she comes!
ROMEO Enter Nurse and PETER
Commend me to thy lady.
Nurse O honey nurse, what news?
Ay, a thousand times. Hast thou met with him? Send thy man
Exit Romeo away.

Peter! Nurse
Peter, stay at the gate.
PETER Exit PETER
Anon! JULIET
Nurse Now, good sweet nurse,–O Lord, why
Peter, take my fan, and go before and look’st thou sad?
apace. Though news be sad, yet tell them
Exeunt merrily;
If good, thou shamest the music of
ACT 2, SCENE 5. Capulet’s orchard. sweet news
Enter JULIET By playing it to me with so sour a face.
JULIET Nurse
The clock struck nine when I did send I am a-weary, give me leave awhile:
the nurse; Fie, how my bones ache! what a jaunt
In half an hour she promised to return. have I had!
Perchance she cannot meet him: that’s JULIET
not so. I would thou hadst my bones, and I thy
O, she is lame! love’s heralds should be news:
thoughts, Nay, come, I pray thee, speak; good,
Which ten times faster glide than the good nurse, speak.
sun’s beams, Nurse
Driving back shadows over louring hills: Jesu, what haste? can you not stay
Therefore do nimble-pinion’d doves awhile?
draw love, Do you not see that I am out of breath?
And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid JULIET
wings. How art thou out of breath, when thou
Now is the sun upon the highmost hill hast breath
Of this day’s journey, and from nine till To say to me that thou art out of breath?
twelve The excuse that thou dost make in this
Is three long hours, yet she is not come. delay
Had she affections and warm youthful Is longer than the tale thou dost excuse.
Is thy news good, or bad? answer to warrant, a virtuous,–Where is your
that; mother?
Say either, and I’ll stay the JULIET
circumstance: Where is my mother! why, she is within;
Let me be satisfied, is’t good or bad? Where should she be? How oddly thou
Nurse repliest!
Well, you have made a simple choice; ‘Your love says, like an honest
you know not gentleman,
how to choose a man: Romeo! no, not Where is your mother?’
he; though his
face be better than any man’s, yet his Nurse
leg excels O God’s lady dear!
all men’s; and for a hand, and a foot, Are you so hot? marry, come up, I trow;
and a body, Is this the poultice for my aching bones?
though they be not to be talked on, yet Henceforward do your messages
they are yourself.
past compare: he is not the flower of
JULIET
courtesy,
Here’s such a coil! come, what says
but, I’ll warrant him, as gentle as a lamb.
Romeo?
Go thy
Nurse
ways, wench; serve God. What, have
Have you got leave to go to shrift to-
you dined at home?
day?
JULIET
JULIET
No, no: but all this did I know before.
I have.
What says he of our marriage? what of
Nurse
that?
Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence’
Nurse
cell;
Lord, how my head aches! what a head
There stays a husband to make you a
have I!
wife:
It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces.
Now comes the wanton blood up in your
My back o’ t’ other side,–O, my back,
cheeks,
my back!
They’ll be in scarlet straight at any
Beshrew your heart for sending me
news.
about,
Hie you to church; I must another way,
To catch my death with jaunting up and
To fetch a ladder, by the which your love
down!
Must climb a bird’s nest soon when it is
JULIET
dark:
I’ faith, I am sorry that thou art not well.
I am the drudge and toil in your delight,
Sweet, sweet, sweet nurse, tell me,
But you shall bear the burden soon at
what says my love?
night.
Nurse
Go; I’ll to dinner: hie you to the cell.
Your love says, like an honest
JULIET
gentleman, and a
Hie to high fortune! Honest nurse,
courteous, and a kind, and a handsome,
farewell.
and, I
Exeunt
ACT 2, SCENE 6. Friar Laurence’s
cell.
Enter FRIAR LAURENCE and ROMEO
FRIAR LAURENCE
So smile the heavens upon this holy act,
That after hours with sorrow chide us
not!
ROMEO
Amen, amen! but come what sorrow
can,
It cannot countervail the exchange of joy
That one short minute gives me in her
sight:
Do thou but close our hands with holy
words,
Then love-devouring death do what he
dare;
It is enough I may but call her mine.
FRIAR LAURENCE
These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and
powder,
Which as they kiss consume: the
sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
And in the taste confounds the appetite:
Therefore love moderately; long love
doth so;
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.
Enter JULIET
Be heap’d like mine and that thy skill be
more
To blazon it, then sweeten with thy
breath
This neighbour air, and let rich music’s
tongue
Unfold the imagined happiness that both
Receive in either by this dear encounter.
JULIET
Conceit, more rich in matter than in
words,
Brags of his substance, not of ornament:
They are but beggars that can count
their worth;
But my true love is grown to such
excess
I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth.
FRIAR LAURENCE
Come, come with me, and we will make
short work;
For, by your leaves, you shall not stay
alone
Till holy church incorporate two in one.
Exeunt

Here comes the lady: O, so light a foot

Will ne’er wear out the everlasting flint:
A lover may bestride the gossamer
That idles in the wanton summer air,
And yet not fall; so light is vanity.

JULIET
Good even to my ghostly confessor.
FRIAR LAURENCE
Romeo shall thank thee, daughter, for
us both.
JULIET
As much to him, else is his thanks too
much.
ROMEO
Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy