Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

35

And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

Rom. [Aside.] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at

this?

Jul. 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Rom.

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title.-Romeo, doff thy name,
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.

I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

Jul. What man art thou, that, thus bescreen'd in night,
So stumblest on my counsel ?

41, 42. Nor arm

40

45

50

name] Malone; QI has 41, omits 42; The rest Nor arme nor face, ô be some other name Belonging to a man. 44. name] QI; word Q, F. 47. title.-Romeo] tytle, Romeo Q, title Romeo, F; 48. thy] Q, F; that Q I.

doff]Q, F; part Q 1.

39. Thou

Montague] Dyce 47. doff] Daniel pleads for QI has followed Malone's unhappy part, as characteristically playing punctuation, "Thou art thyself with the word part of next line. He though, not." The meaning is compares Sonnet cxiii. : "Doth part obviously: What's in a name? If his function and is partly blind." you refuse the name Montague, you remain yourself.

46. owes] possesses, as in Lear, I. i. 205.

49. I... word] Ought we not to pause after thee, making I take thee a response to Take all myself?

Rom.

I know not how to tell thee who I am:

By a name

My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee:

55

Had I it written, I would tear the word.

Jul. My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words
Of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound:
Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?

Rom. Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike.
Jul. How cam'st thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
The orchard walls are high and hard to climb,
And the place death, considering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee here.

60

65

Rom. With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls,

For stony limits cannot hold love out,

And what love can do that dares love attempt;
Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.

Jul. If they do see thee, they will murder thee.

70

Rom. Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye

Than twenty of their swords: look thou but sweet,

And I am proof against their enmity.

58. yet not] Q, F; not yet QI. 59. thy... uttering]Q, F; that... utterance Q I, Malone. dislike] Q, F; saint. . . displease Q I.

61. maid... 69. stop] Q, F; let Q I.

55. saint] recalling their recent meeting, I. v. 102. H. Coleridge compares Drayton, England's Heroicall Epistles, Henry to Rosamund : "If't be my name that doth thee so offend,

No more myself shall be my own name's friend."

59. uttering] Malone

compares

Edward III. (1596), II. i. 2:
"His
ear to drink her sweet tongue's
utterance."

61. dislike] displease, as in Othello, II. iii. 49.

62. wherefore] accented as here in Midsummer Night's Dream, III. ii. 272 (Rolfe). See Walker, Shakespeare's Versification, p. ̧ III.

Jul. I would not for the world they saw thee here. Rom. I have night's cloak to hide me from eyes;

their

And but thou love me, let them find me here:
My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.
Jul. By whose direction found'st thou out this place?
Rom. By love, that first did prompt me to inquire;
He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes.

I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far

75

80

85

As that vast shore wash'd with the farthest sea,
I would adventure for such merchandise.
Jul. Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek
For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night.
Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny
What I have spoke: but farewell compliment!
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say
"Ay,"

And I will take thy word; yet, if thou swear'st,
Thou mayst prove false; at lovers' perjuries,

90

75. eyes] Q, F; sight Q 1. 80. that] Q, F; who Q I. 83. vast shore wash'd] Qq 4, 5; vast shore washeth Q; vast-shore-washet F; farthest] Q, F; furthest Q 1. 84. would] QI; should Q, F. 89. compliment] Pope; complement Q, F; complements Q 1, F 2. 90. love me? 1]Q; Love? IF; Love? O I Ff 2, 3.

They say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully;
Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,

95

I'll frown and be perverse and say thee nay,

So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond;
And therefore thou mayst
thou mayst think my haviour
light:

100

But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true Than those that have more cunning to be strange. I should have been more strange, I must confess, But that thou overheard'st, ere I was ware, My true love's passion: therefore pardon me, And not impute this yielding to light love, Which the dark night hath so discovered. Rom. Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear,

That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops—

Jul. O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,

93. laughs] Q, laught F.

Q, F; more coying Qq 4, 5.

105

ΙΙΟ

95. thou think'st] Q, F; thou think Q 1.

99. haviour] Q1, F 2; behaviour Q, F. IOI. more cunning] Q 1; coying 104. true love's] true loves Q1, F; truelove Q. 107. blessed] Q1, Q; omitted F; swear] Q I; vow Q, F. tops-] Rowe; tops. Q, F. 110. circled] F, circle Q.

108.

106. Which] refers to yielding; discovered, revealed.

107. swear] Walker: "F omits blessed and has vow for swear. Can this have originated in the Profanation Act?"

109. moon] Of many parallels which might be quoted that cited by Hunter from Wilson's Rhetorique (Amplification) may suffice: "as. . . in speaking of inconstancy to shew the moon which keepeth no certain course."

Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

Rom. What shall I swear by?

Jul.

Rom.

Do not swear at all;

Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self,

Which is the god of my idolatry,

And I'll believe thee.

Jul. Well, do not swear.

I have no joy of this contract to-night;

It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,

Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say "It lightens." Sweet, good

night!

I 20

This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest. Come to thy heart as that within my breast! Rom. O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?

Jul. What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?

125

Rom. The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine. Jul. I gave thee mine before thou didst request it;

And yet I would it were to give again.

Rom. Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what purpose,

love?

Jul. But to be frank, and give it thee again.

113. gracious] Q, F; glorious Q I. Q 1; love-] F 2; love. Q, F. 120. say "It lightens."] Globe; say,

117. contract] Rolfe: "Accented by Shakespeare on either syllable The verb always on the second."

I20. "It lightens"] Steevens compares Midsummer Night's Dream, I. i.

130

115. heart's dear] Q, F; true heart's 116. thee,] Q 5, Ff 2-4; thee: Q, F. it lightens, Q, F.

145-148, and cites a parallel from Drayton, The Miracle of Moses.

"as

124. as that] Delius explains: to that heart within my breast.' 131. frank] bountiful, as in Sonnets, iv. 4.