Page images
PDF
EPUB

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's thy name;
And for that name which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.

ROM.

I take thee at thy word:

Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd;

Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

2

JUL. What man art thou, that, thus bescreen'd in night, So stumblest 5 on my counsel?

ROM.

By a name
I know not how to tell the who I am:

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

Had I it written, I would tear the word.

6

JUL. My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words
Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound;
Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?

ROм. Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.7

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.

1) This punctuation appears to afford a clear sense, which is not the case when we have a comma after thyself, and none after though. Thou art, however, says Juliet, a being sui generis (a Montague), amiable and excellent, not tainted by the enmity which your family bears to mine. She asserts that he merely bears that name, but has none of the qualities of that house. - Others understand though in the sense of then.

pare dout, i. e. do out, to put out, to extinguish.

4) To shelter, to conceal.

5) To trip in; to strike upon without design, to fall on; as, men often stumble upon valuable discoveries.

6) We meet with almost the same words, in King Edward 111. a tragedy, 1596: "I might perceive his eye in her eye lost, His ear to drink her sweet tongue's utterance." Malone.

7) Dislike here means displease. This was the phraseology of Shakspeare's age. So, it likes me well, 3) Do off, put off, get rid off. Com- for it pleases me well.

2) Owns, possesses.

ROM. With love's light wings did I o'er-perch1 these

walls;

For stony limits cannot hold love out:

And what love can do, that dares love attempt,
Therefore thy kinsmen are no let2 to me.

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

JUL. I would not for the world they saw thee here. ROM. I have night's cloak to hide me from their sight; 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, who first did prompt me to inquire; He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes.

I am no pilot; yet wert thou as far

As that vast shore wash'd with the furthest 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 may'st prove false; at lovers' perjuries,
They say, Jove laughs. O, gentle Romeo,
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:
Or, if thou think'st I am too quickly won,
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 may'st think my 'haviour' light:
But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true

1) To perch over, to fly over. To| perch, properly means, to sit or rest on a perch, on a pole or any fixed body, as a bird.

2) No stop or hinderance. Hamlet says: "By heaven I'll make a ghost of him that lets me."

3) Unless.

4) Delayed, deferred to a more distant period.

5) Gladly, with pleasure. 6) That is, farewell attention to forms.

7) Behaviour, conduct.

Than those that have more cunning to be strange. 1
I should have been more strange, I must confess,
But that thou over-heard'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.

ROм. Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear,
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops,

[ocr errors]

JUL. O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon That monthly changes in her circled orb,3 Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. ROM. What shall I swear by?

JUL.

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.

ROM.

If my heart's dear love
JUL. Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contráct5 to-night:

It is too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden;

[ocr errors]

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

And yet I wish but for the thing I have:
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.

1) To put on affected coldness, to appear shy.

2) To tip, to cover the tip, top, or end; as, to tip any thing with gold or silver.

[Nurse calls within.

3) Orb, the Latin orbis, sphere, circle.

4) To rejoice, to exult.

5) The proper accent is cóntract, the act by which a man and woman are betrothed to each other.

I hear some noise within: Dear love, adieu!
Anon, good nurse! - Sweet Montague, be true.
Stay but a little, I will come again.

ROM. O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard,1
Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.

Re-enter JULIET, above.

[Exit.

JUL. Three words, dear Romeo, and good night, indeed. If that thy bent of love be honourable,

Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow,

By one that I'll procure to come to thee,

Where, and what time, thou wilt perform the rite;

And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay,

And follow thee, my lord, throughout the world:
NURSE. [Within.] Madam.

JUL. I come, anon:

I do beseech thee,

But if thou mean'st not well,

[blocks in formation]

By and by, I come:

[Exit.

To cease thy suit, and leave me to my grief:
To-morrow will I send.
ROM.
So thrive my soul, 4
JUL. A thousand times good night!
ROM. A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.
Love goes toward love, as school-boys from their books;
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.

Re-enter JULIET, above.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

[Retiring slowly.

JUL. Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer's voice, To lure this tassel-gentle back again!

Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud;
Else would I tear the cave where echo lies,

And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine

1) Afraid, frightened.

2) Inclination.

3) In a short time.

4) An assertion; by the happiness or prosperity of my soul..

5) The tassel or tiercel, for so it should be spelled, is the male of the goshawk (the falcon the female), so

ROMEO AND JULIET.

called, because it is a tierce or third less than the female. This is equally true of all birds of prey. This species of hawk had the epithet of gentle annexed to it, from the ease with which it was tamed, and its attachment to man. Steevens.

6) Captivity; obligation, tie to duty; alluding to her love.

3

With repetition of my Romeo's name.

ROM. It is my soul, that calls upon my name: How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, Like softest musick to attending ears!

JUL. Romeo!

ROM.

My sweet!

JUL.

At what o'clock to-morrow

Shall I send to thee!

ROM.

At the hour of nine.

JUL. I will not fail; 'tis twenty years till then. I have forgot why I did call thee back.

ROм. Let me stand here till thou remember it.

JUL. I shall forget, to have thee still stand there, Rememb'ring how I love thy company.

ROM. And I'll still stay, to have thee still forget, Forgetting any other home but this.

JUL. Tis almost morning, I would have thee gone:
And yet no further than a wanton's bird;1

Who lets it hop a little from her hand,
Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,

And with a silk thread plucks it back again,

So loving-jealous of his liberty.

ROM. I would, I were thy bird.

JUL.

Sweet, so. would I:

Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.

Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say - good night, till it be morrow.

Exit.

ROM. Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!

'Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest! Hence will I to my ghostly father's cell;

3

His help to crave, and my dear hap1 to tell.

[blocks in formation]

[Exit.

FRI. The grey-ey'd morn smiles on the frowning night, Checkering the eastern clouds with streaks of light;

1) The bird of a frolicsome and merry young person, of either sex, with which they like to play and sport. Wanton is sometimes used as a word of slight endearment; as, Peace, my wanton.

2) Gyves (pron. jives) or shackles for the legs.

3) His spiritual father, Friar Laurence.

4) Chance, fortune; as mishap, ill chance, misfortune.

5) Tovariegate with lines or stripes of different colours.

« PreviousContinue »