And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
10
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.
15
Enter JULIET somewhat fast and embraces Romeo.
Here comes the lady. O, so light a foot
Will ne’er wear out the everlasting flint.
A lover may bestride the gossamers
That idles in the wanton summer air
And yet not fall; so light is vanity.
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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
Be heap’d like mine, and that thy skill be more
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To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath
This neighbour air, and let rich music’s tongue
Unfold the imagin’d happiness that both
Receive in either by this dear encounter.
JULIET Conceit more rich in matter than in words
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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
35
For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone
Till holy church incorporate two in one. Exeunt.
3.1 Enter MERCUTIO, BENVOLIO and men.
BENVOLIO I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire;
The day is hot, the Capels are abroad,
And if we meet we shall not ‘scape a brawl,
For now these hot days is the mad blood stirring.
MERCUTIO Thou art like one of these fellows that, when
5
he enters the confines of a tavern, claps me his sword
upon the table and says ‘God send me no need of
thee!’ and by the operation of the second cup draws
him on the drawer, when indeed there is no need.
BENVOLIO Am I like such a fellow?
10
MERCUTIO Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy
mood as any in Italy; and as soon moved to be moody,
and as soon moody to be moved.
BENVOLIO And what to?
MERCUTIO Nay, and there were two such, we should
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have none shortly, for one would kill the other. Thou?
Why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair
more or a hair less in his beard than thou hast. Thou
wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no
other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes. What
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eye but such an eye would spy out such a quarrel? Thy
head is as full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat, and
yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as an egg for
quarrelling. Thou hast quarrelled with a man for
coughing in the street, because he hath wakened thy
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dog that hath lain asleep in the sun. Didst thou not fall
out with a tailor for wearing his new doublet before
Easter; with another for tying his new shoes with old
riband? And yet thou wilt tutor me from quarrelling!
BENVOLIO And I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any
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man should buy the fee simple of my life for an hour
and a quarter.
MERCUTIO The fee simple! O simple!
Enter TYBALT, PETRUCHIO and others.
BENVOLIO By my head, here comes the Capulets.
MERCUTIO By my heel, I care not.
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TYBALT Follow me close, for I will speak to them.
Gentlemen, good e’en: a word with one of you.
MERCUTIO And but one word with one of us? Couple it
with something, make it a word and a blow.
TYBALT You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, and
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you will give me occasion.
MERCUTIO Could you not take some occasion without
giving?
TYBALT Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo.
MERCUTIO us
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minstrels? And thou make minstrels of us, look to hear
nothing but discords. Here’s my fiddlestick, here’s
that shall make you dance. Zounds, consort!
BENVOLIO We talk here in the public haunt of men.
Either withdraw unto some private place,
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Or reason coldly of your grievances,
Or else depart. Here all eyes gaze on us.
MERCUTIO
Men’s eyes were made to look, and let them gaze.
I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I.
Enter ROMEO.
TYBALT
Well, peace be with you, sir, here comes my man.
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MERCUTIO
But I’ll be hang’d, sir, if he wear your livery.
Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower.
Your worship in that sense may call him ‘man’.
TYBALT Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford
No better term than this: thou art a villain.
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ROMEO Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting: villain am I none,
Therefore farewell. I see thou knowest me not.
TYBALT Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
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That thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw.
ROMEO I do protest I never injuried thee,
But love thee better than thou canst devise
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love.
And so, good Capulet, which name I tender
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As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.
MERCUTIO O calm, dishonourable, vile submission:
Alla stoccata carries it away! [He draws.]
Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?
TYBALT What wouldst thou have with me?
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MERCUTIO Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your
nine lives. That I mean to make bold withal, and, as
you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the
eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher by
the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere
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it be out.
TYBALT I am for you. [He draws.]
ROMEO Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.
MERCUTIO Come sir, your passado. [They fight.]
ROMEO Draw, Benvolio, beat down their weapons.
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Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage.
Tybalt, Mercutio! The Prince expressly hath
Forbid this bandying in Verona streets.
Hold, Tybalt! Good Mercutio!
[Tybalt under Romeo’s arm thrusts Mercutio in.]
A FOLLOWER Away Tybalt.
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Exit Tybalt with his followers.
MERCUTIO I am hurt.
A plague o’ both your houses. I am sped.
Is he gone, and hath nothing?
BENVOLIO What, art thou hurt?
MERCUTIO
Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Marry, ’tis enough.
Where is my page? Go villain, fetch a surgeon.
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Exit Page.
ROMEO Courage, man, t
he hurt cannot be much.
MERCUTIO No, ’tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as
a church door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve. Ask for
me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man. I am
peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o’ both
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your houses. Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat, to
scratch a man to death. A braggart, a rogue, a villain,
that fights by the book of arithmetic – why the devil
came you between us? I was hurt under your arm.
ROMEO I thought all for the best.
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MERCUTIO Help me into some house, Benvolio,
Or I shall faint. A plague o’ both your houses,
They have made worms’ meat of me.
I have it, and soundly too. Your houses!
Exit Mercutio with Benvolio.
ROMEO This gentleman, the Prince’s near ally,
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My very friend, hath got this mortal hurt
In my behalf – my reputation stain’d
With Tybalt’s slander – Tybalt that an hour
Hath been my cousin. O sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate
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And in my temper soften’d valour’s steel.
Enter BENVOLIO.
BENVOLIO O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio is dead,
That gallant spirit hath aspir’d the clouds
Which too untimely here did scorn the earth.
ROMEO This day’s black fate on mo days doth depend:
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This but begins the woe others must end.
Enter TYBALT.
BENVOLIO Here comes the furious Tybalt back again.
ROMEO Again, in triumph, and Mercutio slain.
Away to heaven respective lenity,
And fire-ey’d fury be my conduct now!
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Now, Tybalt, take the ‘villain’ back again
That late thou gav’st me, for Mercutio’s soul
Is but a little way above our heads,
Staying for thine to keep him company.
Either thou, or I, or both must go with him.
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TYBALT
Thou wretched boy, that didst consort him here,
Shalt with him hence.
ROMEO This shall determine that.
[They fight. Tybalt falls.]
BENVOLIO Romeo, away, be gone,
The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain!
Stand not amaz’d. The Prince will doom thee death
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If thou art taken. Hence, be gone, away!
ROMEO O, I am fortune’s fool.
BENVOLIO Why dost thou stay?
Exit Romeo.
Enter Citizens.
CITIZEN Which way ran he that kill’d Mercutio?
Tybalt, that murderer, which way ran he?
BENVOLIO There lies that Tybalt.
CITIZEN Up, sir, go with me.
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I charge thee in the Prince’s name obey.
Enter PRINCE, MONTAGUE, CAPULET, their wives and all.
PRINCE Where are the vile beginners of this fray?
BENVOLIO O noble Prince, I can discover all
The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl.
There lies the man, slain by young Romeo,
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That slew thy kinsman brave Mercutio.
LADY CAPULET
Tybalt, my cousin, O my brother’s child!
O Prince, O husband, O, the blood is spill’d
Of my dear kinsman. Prince, as thou art true,
For blood of ours shed blood of Montague.
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O cousin, cousin.
PRINCE Benvolio, who began this bloody fray?
BENVOLIO
Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo’s hand did slay.
Romeo, that spoke him fair, bid him bethink
How nice the quarrel was, and urg’d withal
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Your high displeasure. All this uttered
With gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bow’d,
Could not take truce with the unruly spleen
Of Tybalt, deaf to peace, but that he tilts
With piercing steel at bold Mercutio’s breast,
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Who, all as hot, turns deadly point to point
And, with a martial scorn, with one hand beats
Cold death aside, and with the other sends
It back to Tybalt, whose dexterity
Retorts it. Romeo, he cries aloud
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‘Hold, friends! Friends part!’ and swifter than his tongue
His agile arm beats down their fatal points
And ’twixt them rushes; underneath whose arm
An envious thrust from Tybalt hit the life
Of stout Mercutio; and then Tybalt fled,
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 448
