I think it best you married with the County.
O, he’s a lovely gentleman.
Romeo’s a dishclout to him. An eagle, madam,
Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an eye
220
As Paris hath. Beshrew my very heart,
I think you are happy in this second match,
For it excels your first; or, if it did not,
Your first is dead, or ’twere as good he were
As living here and you no use of him.
225
JULIET Speakest thou from thy heart?
NURSE And from my soul too, else beshrew them both.
JULIET Amen.
NURSE What?
JULIET
230
Well, thou hast comforted me marvellous much.
Go in, and tell my lady I am gone,
Having displeas’d my father, to Laurence’ cell,
To make confession and to be absolv’d.
NURSE Marry, I will; and this is wisely done. Exit.
JULIET Ancient damnation! O most wicked fiend,
235
Is it more sin to wish me thus forsworn,
Or to dispraise my lord with that same tongue
Which she hath prais’d him with above compare
So many thousand times? Go, counsellor.
Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain.
240
I’ll to the Friar to know his remedy.
If all else fail, myself have power to die. Exit.
4.1 Enter FRIAR LAURENCE and PARIS.
FRIAR LAURENCE
On Thursday, sir? The time is very short.
PARIS My father Capulet will have it so,
And I am nothing slow to slack his haste.
FRIAR LAURENCE
You say you do not know the lady’s mind.
Uneven is the course. I like it not.
5
PARIS Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death,
And therefore have I little talk’d of love,
For Venus smiles not in a house of tears.
Now sir, her father counts it dangerous
That she do give her sorrow so much sway,
10
And in his wisdom hastes our marriage
To stop the inundation of her tears
Which, too much minded by herself alone,
May be put from her by society.
Now do you know the reason of this haste.
15
FRIAR LAURENCE
I would I knew not why it should be slow’d –
Look sir, here comes the lady toward my cell.
Enter JULIET.
PARIS Happily met, my lady and my wife.
JULIET That may be, sir, when I may be a wife.
PARIS That may be, must be, love, on Thursday next.
20
JULIET What must be, shall be.
FRIAR LAURENCE That’s a certain text.
PARIS Come you to make confession to this father?
JULIET To answer that, I should confess to you.
PARIS Do not deny to him that you love me.
JULIET I will confess to you that I love him.
25
PARIS So will ye, I am sure, that you love me.
JULIET If I do so, it will be of more price
Being spoke behind your back than to your face.
PARIS Poor soul, thy face is much abus’d with tears.
JULIET The tears have got small victory by that,
30
For it was bad enough before their spite.
PARIS
Thou wrong’st it more than tears with that report.
JULIET That is no slander, sir, which is a truth,
And what I spake, I spake it to my face.
PARIS Thy face is mine, and thou hast slander’d it.
35
JULIET It may be so, for it is not mine own. –
Are you at leisure, holy father, now,
Or shall I come to you at evening mass?
FRIAR LAURENCE
My leisure serves me, pensive daughter, now. –
My lord, we must entreat the time alone.
40
PARIS God shield I should disturb devotion.
Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouse ye;
Till then, adieu, and keep this holy kiss. Exit.
JULIET O shut the door, and when thou hast done so,
Come weep with me, past hope, past cure, past help!
45
FRIAR LAURENCE O Juliet, I already know thy grief;
It strains me past the compass of my wits.
I hear thou must – and nothing may prorogue it –
On Thursday next be married to this County.
JULIET Tell me not, Friar, that thou hearest of this,
50
Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it.
If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help,
Do thou but call my resolution wise,
And with this knife I’ll help it presently.
God join’d my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands;
55
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo’s seal’d,
Shall be the label to another deed,
Or my true heart with treacherous revolt
Turn to another, this shall slay them both.
Therefore, out of thy long-experienc’d time
60
Give me some present counsel, or behold:
’Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife
Shall play the umpire, arbitrating that
Which the commission of thy years and art
Could to no issue of true honour bring.
65
Be not so long to speak. I long to die
If what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.
FRIAR LAURENCE
Hold, daughter. I do spy a kind of hope
Which craves as desperate an execution
As that is desperate which we would prevent.
70
If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself,
Then is it likely thou wilt undertake
A thing like death to chide away this shame,
That cop’st with death himself to scape from it.
75
And if thou dar’st, I’ll give thee remedy.
JULIET
O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris,
From off the battlements of any tower,
Or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk
Where serpents are. Chain me with roaring bears,
80
Or hide me nightly in a charnel-house
O’ercover’d quite with dead men’s rattling bones,
With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls.
Or bid me go into a new-made grave,
And hide me with a dead man in his shroud –
85
Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble –
And I will do it without fear or doubt,
To live an unstain’d wife to my sweet love.
FRIAR LAURENCE
Hold then. Go home, be merry, give consent
To marry Paris. Wednesday is tomorrow;
90
Tomorrow night look that thou lie alone.
Let not the Nurse lie with thee in thy chamber.
Take thou this vial, being then in bed,
And this distilling liquor drink thou off;
When presently through all thy veins shall run
95
A cold and drowsy humour, for no pulse
Shall keep his native progress, but surcease:
No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest,
The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade
To wanny ashes, thy eyes’ windows fall
100
Like death when he shuts up the day of life.
Each part depriv’d of supple gove
rnment
Shall stiff and stark and cold appear, like death,
And in this borrow’d likeness of shrunk death
Thou shalt continue two and forty hours
105
And then awake as from a pleasant sleep.
Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes
To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou, dead.
Then as the manner of our country is,
In thy best robes, uncover’d on the bier
110
Thou shall be borne to that same ancient vault
Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.
In the meantime, against thou shalt awake,
Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift
And hither shall he come, and he and I
115
Will watch thy waking, and that very night
Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua,
And this shall free thee from this present shame,
If no inconstant toy nor womanish fear
Abate thy valour in the acting it.
120
JULIET Give me, give me! O tell not me of fear.
FRIAR LAURENCE
Hold. Get you gone. Be strong and prosperous
In this resolve. I’ll send a friar with speed
To Mantua with my letters to thy lord.
JULIET
Love give me strength, and strength shall help afford.
125
Farewell, dear father. Exeunt.
4.2 Enter CAPULET, LADY CAPULET, Nurse and two or three Servingmen.
CAPULET So many guests invite as here are writ.
Exit Servingman.
Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks.
SERVINGMAN
You shall have none ill, sir, for I’ll try if they can lick
their fingers.
CAPULET How! Canst thou try them so?
5
SERVINGMAN
Marry sir, ’tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own
fingers; therefore he that cannot lick his fingers goes
not with me.
CAPULET Exit Servingman.
We shall be much unfurnish’d for this time.
10
What, is my daughter gone to Friar Laurence?
NURSE Ay, forsooth.
CAPULET Well, he may chance to do some good on her.
A peevish self-will’d harlotry it is.
Enter JULIET
NURSE
See where she comes from shrift with merry look.
15
CAPULET
How now, my headstrong: where have you been gadding?
JULIET Where I have learnt me to repent the sin
Of disobedient opposition
To you and your behests, and am enjoin’d
By holy Laurence to fall prostrate here,
20
To beg your pardon. Pardon, I beseech you.
Henceforward I am ever rul’d by you.
[She kneels down.]
CAPULET Send for the County, go tell him of this.
I’ll have this knot knit up tomorrow morning.
JULIET I met the youthful lord at Laurence’ cell,
25
And gave him what becomed love I might,
Not stepping o’er the bounds of modesty.
CAPULET Why, I am glad on’t. This is well. Stand up.
This is as’t should be. Let me see the County.
Ay, marry. Go, I say, and fetch him hither.
30
Now afore God, this reverend holy Friar,
All our whole city is much bound to him.
JULIET Nurse, will you go with me into my closet,
To help me sort such needful ornaments
As you think fit to furnish me tomorrow?
35
LADY CAPULET
No, not till Thursday. There is time enough.
CAPULET
Go, Nurse, go with her. We’ll to church tomorrow.
Exeunt Juliet and Nurse.
LADY CAPULET We shall be short in our provision,
’Tis now near night.
CAPULET Tush I will stir about,
And all things shall be well, I warrant thee, wife.
40
Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her.
I’ll not to bed tonight, let me alone.
I’ll play the housewife for this once. – What ho! –
They are all forth. Well, I will walk myself
To County Paris, to prepare up him
45
Against tomorrow. My heart is wondrous light
Since this same wayward girl is so reclaim’d.
Exeunt.
4.3 Enter JULIET and NURSE.
JULIET Ay, those attires are best. But, gentle Nurse,
I pray thee leave me to myself tonight,
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 452
