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Home > Romeo and Juliet > ACT I - SCENE II. A street.

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ACT I - SCENE II. A street.
Enter CAPULET, PARIS, and Servant

CAPULET
1    But Montague is bound as well as I,
2    In penalty alike; and 'tis not hard, I think,
3    For men so old as we to keep the peace.
PARIS
4    Of honourable reckoning are you both;
5    And pity 'tis you lived at odds so long.
6    But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?
CAPULET
7    But saying o'er what I have said before:
8    My child is yet a stranger in the world;
9    She hath not seen the change of fourteen years,
10   Let two more summers wither in their pride,
11   Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.
PARIS
12   Younger than she are happy mothers made.
CAPULET
13   And too soon marr'd are those so early made.
14   The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she,
15   She is the hopeful lady of my earth:
16   But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
17   My will to her consent is but a part;
18   An she agree, within her scope of choice
19   Lies my consent and fair according voice.
20   This night I hold an old accustom'd feast,
21   Whereto I have invited many a guest,
22   Such as I love; and you, among the store,
23   One more, most welcome, makes my number more.
24   At my poor house look to behold this night
25   Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light:
26   Such comfort as do lusty young men feel
27   When well-apparell'd April on the heel
28   Of limping winter treads, even such delight
29   Among fresh female buds shall you this night
30   Inherit at my house; hear all, all see,
31   And like her most whose merit most shall be:
32   Which on more view, of many mine being one
33   May stand in number, though in reckoning none,
34   Come, go with me.
To Servant, giving a paper
35   Go, sirrah, trudge about
36   Through fair Verona; find those persons out
37   Whose names are written there, and to them say,
38   My house and welcome on their pleasure stay.
Exeunt CAPULET and PARIS

Servant
39   Find them out whose names are written here! It is
40   written, that the shoemaker should meddle with his
41   yard, and the tailor with his last, the fisher with
42   his pencil, and the painter with his nets; but I am
43   sent to find those persons whose names are here
44   writ, and can never find what names the writing
45   person hath here writ. I must to the learned.--In good time.
Enter BENVOLIO and ROMEO

BENVOLIO
46   Tut, man, one fire burns out another's burning,
47   One pain is lessen'd by another's anguish;
48   Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning;
49   One desperate grief cures with another's languish:
50   Take thou some new infection to thy eye,
51   And the rank poison of the old will die.
ROMEO
52   Your plaintain-leaf is excellent for that.
BENVOLIO
53   For what, I pray thee?
ROMEO
54   For your broken shin.
BENVOLIO
55   Why, Romeo, art thou mad?
ROMEO
56   Not mad, but bound more than a mad-man is;
57   Shut up in prison, kept without my food,
58   Whipp'd and tormented and--God-den, good fellow.
Servant
59   God gi' god-den. I pray, sir, can you read?
ROMEO
60   Ay, mine own fortune in my misery.
Servant
61   Perhaps you have learned it without book: but, I
62   pray, can you read any thing you see?
ROMEO
63   Ay, if I know the letters and the language.
Servant
64   Ye say honestly: rest you merry!
ROMEO
65   Stay, fellow; I can read.
Reads
66   'Signior Martino and his wife and daughters;
67   County Anselme and his beauteous sisters; the lady
68   widow of Vitravio; Signior Placentio and his lovely
69   nieces; Mercutio and his brother Valentine; mine
70   uncle Capulet, his wife and daughters; my fair niece
71   Rosaline; Livia; Signior Valentio and his cousin
72   Tybalt, Lucio and the lively Helena.' A fair
73   assembly: whither should they come?
Servant
74   Up.
ROMEO
75   Whither?
Servant
76   To supper; to our house.
ROMEO
77   Whose house?
Servant
78   My master's.
ROMEO
79   Indeed, I should have ask'd you that before.
Servant
80   Now I'll tell you without asking: my master is the
81   great rich Capulet; and if you be not of the house
82   of Montagues, I pray, come and crush a cup of wine.
83   Rest you merry!
Exit

BENVOLIO
84   At this same ancient feast of Capulet's
85   Sups the fair Rosaline whom thou so lovest,
86   With all the admired beauties of Verona:
87   Go thither; and, with unattainted eye,
88   Compare her face with some that I shall show,
89   And I will make thee think thy swan a crow.
ROMEO
90   When the devout religion of mine eye
91   Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires;
92   And these, who often drown'd could never die,
93   Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars!
94   One fairer than my love! the all-seeing sun
95   Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun.
BENVOLIO
96   Tut, you saw her fair, none else being by,
97   Herself poised with herself in either eye:
98   But in that crystal scales let there be weigh'd
99   Your lady's love against some other maid
100  That I will show you shining at this feast,
101  And she shall scant show well that now shows best.
ROMEO
102  I'll go along, no such sight to be shown,
103  But to rejoice in splendor of mine own.
Exeunt

< (Previous) ACT I, SCENE IACT I, III (Next) >
Scene Index
ACT I
  • PROLOGUE
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V


  • ACT II
  • PROLOGUE
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V
  • SCENE VI


  • ACT III
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V


  • ACT IV
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V


  • ACT V
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III

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