Enter Sampson and Gregory, with swords and bucklers,
of the house of Capulet.SAMPSON Gregory, on my word we’ll not carry coals.GREGORY No, for then we should be colliers.SAMPSON I mean, an we be in choler, we’ll draw.GREGORY Ay, while you live, draw your neck out of5 collar.SAMPSON I strike quickly, being moved.GREGORY But thou art not quickly moved to strike.SAMPSON A dog of the house of Montague moves me.GREGORY To move is to stir, and to be valiant is to10 stand. Therefore if thou art moved thou runn’st away.SAMPSON A dog of that house shall move me to stand. I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague’s.GREGORY That shows thee a weak slave, for the weakest15 goes to the wall.SAMPSON ’Tis true, and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall. Therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall and thrust his maids to the wall.GREGORY 20The quarrel is between our masters and us their men.SAMPSON ’Tis all one. I will show myself a tyrant. When I have fought with the men, I will be civil with the maids; I will cut off their heads.
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GREGORY 25The heads of the maids?SAMPSON Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads. Take it in what sense thou wilt.GREGORY They must take it ⌜in⌝ sense that feel it.SAMPSON Me they shall feel while I am able to stand,30 and ’tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh.GREGORY ’Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor-john. Draw thy tool. Here comes of the house of Montagues.Enter ⌜Abram with another Servingman.⌝SAMPSON My naked weapon is out. Quarrel, I will back35 thee.GREGORY How? Turn thy back and run?SAMPSON Fear me not.GREGORY No, marry. I fear thee!SAMPSON Let us take the law of our sides; let them40 begin.GREGORY I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list.SAMPSON Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it.⌜He bites his thumb.⌝ABRAM 45Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?SAMPSON I do bite my thumb, sir.ABRAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?SAMPSON, ⌜aside to Gregory⌝ Is the law of our side if I say “Ay”?GREGORY, ⌜aside to Sampson⌝ 50No.SAMPSON No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir.GREGORY Do you quarrel, sir?ABRAM Quarrel, sir? No, sir.SAMPSON 55But if you do, sir, I am for you. I serve as good a man as you.ABRAM No better.
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SAMPSON Well, sir.Enter Benvolio.GREGORY, ⌜aside to Sampson⌝ Say “better”; here comes60 one of my master’s kinsmen.SAMPSON Yes, better, sir.ABRAM You lie.SAMPSON Draw if you be men.—Gregory, remember thy washing blow.They fight.BENVOLIO 65Part, fools!⌜Drawing his sword.⌝ Put up your swords. You know not what you do.Enter Tybalt, ⌜drawing his sword.⌝TYBALT What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio; look upon thy death.BENVOLIO I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,70 Or manage it to part these men with me.TYBALT What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward!⌜They fight.⌝Enter three or four Citizens with clubs or partisans.⌜CITIZENS⌝ Clubs, bills, and partisans! Strike! Beat them down!75 Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues!Enter old Capulet in his gown, and his Wife.CAPULET What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!LADY CAPULET A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?Enter old Montague and his Wife.
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CAPULET My sword, I say. Old Montague is come80 And flourishes his blade in spite of me.MONTAGUE Thou villain Capulet!—Hold me not; let me go.LADY MONTAGUE Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.Enter Prince Escalus with his train.PRINCE Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, Profaners of this neighbor-stainèd steel—85 Will they not hear?—What ho! You men, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage With purple fountains issuing from your veins: On pain of torture, from those bloody hands Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground,90 And hear the sentence of your movèd prince. Three civil brawls bred of an airy word By thee, old Capulet, and Montague, Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets And made Verona’s ancient citizens95 Cast by their grave-beseeming ornaments To wield old partisans in hands as old, Cankered with peace, to part your cankered hate. If ever you disturb our streets again, Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.100 For this time all the rest depart away. You, Capulet, shall go along with me, And, Montague, come you this afternoon To know our farther pleasure in this case, To old Free-town, our common judgment-place.105 Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.⌜All but Montague, Lady Montague,
and Benvolio⌝ exit.
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MONTAGUE, ⌜to Benvolio⌝ Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach? Speak, nephew, were you by when it began?BENVOLIO Here were the servants of your adversary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach.110 I drew to part them. In the instant came The fiery Tybalt with his sword prepared, Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears, He swung about his head and cut the winds, Who, nothing hurt withal, hissed him in scorn.115 While we were interchanging thrusts and blows Came more and more and fought on part and part, Till the Prince came, who parted either part.LADY MONTAGUE O, where is Romeo? Saw you him today? Right glad I am he was not at this fray.BENVOLIO 120 Madam, an hour before the worshiped sun Peered forth the golden window of the east, A troubled mind ⌜drove⌝ me to walk abroad, Where underneath the grove of sycamore That westward rooteth from this city side,125 So early walking did I see your son. Towards him I made, but he was ’ware of me And stole into the covert of the wood. I, measuring his affections by my own (Which then most sought where most might not be130 found, Being one too many by my weary self), Pursued my humor, not pursuing his, And gladly shunned who gladly fled from me.MONTAGUE Many a morning hath he there been seen,135 With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew, Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs.
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But all so soon as the all-cheering sun Should in the farthest east begin to draw The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed,140 Away from light steals home my heavy son And private in his chamber pens himself, Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, And makes himself an artificial night. Black and portentous must this humor prove,145 Unless good counsel may the cause remove.BENVOLIO My noble uncle, do you know the cause?MONTAGUE I neither know it nor can learn of him.BENVOLIO Have you importuned him by any means?MONTAGUE Both by myself and many other friends.150 But he, ⌜his⌝ own affections’ counselor, Is to himself—I will not say how true, But to himself so secret and so close, So far from sounding and discovery, As is the bud bit with an envious worm155 Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air Or dedicate his beauty to the same. Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow, We would as willingly give cure as know.Enter Romeo.BENVOLIO See where he comes. So please you, step aside.160 I’ll know his grievance or be much denied.MONTAGUE I would thou wert so happy by thy stay To hear true shrift.—Come, madam, let’s away.⌜Montague and Lady Montague⌝ exit.
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BENVOLIO Good morrow, cousin.ROMEO Is the day so young?BENVOLIO 165 But new struck nine.ROMEO Ay me, sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast?BENVOLIO It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours?ROMEO Not having that which, having, makes them short.BENVOLIO 170In love?ROMEO Out—BENVOLIO Of love?ROMEO Out of her favor where I am in love.BENVOLIO Alas that love, so gentle in his view,175 Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!ROMEO Alas that love, whose view is muffled still, Should without eyes see pathways to his will! Where shall we dine?—O me! What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.180 Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love. Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate, O anything of nothing first ⌜create!⌝ O heavy lightness, serious vanity, Misshapen chaos of ⌜well-seeming⌝ forms,185 Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, Still-waking sleep that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh?BENVOLIO No, coz, I rather weep.ROMEO 190 Good heart, at what?
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BENVOLIO At thy good heart’s oppression.ROMEO Why, such is love’s transgression. Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, Which thou wilt propagate to have it pressed195 With more of thine. This love that thou hast shown Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes; Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.200 What is it else? A madness most discreet, A choking gall, and a preserving sweet. Farewell, my coz.BENVOLIO Soft, I will go along. An if you leave me so, you do me wrong.ROMEO 205 Tut, I have lost myself. I am not here. This is not Romeo. He’s some other where.BENVOLIO Tell me in sadness, who is that you love?ROMEO What, shall I groan and tell thee?BENVOLIO Groan? Why, no. But sadly tell me who.ROMEO 210 A sick man in sadness makes his will— A word ill urged to one that is so ill. In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.BENVOLIO I aimed so near when I supposed you loved.ROMEO A right good markman! And she’s fair I love.BENVOLIO 215 A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.ROMEO Well in that hit you miss. She’ll not be hit With Cupid’s arrow. She hath Dian’s wit, And, in strong proof of chastity well armed,
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From love’s weak childish bow she lives uncharmed.220 She will not stay the siege of loving terms, Nor bide th’ encounter of assailing eyes, Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold. O, she is rich in beauty, only poor That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store.BENVOLIO 225 Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste?ROMEO She hath, and in that sparing ⌜makes⌝ huge waste; For beauty, starved with her severity, Cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair,230 To merit bliss by making me despair. She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow Do I live dead, that live to tell it now.BENVOLIO Be ruled by me. Forget to think of her.ROMEO O, teach me how I should forget to think!BENVOLIO 235 By giving liberty unto thine eyes. Examine other beauties.ROMEO ’Tis the way To call hers, exquisite, in question more. These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows,240 Being black, puts us in mind they hide the fair. He that is strucken blind cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight lost. Show me a mistress that is passing fair; What doth her beauty serve but as a note245 Where I may read who passed that passing fair? Farewell. Thou canst not teach me to forget.BENVOLIO I’ll pay that doctrine or else die in debt.They exit.
Romeo and Juliet
