The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

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The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 445

by William Shakespeare


  Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh,

  Speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied.

  Cry but ‘Ay me!’ Pronounce but ‘love’ and ‘dove’,

  10

  Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word,

  One nickname for her purblind son and heir,

  Young Abraham Cupid, he that shot so trim

  When King Cophetua lov’d the beggar maid.

  He heareth not, he stirreth not, he moveth not:

  15

  The ape is dead and I must conjure him.

  I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes,

  By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,

  By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh,

  And the demesnes that there adjacent lie,

  20

  That in thy likeness thou appear to us.

  BENVOLIO And if he hear thee, thou wilt anger him.

  MERCUTIO This cannot anger him. ’Twould anger him

  To raise a spirit in his mistress’ circle

  Of some strange nature, letting it there stand

  25

  Till she had laid it and conjur’d it down:

  That were some spite. My invocation

  Is fair and honest; in his mistress’ name

  I conjure only but to raise up him.

  BENVOLIO

  Come, he hath hid himself among these trees

  30

  To be consorted with the humorous night.

  Blind is his love, and best befits the dark.

  MERCUTIO If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.

  Now will he sit under a medlar tree

  And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit

  35

  As maids call medlars when they laugh alone.

  O Romeo, that she were, O that she were

  An open-arse and thou a poperin pear!

  Romeo, good night. I’ll to my truckle-bed.

  This field-bed is too cold for me to sleep.

  40

  Come, shall we go?

  BENVOLIO Go then, for ’tis in vain

  To seek him here that means not to be found.

  Exeunt Benvolio and Mercutio.

  2.2

  [Romeo comes forward.]

  ROMEO He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

  Enter JULIET above.

  But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

  It is the east and Juliet is the sun!

  Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon

  Who is already sick and pale with grief

  5

  That thou her maid art far more fair than she.

  Be not her maid since she is envious,

  Her vestal livery is but sick and green

  And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off.

  It is my lady, O it is my love!

  10

  O that she knew she were!

  She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that?

  Her eye discourses, I will answer it.

  I am too bold. ’Tis not to me she speaks.

  Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,

  15

  Having some business, do entreat her eyes

  To twinkle in their spheres till they return.

  What if her eyes were there, they in her head?

  The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars

  As daylight doth a lamp. Her eyes in heaven

  20

  Would through the airy region stream so bright

  That birds would sing and think it were not night.

  See how she leans her cheek upon her hand.

  O that I were a glove upon that hand,

  That I might touch that cheek.

  JULIET Ay me.

  ROMEO She speaks.

  25

  O speak again bright angel, for thou art

  As glorious to this night, being o’er my head,

  As is a winged messenger of heaven

  Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes

  Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him

  30

  When he bestrides the lazy-puffing clouds

  And sails upon the bosom of the air.

  JULIET O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

  Deny thy father and refuse thy name.

  Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love

  35

  And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

  ROMEO Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

  JULIET ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy:

  Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

  What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot

  40

  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 word would smell as sweet;

  So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,

  45

  Retain that dear perfection which he owes

  Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

  And for thy name, which is no part of thee,

  Take all myself.

  ROMEO I take thee at thy word.

  Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptis’d:

  50

  Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

  JULIET

  What man art thou that thus bescreen’d in night

  So stumblest on my counsel?

  ROMEO By a name

  I know not how to tell thee who I am:

  My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself

  55

  Because it is an enemy to thee.

  Had I it written, I would tear the word.

  JULIET My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words

  Of thy tongue’s uttering, yet I know the sound.

  Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?

  60

  ROMEO Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike.

  JULIET

  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.

  65

  ROMEO

  With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls,

  For stony limits cannot hold love out,

  And what love can do, that dares love attempt:

  Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.

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

  70

  ROMEO Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye

  Than twenty of their swords. Look thou but sweet

  And I am proof against their enmity.

  JULIET I would not for the world they saw thee here.

  ROMEO I have night’s cloak to hide me from their eyes,

  75

  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.

  JULIET

  By whose direction found’st thou out this place?

  ROMEO By love, that first did prompt me to enquire.

  80

  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 farthest sea,

  I should adventure for such merchandise.

  JULIET Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face,

  85

  Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek

  For that which thou hast heard me speak tonight.

  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’,

  90

  And I will take thy word. Yet, if thou swear’st,

  Thou mayst 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,

  95

  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 mayst think my haviour light,

  But trust me, gentleman, I’ll prove more true

  100

  Than those that have more cunning to be strange.

  I should have been more strange, I must confess,

  But that thou overheard’st, ere I was ware,

  My true-love passion; therefore pardon me,

  And not impute this yielding to light love

  105

  Which the dark night hath so discovered.

  ROMEO Lady, by yonder blessed moon I vow,

  That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops –

  JULIET O swear not by the moon, th’inconstant moon,

  That monthly changes in her circled orb,

  110

  Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

  ROMEO What shall I swear by?

  JULIET 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.

  ROMEO If my heart’s dear love –

  115

  JULIET Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee,

  I have no joy of this contract tonight:

  It is too rash, too unadvis’d, too sudden,

  Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be

  Ere one can say ‘It lightens’. Sweet, good night.

  120

  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.

  ROMEO O wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?

  125

  JULIET What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?

  ROMEO

  Th’exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine.

  JULIET I gave thee mine before thou didst request it,

  And yet I would it were to give again.

  ROMEO

  Wouldst thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?

  130

  JULIET 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.

  135

  I hear some noise within. Dear love, adieu.

  [Nurse calls within.]

  Anon, good Nurse – Sweet Montague be true.

  Stay but a little, I will come again. Exit Juliet.

  ROMEO O blessed blessed night. I am afeard,

  Being in night, all this is but a dream,

  140

  Too flattering sweet to be substantial.

  Enter JULIET above.

  JULIET

  Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.

  If that thy bent of love be honourable,

  Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow

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

  145

  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.

  JULIET I come, anon – But if thou meanest not well

  150

  I do beseech thee –

  NURSE [within] Madam.

  JULIET By and by I come –

  To cease thy strife and leave me to my grief.

  Tomorrow will I send.

  ROMEO So thrive my soul –

  JULIET A thousand times good night. Exit Juliet.

  ROMEO A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.

  155

  Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books,

  But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.

  Enter JULIET above again.

  JULIET Hist! Romeo, hist! O for a falconer’s voice

  To lure this tassel-gentle back again.

  Bondage is hoarse and may not speak aloud,

  160

  Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies

  And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine

  With repetition of my Romeo’s name.

  ROMEO It is my soul that calls upon my name.

  How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night,

  165

  Like softest music to attending ears.

  JULIET Romeo.

 

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