The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

by William Shakespeare

  Nurse

  I saw the wound with my own eyes. He was stabbed in the breast and pale from the loss of blood. I saw the gory mess and nearly fainted.

  I saw the wound, I saw it with mine eyes,-- God save the mark!--here on his manly breast. A piteous corse, a bloody piteous corse; Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaub'd in blood, All in gore-blood;--I swounded at the sight.

  Juliet

  Go ahead heart and break. I wish to die or be put in to prison, never to be free again. Put me in the ground with Romeo.

  O, break, my heart!--poor bankrout, break at once! To prison, eyes; ne'er look on liberty! Vile earth, to earth resign; end motion here; And thou and Romeo press one heavy bier!

  Nurse

  Oh, Tybalt. He was the best friend I ever had. Oh polite, honest, Tybalt, I never thought I would live to see your death.

  O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had! O courteous Tybalt! honest gentleman! That ever I should live to see thee dead!

  Juliet

  What are you talking about? Are Romeo, my husband, and Tybalt, my cousin, both dead? How could something so terrible happen? What is left to live for, if they are gone?

  What storm is this that blows so contrary? Is Romeo slaughter'd, and is Tybalt dead? My dear-lov'd cousin, and my dearer lord?-- Then, dreadful trumpet, sound the general doom! For who is living, if those two are gone?

  Nurse

  Tybalt is gone, and Romeo is banished. Romeo killed Tybalt, and now he is banished.

  Tybalt is gone, and Romeo banished; Romeo that kill'd him, he is banished.

  Juliet

  Oh God! Romeo killed Tybalt?

  O God!--did Romeo's hand shed Tybalt's blood?

  Nurse

  Yes, he did, today.

  It did, it did; alas the day, it did!

  Juliet

  He is a snake hiding in the flowers. He is a dragon deep in a beautiful cave. Beautiful tyrant! Angelic fiend! White raven! A predator! He seems so divine, but he is just the opposite. He is like a damned saint or cunning villain. Oh nature, how did such a beautiful creature be born with such fiendish ways? Was there ever a book on evil bound in such a beautiful way? I can’t believe someone so deceitful could be so gorgeous.

  . O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face! Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave? Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical! Dove-feather'd raven! wolvish-ravening lamb! Despised substance of divinest show! Just opposite to what thou justly seem'st, A damned saint, an honourable villain!-- O nature, what hadst thou to do in hell When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh?-- Was ever book containing such vile matter So fairly bound? O, that deceit should dwell In such a gorgeous palace!

  Nurse

  You cannot trust men. They are not honest or faithful. Where’s my servant? Give me something to drink. All of this is making me feel old. Shame on Romeo.

  There's no trust, No faith, no honesty in men; all perjur'd, All forsworn, all naught, all dissemblers.-- Ah, where's my man? Give me some aqua vitae.-- These griefs, these woes, these sorrows make me old. Shame come to Romeo!

  Juliet

  Hold your tongue. Don’t say such a thing. He is not meant for shame and deserves nothing but honor. Why did I let myself get so angry?

  Blister'd be thy tongue For such a wish! he was not born to shame: Upon his brow shame is asham'd to sit; For 'tis a throne where honour may be crown'd Sole monarch of the universal earth. O, what a beast was I to chide at him!

  Nurse

  How can you speak well of your cousin’s murderer?

  Will you speak well of him that kill'd your cousin?

  Juliet

  Would you rather I speak badly about my husband? My poor husband, how can we clear your name, when your wife of three hours can’t stand by you? I’m sure you were only acting in self-defense. I will not cry tears of sadness, but tears of joy, because Romeo is alive. There is still news I want to forget, and that makes me want to die. Romeo is banished. Nothing, not even Tybalt’s death, or my mother’s and father’s deaths, is as bad as that. Romeo is banished. Where is my mother and father, Nurse?

  Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name, When I, thy three-hours' wife, have mangled it?-- But wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin? That villain cousin would have kill'd my husband: Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring; Your tributary drops belong to woe, Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy. My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain; And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband: All this is comfort; wherefore weep I, then? Some word there was, worser than Tybalt's death, That murder'd me: I would forget it fain; But O, it presses to my memory Like damned guilty deeds to sinners' minds: 'Tybalt is dead, and Romeo banished.' That 'banished,' that one word 'banished,' Hath slain ten thousand Tybalts. Tybalt's death Was woe enough, if it had ended there: Or, if sour woe delights in fellowship, And needly will be rank'd with other griefs,-- Why follow'd not, when she said Tybalt's dead, Thy father, or thy mother, nay, or both, Which modern lamentation might have mov'd? But with a rear-ward following Tybalt's death, 'Romeo is banished'--to speak that word Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, All slain, all dead: 'Romeo is banished,'-- There is no end, no limit, measure, bound, In that word's death; no words can that woe sound.-- Where is my father and my mother, nurse?

  Nurse

  Grieving over Tybalt. Would you like to join them? I can take you.

  Weeping and wailing over Tybalt's corse: Will you go to them? I will bring you thither.

  Juliet

  Well, they can grieve over him all they want, but my tears are for Romeo. Pick up that rope ladder. We are both useless, now. I am destined to be an old maid. Come on, Nurse, bring that rope ladder with me to my wedding bed, and let death come take me tonight.

  Wash they his wounds with tears: mine shall be spent, When theirs are dry, for Romeo's banishment. Take up those cords. Poor ropes, you are beguil'd, Both you and I; for Romeo is exil'd: He made you for a highway to my bed; But I, a maid, die maiden-widowed. Come, cords; come, nurse; I'll to my wedding-bed; And death, not Romeo, take my maidenhead!

  Nurse

  Go to your room, and I’ll find Romeo for you. I know where he is and he’ll be here tonight. I’ll go to him at Friar Lawrence’s house.

  Hie to your chamber. I'll find Romeo To comfort you: I wot well where he is. Hark ye, your Romeo will be here at night: I'll to him; he is hid at Lawrence' cell.

  Juliet

  Oh, Nurse, find him! Give him this ring and tell him to come and say his last goodbye.

  O, find him! give this ring to my true knight, And bid him come to take his last farewell.

  (Exit all.)

  Scene III: Friar Lawrence’s house.

  (Enter Friar Lawrence.)

  Friar Lawrence

  Come out Romeo. Don’t be afraid, even though “tragedy” is in love with you and you are married to “trouble.”

  Romeo, come forth; come forth, thou fearful man. Affliction is enanmour'd of thy parts, And thou art wedded to calamity.

  Romeo

  Do you have any news? What is the Prince’s sentence? What else must I endure?

  Father, what news? what is the prince's doom What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand, That I yet know not?

  Friar Lawrence

  You have spent too much time suffering. I have news from the Prince.

  Too familiar Is my dear son with such sour company: I bring thee tidings of the prince's doom.

  Romeo

  Is it less than my doom?

  What less than doomsday is the prince's doom?

  Friar Lawrence

  Yes, you are not doomed to die, but to be banished.

  A gentler judgment vanish'd from his lips,-- Not body's death, but body's banishment.

  Romeo

  Banishment, are you kidding? Death is better than banishment. Don’t say banishment.

  Ha, banishment? be merciful, say d
eath; For exile hath more terror in his look, Much more than death; do not say banishment.

  Friar Lawrence

  You are banished from Verona, but the world is a huge place.

  Hence from Verona art thou banished: Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.

  Romeo

  There is no world outside of Verona for me, except for purgatory or hell. So, banishment is death for me. Banishment is like a golden axe cutting off my head.

  There is no world without Verona walls, But purgatory, torture, hell itself. Hence-banished is banish'd from the world, And world's exile is death,--then banished Is death mis-term'd: calling death banishment, Thou cutt'st my head off with a golden axe, And smil'st upon the stroke that murders me.

  Friar Lawrence

  How dare you talk that way, you rude and thankless boy? The Prince is being kind to you and not holding you to the law. This is mercy, although you refuse to see it.

  O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness! Thy fault our law calls death; but the kind prince, Taking thy part, hath brush'd aside the law, And turn'd that black word death to banishment: This is dear mercy, and thou see'st it not.

  Romeo

  This is not mercy; it is torture. I want to be here with Juliet where I can look at her like every other undeserving creature. Flies are now more honorable than me. Flies can touch her hands and lips, lips that she thinks are sinful even if they touch each other. I cannot; I am banished. I must flee and leave behind my life. Isn’t that death? Don’t you have a poison, sharp knife or some other deadly weapon you could use to kill me quickly? Banishment will kill me slowly. Banishment is hell that demons howl about. If you are a man of God and my friend, how can you tear me apart with the word, banishment?

  'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here, Where Juliet lives; and every cat, and dog, And little mouse, every unworthy thing, Live here in heaven, and may look on her; But Romeo may not.--More validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion flies than Romeo: they may seize On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand, And steal immortal blessing from her lips; Who, even in pure and vestal modesty, Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin; But Romeo may not; he is banished,-- This may flies do, when I from this must fly. And sayest thou yet that exile is not death! Hadst thou no poison mix'd, no sharp-ground knife, No sudden mean of death, though ne'er so mean, But banished to kill me; banished? O friar, the damned use that word in hell; Howlings attend it: how hast thou the heart, Being a divine, a ghostly confessor, A sin-absolver, and my friend profess'd, To mangle me with that word banishment?

  Friar Lawrence

  You, madman, listen to me…

  Thou fond mad man, hear me speak a little,--

  Romeo

  You will speak of banishment again.

  O, thou wilt speak again of banishment.

  Friar Lawrence

  I only want to help you.

  I'll give thee armour to keep off that word; Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy, To comfort thee, though thou art banished.

  Romeo

  Unless you can figure out a way for Juliet and me to be together or a way to reverse the Prince’s sentence, don’t speak.

  Yet banished? Hang up philosophy! Unless philosophy can make a Juliet, Displant a town, reverse a prince's doom, It helps not, it prevails not,--talk no more.

  Friar Lawrence

  Oh, I see. The madman doesn’t want to listen.

  O, then I see that madmen have no ears.

  Romeo

  Why should I listen to someone who cannot understand?

  How should they, when that wise men have no eyes?

  Friar Lawrence

  Just hear me out.

  Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.

  Romeo

  You can’t speak of things you know nothing about. If you were in my shoes, just married to Juliet, accused of murdering Tybalt, and now banished, then, I would listen to you as you tore out your hair and prepared for your death.

  Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel: Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love, An hour but married, Tybalt murdered, Doting like me, and like me banished, Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair, And fall upon the ground, as I do now, Taking the measure of an unmade grave.

  (Knocking within.)

  Friar Lawrence

  Get up. Someone is knocking. Hide!

  Arise; one knocks. Good Romeo, hide thyself.

  Romeo

  I’m not hiding, unless a fog comes in here and wraps around me.

  Not I; unless the breath of heartsick groans, Mist-like infold me from the search of eyes.

  (Knocking.)

  Friar Lawrence

  Listen to how they are knocking. Who’s there? Get up, Romeo. They will take you. You need to get up so you can stay here. (Knocking.) Hide in my study. Hurry! I’m coming! I’m coming! (Knocking.) Who’s knocking so hard on my door? What do you want?

  Hark, how they knock!--Who's there?--Romeo, arise; Thou wilt be taken.--Stay awhile;--Stand up;[Knocking] Run to my study.--By-and-by!--God's will! What simpleness is this.--I come, I come! [Knocking] Who knocks so hard? whence come you? what's your will?

  Nurse

  Let me come in and I’ll tell you. I am here from Juliet.

  [Within.] Let me come in, and you shall know my errand; I come from Lady Juliet.

  Friar Lawrence

  You are welcome then.

  Welcome then.

  (Enter Nurse.)

  Nurse

  Oh holy friar, where is Romeo?

  O holy friar, O, tell me, holy friar, Where is my lady's lord, where's Romeo?

  Friar Lawrence

  He is lying over there, in a terrible state of mind.

  There on the ground, with his own tears made drunk.

  Nurse

  Just like my Juliet.

  O, he is even in my mistress' case,-- Just in her case!

  Friar Lawrence

  This is a terrible situation.

  O woeful sympathy! Piteous predicament!

  Nurse

  I know. Juliet is blubbering and weeping and weeping and blubbering. Stand up and be a man. For the sake of Juliet, stand up. Why should you be crying?

  Even so lies she, Blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubbering.-- Stand up, stand up; stand, an you be a man: For Juliet's sake, for her sake, rise and stand; Why should you fall into so deep an O?

  Romeo

  Nurse!

  Nurse!

  Nurse

  Death is the end for everyone.

  Ah sir! ah sir!--Well, death's the end of all.

  Romeo

  You spoke of Juliet. How is she? Does she see me as a murderer now? I have killed her relative and our joy. Where is she? What does she say about us?

  Spakest thou of Juliet? how is it with her? Doth not she think me an old murderer, Now I have stain'd the childhood of our joy With blood remov'd but little from her own? Where is she? and how doth she/ and what says My conceal'd lady to our cancell'd love?

  Nurse

  She doesn’t say anything. She just cries and cries. She falls on her bed and cries for Tybalt and you. Then, she cries some more.

  O, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps; And now falls on her bed; and then starts up, And Tybalt calls; and then on Romeo cries, And then down falls again.

  Romeo

  She cries for me and it is killing her, like I killed Tybalt. Tell me, Friar, what do I have to cut out to remove this sin? (Drawing his sword.)

  As if that name, Shot from the deadly level of a gun, Did murder her; as that name's cursed hand Murder'd her kinsman.--O, tell me, friar, tell me, In what vile part of this anatomy Doth my name lodge? tell me, that I may sack The hateful mansion.

  Friar Lawrence

  Hold on. Aren’t you a man? You are acting like a little girl or a wild beast. I thought you knew better. You have killed Tybalt, so are you going to kill yourself, too? That will kill Juliet for sure. Do not take your
life for granted and curse your birth, the heavens, and the earth. You should be ashamed for even thinking of such a thing. You are nothing if you cannot take responsibility for your actions. You are like a ticking time bomb! Get up. Juliet is alive. She is the reason for part of this, because Tybalt was coming to kill you. So, you killed Tybalt. Be happy you are alive. The law has been ignored and instead of facing execution, you are facing banishment. You are blessed, but you refuse to see it. Listen to me. People like you die miserable. Go to Juliet. Comfort her, but do not stay too long. You must make your way to Mantua, where you will live until we can figure out a way for you to come back to rejoin your wife and friends. Beg the Prince’s pardon and then you can come back and be happier than you ever were before. Go ahead, Nurse, and tell Juliet. Tell her to urge her family to bed after their long day of mourning. Tell her Romeo is coming.

  Hold thy desperate hand: Art thou a man? thy form cries out thou art; Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denote The unreasonable fury of a beast; Unseemly woman in a seeming man! Or ill-beseeming beast in seeming both! Thou hast amaz'd me: by my holy order, I thought thy disposition better temper'd. Hast thou slain Tybalt? wilt thou slay thyself? And slay thy lady, too, that lives in thee, By doing damned hate upon thyself? Why rail'st thou on thy birth, the heaven, and earth? Since birth and heaven and earth, all three do meet In thee at once; which thou at once wouldst lose. Fie, fie, thou sham'st thy shape, thy love, thy wit; Which, like a usurer, abound'st in all, And usest none in that true use indeed Which should bedeck thy shape, thy love, thy wit: Thy noble shape is but a form of wax, Digressing from the valour of a man; Thy dear love sworn, but hollow perjury, Killing that love which thou hast vow'd to cherish; Thy wit, that ornament to shape and love, Mis-shapen in the conduct of them both, Like powder in a skilless soldier's flask, Is set a-fire by thine own ignorance, And thou dismember'd with thine own defence. What, rouse thee, man! thy Juliet is alive, For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead; There art thou happy: Tybalt would kill thee, But thou slewest Tybalt; there art thou happy too: The law, that threaten'd death, becomes thy friend, And turns it to exile; there art thou happy: A pack of blessings lights upon thy back; Happiness courts thee in her best array; But, like a misbehav'd and sullen wench, Thou pout'st upon thy fortune and thy love:-- Take heed, take heed, for such die miserable. Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed, Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her: But, look, thou stay not till the watch be set, For then thou canst not pass to Mantua; Where thou shalt live till we can find a time To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends, Beg pardon of the prince, and call thee back With twenty hundred thousand times more joy Than thou went'st forth in lamentation.-- Go before, nurse: commend me to thy lady; And bid her hasten all the house to bed, Which heavy sorrow makes them apt unto. Romeo is coming.