ARKCODEX
Act I, Scene 1
1Verona. A public place.
2Enter Sampson and Gregory, of the house of Capulet, armed with swords and bucklers.
3SampsonGregory, o’ my word, we’ll not carry coals.
4GregoryNo, for then we should be colliers.
5SampsonI mean, an we be in choler, we’ll draw.
6GregoryAy, while you live, draw your neck out o’ the collar.
7SampsonI strike quickly, being moved.
8GregoryBut thou art not quickly moved to strike.
9SampsonA dog of the house of Montague moves me.
10GregoryTo move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand: therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn’st away.
11SampsonA dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague’s.
12GregoryThat shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall.
13SampsonTrue; 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.
14GregoryThe quarrel is between our masters and us their men.
15Sampson’Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids, and cut off their heads.
16GregoryThe heads of the maids?
17SampsonAy, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt.
18GregoryThey must take it in sense that feel it.
19SampsonMe they shall feel while I am able to stand: and ’tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh.
20Gregory’Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool; here comes two of the house of the Montagues.
21SampsonMy naked weapon is out: quarrel, I will back thee.
22GregoryHow! turn thy back and run?
23SampsonFear me not.
24GregoryNo, marry; I fear thee!
25SampsonLet us take the law of our sides; let them begin.
26GregoryI will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list.
27SampsonNay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it.
28Enter Abraham and Balthasar.
29AbrahamDo you bite your thumb at us, sir?
30SampsonI do bite my thumb, sir.
31AbrahamDo you bite your thumb at us, sir?
32SampsonAside to Gregory. Is the law of our side, if I say ay?
33GregoryNo.
34SampsonNo, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir.
35GregoryDo you quarrel, sir?
36AbrahamQuarrel, sir! no, sir.
37SampsonIf you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you.
38AbrahamNo better.
39SampsonWell, sir.
40GregorySay “better:” here comes one of my master’s kinsmen.
41SampsonYes, better, sir.
42AbrahamYou lie.
43SampsonDraw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. They fight.
44Enter Benvolio.
45BenvolioPart, fools!
Put up your swords; you know not what you do. Beats down their swords.
46Enter Tybalt.
47TybaltWhat, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?
Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death.
48BenvolioI do but keep the peace: put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.
49TybaltWhat, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:
Have at thee, coward! They fight.
50Enter several of both houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs.
51First CitizenClubs, bills, and partisans! strike! beat them down!
Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues!
52Enter Capulet in his gown, and Lady Capulet.
53CapuletWhat noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!
54Lady CapuletA crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword?
55CapuletMy sword, I say! Old Montague is come,
And flourishes his blade in spite of me.
56Enter Montague and Lady Montague.
57MontagueThou villain Capulet—Hold me not, let me go.
58Lady MontagueThou shalt not stir a foot to seek a foe.
59Enter Prince, with Attendants.
60PrinceRebellious subjects, enemies to peace,
Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel—
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 mistemper’d weapons to the ground,
And hear the sentence of your moved prince.
Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,
By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,
Have thrice disturb’d the quiet of our streets,
And made Verona’s ancient citizens
Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments,
To wield old partisans, in hands as old,
Canker’d with peace, to part your canker’d hate:
If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
For this time, all the rest depart away:
You, Capulet, shall go along with me:
And, Montague, come you this afternoon,
To know our further pleasure in this case,
To old Free-town, our common judgment-place.
Once more, on pain of death, all men depart. Exeunt all but Montague, Lady Montague, and Benvolio.
61MontagueWho set this ancient quarrel new abroach?
Speak, nephew, were you by when it began?
62BenvolioHere were the servants of your adversary,
And yours, close fighting ere I did approach:
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 hiss’d him in scorn:
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.
63Lady MontagueO, where is Romeo? saw you him to-day?
Right glad I am he was not at this fray.
64BenvolioMadam, an hour before the worshipp’d sun
Peer’d forth the golden window of the east,
A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad;
Where, underneath the grove of sycamore
That westward rooteth from the city’s side,
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,
That most are busied when they’re most alone,
Pursued my humour not pursuing his,
And gladly shunn’d who gladly fled from me.
65MontagueMany a morning hath he there been seen,
With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew,
Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs;
But all so soon as the all-cheering sun
Should in the furthest east begin to draw
The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed,
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 humour prove,
Unless good counsel may the cause remove.
66BenvolioMy noble uncle, do you know the cause?
67MontagueI neither know it nor can learn of him.
68BenvolioHave you importuned him by any means?
69MontagueBoth by myself and many other friends:
But he, his own affections’ counsellor,
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 bird bit with an envious worm,
Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air,
Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.
Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow,
We would as willingly give cure as know.
70Enter Romeo.
71BenvolioSee, where he comes: so please you, step aside;
I’ll know his grievance, or be much denied.
72MontagueI would thou wert so happy by thy stay,
To hear true shrift. Come, madam, let’s away. Exeunt Montague and Lady.
73BenvolioGood morrow, cousin.
74RomeoIs the day so young?
75BenvolioBut new struck nine.
76RomeoAy me! sad hours seem long.
Was that my father that went hence so fast?
77BenvolioIt was. What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours?
78RomeoNot having that, which, having, makes them short.
79BenvolioIn love?
80RomeoOut—
81BenvolioOf love?
82RomeoOut of her favour, where I am in love.
83BenvolioAlas, that love, so gentle in his view,
Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!
84RomeoAlas, 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.
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!
Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
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?
85BenvolioNo, coz, I rather weep.
86RomeoGood heart, at what?
87BenvolioAt thy good heart’s oppression.
88RomeoWhy, such is love’s transgression.
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest
With more of thine: this love that thou hast shown
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes;
Being vex’d, a sea nourish’d with lovers’ tears:
What is it else? a madness most discreet,
A choking gall and a preserving sweet.
Farewell, my coz.
89BenvolioSoft! I will go along;
An if you leave me so, you do me wrong.
90RomeoTut, I have lost myself; I am not here;
This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.
91BenvolioTell me in sadness, who is that you love.
92RomeoWhat, shall I groan and tell thee?
93BenvolioGroan! why, no;
But sadly tell me who.
94RomeoBid a sick man in sadness make his will:
Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill!
In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.
95BenvolioI aim’d so near, when I supposed you loved.
96RomeoA right good mark-man! And she’s fair I love.
97BenvolioA right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.
98RomeoWell, 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 arm’d,
From love’s weak childish bow she lives unharm’d.
She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
Nor bide the 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.
99BenvolioThen she hath sworn that she will still live chaste?
100RomeoShe 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,
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.
101BenvolioBe ruled by me, forget to think of her.
102RomeoO, teach me how I should forget to think.
103BenvolioBy giving liberty unto thine eyes;
Examine other beauties.
104Romeo’Tis the way
To call hers exquisite, in question more:
These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows
Being black put 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 note
Where I may read who pass’d that passing fair?
Farewell: thou canst not teach me to forget.
105BenvolioI’ll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt. Exeunt.