Romeo and Juliet
tragedy by William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet (1595) is a play by William Shakespeare about the fate of two young lovers. It is considered one of his most famous plays today.
Prologue
- Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, naught could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.- Simple: This part of the play happens in the city of Verona. Two families, both equally proud, who have resented each other for a long time, begin fighting again. In this story, the blood of citizens makes citizens' hands dirty. These two families, who are enemies, gave birth to two lovers who had fate against them (star-crossed). Their very difficult troubles make them, by their own deaths, bring an end to their parents' fighting. Now, for two hours on this stage, our business is: the terrible happening of their love which was marked with death; and their parent's anger, which kept going, and which could not be stopped except by the children's death. If you will listen carefully, we will work hard to make sure you hear every part of the story.
Act I
- Abraham: Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Sampson: I do bite my thumb, sir.
Abraham: Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Sampson (to Gregory): Is the law of our side if I say ay?
Gregory: No.
Sampson: No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you sir; but I bite my thumb, sir.
Gregory: Do you quarrel, sir?
Abraham: Quarrel, sir! No, sir.
Sampson: If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you.
Abraham: No better.
Sampson: Well, sir.- Scene I
- What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:Have at thee, coward!
- Tybalt, Scene I
- Simple: What? Fighting and then talk of peace? I hate peace, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and you
- Benvolio: What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?
Romeo: Not having that, which, having, makes them short.
Benvolio: In love?
Romeo: Out-
Benvolio: Of love?
Romeo: Out of her favour, where I am in love.- Romeo and Benvolio, Scene I
- Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate! O any thing, of nothing first create! O heavy lightness! serious vanity! Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
- Romeo Scene I
- If love be rough with you, be rough with love;
Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.- Mercutio, Scene IV
- Is love a tender thing? it is too rough,
Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn.- Romeo, Scene IV
- Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.- Romeo, Scene V
- Simple: Was I ever in love until now? Admit the lie, my eyes, for i have ner seen true beuty until tonight.
- You kiss by th'book.
- Juliet, Scene V
- Simple: You kiss perfectly/as a book would say to.
- My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!- Juliet, Scene V
- Simple: My only love come from my only hate. I saw him before I knew, and too late I found out
Act II
- But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!- Romeo, Scene II
- Simple: But be quiet! What light is starting to shine through that window? The window is like the east, and Juliet is like the sun!
- O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.- Juliet, Scene II
- Simple: O, Romeo! Why are you Romeo(of the Montague family)? Say you are not a Montigue, or if you will not, just say you love me, and I will no longer be a Capulet.
- 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; -
Thou art thyself though, not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
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,
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.- Juliet, Scene II
- Simple: It is only your name that is my enemy, you are yourself though. What part of you is a Montague, is it not your arm, your foot, your hand, or your face. If only you had some other name! What's so important about name? A rose would smell just as good with any other name. And Romeo would be just as good with any other name. Romeo, give up your name, and in return, have me.
- I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.- Romeo, Scene II
- Simple: I trust you: Just say you love me and from now on I will never be called Romeo again.
- O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.- Juliet, Scene II
- Simple: Do not swear by the moon, for it changes every month, and I don't want your love to change like that.
- Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books,
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.- Romeo, Scene II
- Good-night, good-night! Parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say good-night till it be morrow.- Juliet, Scene II
- Simple: Good-night. Leaving you is so sad that I would say goodbye all night until the morning came.
- For naught so vile that on the earth doth live
But to the earth some special good doth give;
Nor aught so good but, strain'd from that fair use,
Revolts from true birth, stumbling on the abuse:
Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied;
And vice sometimes by action dignified.- Friar Lawrence, Scene III
Act III
- Thou art like one of those fellows who, when he enters the confines of a tavern, claps his sword on the table and says, 'God send me no need of thee!' And, by the operation of the second cup, draws it on the drawer when, indeed, there is no need.
- Mercutio, to Benvolio, Scene I
- Simple: You are like one of those people who, when they enter a tavern, puts his sword on the table and says, 'God send I have no need to use this.' and then by the second drink, pulls it out when there is no need.
- I am hurt; -
A plague o' both your houses! - I am sped. -
Is he gone, and hath nothing?- Mercutio, Scene I
- Romeo: Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much.
Mercutio: No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but 'tis enough, 'twil serve: ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. - A plague o' both your houses!...-Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm.
Romeo: I thought all for the best.
Mercutio: Help me into some house, Benvolio, or I shall faint. - A plague o' both your houses! They have made worm's meat of me: I have it, and soundly too. - Your houses!- Scene I
- Benvolio: Romeo, away, be gone! The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain. - Stand not amaz'd. The prince will doom thee death if thou are taken. Hence, be gone, away!
Romeo: O, I am fortune's fool!
Benvolio: Why dost thou stay?- Scene I
- I beg for justice, which thou, prince, must give;
Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live.- Lady Capulet, Scene I
- Simple: I ask for justice, which you as prince must give; Romeo killed Tybalt, Romeo must be killed
- Come, gentle night, - come, loving black brow'd night,
Give me my Romeo; and when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of Heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun.- Juliet, Scene II
- There's no trust,
No faith, no honesty in men; all are perjur'd
All foresworn, all naught, all dissemblers.- Nurse, Scene II
Act IV
- Tell me not, friar, that thou hear'st of this,
Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it:
If, in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help,
Do thou but call my resolution wise,
And with this knife I'll help it presently.
God join'd my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands;
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo seal'd,
Shall be the label to another dee,
Or my true heart with treacherous revolt
Turn to another, this shall slay them both:
Therefore, out of thy long-experienc'd time,
Give me some present counsel; or behold,
'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife
Shall play the umpire; arbitrating that
Which the commission of thy years and art
Could to no issue of true honour bring.
Be not so long to speak; I long to die,
If what thou speak'st speak not of remedy.- Juliet, to Friar Lawrence, Scene I
Act V
- There is thy gold; worse poison to men's souls,
Doing more murder in this loathsome world
Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not sell.- Romeo, Scene I
- O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick.- Thus with a kiss I die.
- Romeo, Scene III
- Yea, noise,then I'll be brief;
O, happy dagger!
This is thy sheath; there rest, and let me die.- Juliet, Scene III
- Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague!
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love!
And I, for winking at your discords too,
Have lost a brace of kinsmen: all are punish'd.- Prince, Scene III
- Simple: Where are these enemies? See what evil has come from your hate, That the gods find a way to kill that which you find joy/love in with love. And I, for not being strict enough, have lost family as well. All are punished.
- A glooming peace this morning with it brings;
The sun for sorrow will not show his head:
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;
Some shall be pardon'd and some punished:
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.- Prince, Scene III
- Simple: This is a sad morning that brings peace, the sun will not show itself for it's sorrow, Go now, and talk more of these sad things. Some will be forgiven, and some punished: For there was never a story sadder than that of Romeo and Juliet.
