Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Act 2 - Scene 2
Capulet’s orchard.
Romeo : He jests at scars that never felt a wound.
[p][JULIET appears above at
a window]
[p]But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
[p]It
is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
[p]Arise, fair sun, and kill the
envious moon,
[p]Who is already sick and pale with grief,
[p]That thou
her maid art far more fair than she:
[p]Be not her maid, since she is
envious;
[p]Her vestal livery is but sick and green
[p]And none but
fools do wear it; cast it off.
[p]It is my lady, O, it is my
love!
[p]O, that she knew she were!
[p]She speaks yet she says
nothing: what of that?
[p]Her eye discourses; I will answer it.
[p]I
am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:
[p]Two of the fairest stars in
all the heaven,
[p]Having some business, do entreat her eyes
[p]To
twinkle in their spheres till they return.
[p]What if her eyes were
there, they in her head?
[p]The brightness of her cheek would shame
those stars,
[p]As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
[p]Would
through the airy region stream so bright
[p]That birds would sing and
think it were not night.
[p]See, how she leans her cheek upon her
hand!
[p]O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
[p]That I might touch
that cheek!
Juliet : Ay me!
Romeo : She speaks:
[p]O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
[p]As
glorious to this night, being o'er my head
[p]As is a winged messenger
of heaven
[p]Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
[p]Of mortals that
fall back to gaze on him
[p]When he bestrides the lazy-pacing
clouds
[p]And sails upon the bosom of the air.
Juliet : O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
[p]Deny thy father and
refuse thy name;
[p]Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
[p]And
I'll no longer be a Capulet.
Romeo : [Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
Juliet : 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
[p]Thou art thyself, though not a
Montague.
[p]What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
[p]Nor arm,
nor face, nor any other part
[p]Belonging to a man. O, be some other
name!
[p]What's in a name? that which we call a rose
[p]By any other
name would smell as sweet;
[p]So Romeo would, were he not Romeo
call'd,
[p]Retain that dear perfection which he owes
[p]Without that
title. Romeo, doff thy name,
[p]And for that name which is no part of
thee
[p]Take all myself.
Romeo : I take thee at thy word:
[p]Call me but love, and I'll be new
baptized;
[p]Henceforth I never will be Romeo.
Juliet : What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night
[p]So stumblest on my
counsel?
Romeo : By a name
[p]I know not how to tell thee who I am:
[p]My name, dear
saint, is hateful to myself,
[p]Because it is an enemy to thee;
[p]Had
I it written, I would tear the word.
Juliet : My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words
[p]Of that tongue's
utterance, yet I know the sound:
[p]Art thou not Romeo and a
Montague?
Romeo : Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.
Juliet : How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
[p]The orchard walls
are high and hard to climb,
[p]And the place death, considering who
thou art,
[p]If any of my kinsmen find thee here.
Romeo : With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls;
[p]For stony
limits cannot hold love out,
[p]And what love can do that dares love
attempt;
[p]Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me.
Juliet : If they do see thee, they will murder thee.
Romeo : Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
[p]Than twenty of their
swords: look thou but sweet,
[p]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 sight;
[p]And but thou love
me, let them find me here:
[p]My life were better ended by their
hate,
[p]Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.
Juliet : By whose direction found'st thou out this place?
Romeo : By love, who first did prompt me to inquire;
[p]He lent me counsel and
I lent him eyes.
[p]I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far
[p]As that
vast shore wash'd with the farthest sea,
[p]I would adventure for such
merchandise.
Juliet : Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,
[p]Else would a maiden
blush bepaint my cheek
[p]For that which thou hast heard me speak
to-night
[p]Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny
[p]What I have
spoke: but farewell compliment!
[p]Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt
say 'Ay,'
[p]And I will take thy word: yet if thou swear'st,
[p]Thou
mayst prove false; at lovers' perjuries
[p]Then say, Jove laughs. O
gentle Romeo,
[p]If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:
[p]Or if
thou think'st I am too quickly won,
[p]I'll frown and be perverse an
say thee nay,
[p]So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world.
[p]In
truth, fair Montague, I am too fond,
[p]And therefore thou mayst think
my 'havior light:
[p]But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more
true
[p]Than those that have more cunning to be strange.
[p]I should
have been more strange, I must confess,
[p]But that thou overheard'st,
ere I was ware,
[p]My true love's passion: therefore pardon me,
[p]And
not impute this yielding to light love,
[p]Which the dark night hath
so discovered.
Romeo : Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear
[p]That tips with silver all
these fruit-tree tops--
Juliet : O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
[p]That monthly changes
in her circled orb,
[p]Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
Romeo : What shall I swear by?
Juliet : Do not swear at all;
[p]Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious
self,
[p]Which is the god of my idolatry,
[p]And I'll believe thee.
Romeo : If my heart's dear love--
Juliet : Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,
[p]I have no joy of this
contract to-night:
[p]It is too rash, too unadvised, too
sudden;
[p]Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
[p]Ere one
can say 'It lightens.' Sweet, good night!
[p]This bud of love, by
summer's ripening breath,
[p]May prove a beauteous flower when next we
meet.
[p]Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest
[p]Come to
thy heart as that within my breast!
Romeo : O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?
Juliet : What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?
Romeo : The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.
Juliet : I gave thee mine before thou didst request it:
[p]And yet I would it
were to give again.
Romeo : Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what purpose, love?
Juliet : But to be frank, and give it thee again.
[p]And yet I wish but for the
thing I have:
[p]My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
[p]My love as
deep; the more I give to thee,
[p]The more I have, for both are
infinite.
[p][Nurse calls within]
[p]I hear some noise within; dear
love, adieu!
[p]Anon, good nurse! Sweet Montague, be true.
[p]Stay but
a little, I will come again.
Romeo : O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard.
[p]Being in night, all this is
but a dream,
[p]Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.
Juliet : Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.
[p]If that thy bent of
love be honourable,
[p]Thy purpose marriage, send me word
to-morrow,
[p]By one that I'll procure to come to thee,
[p]Where and
what time thou wilt perform the rite;
[p]And all my fortunes at thy
foot I'll lay
[p]And follow thee my lord throughout the world.
Nurse : [Within] Madam!
Juliet : I come, anon.--But if thou mean'st not well,
[p]I do beseech thee--
Nurse : [Within] Madam!
Juliet : By and by, I come:--
[p]To cease thy suit, and leave me to my
grief:
[p]To-morrow will I send.
Romeo : So thrive my soul--
Juliet : A thousand times good night!
Romeo : A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.
[p]Love goes toward
love, as schoolboys from
[p]their books,
[p]But love from love, toward
school with heavy looks.
Juliet : Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer's voice,
[p]To lure this
tassel-gentle back again!
[p]Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak
aloud;
[p]Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies,
[p]And make her
airy tongue more hoarse than mine,
[p]With repetition of my Romeo's
name.
Romeo : It is my soul that calls upon my name:
[p]How silver-sweet sound
lovers' tongues by night,
[p]Like softest music to attending ears!
Juliet : Romeo!
Romeo : My dear?
Juliet : At what o'clock to-morrow
[p]Shall I send to thee?
Romeo : At the hour of nine.
Juliet : I will not fail: 'tis twenty years till then.
[p]I have forgot why I
did call thee back.
Romeo : Let me stand here till thou remember it.
Juliet : I shall forget, to have thee still stand there,
[p]Remembering how I
love thy company.
Romeo : And I'll still stay, to have thee still forget,
[p]Forgetting any
other home but this.
Juliet : 'Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone:
[p]And yet no further
than a wanton's bird;
[p]Who lets it hop a little from her
hand,
[p]Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,
[p]And with a silk
thread plucks it back again,
[p]So loving-jealous of his liberty.
Romeo : I would I were thy bird.
Juliet : Sweet, so would I:
[p]Yet I should kill thee with much
cherishing.
[p]Good night, good night! parting is such
[p]sweet
sorrow,
[p]That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
Romeo : Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!
[p]Would I were
sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!
[p]Hence will I to my ghostly
father's cell,
[p]His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell.
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