Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Act 3 - Scene 1
A public place.
Benvolio : I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire:
[p]The day is hot, the
Capulets abroad,
[p]And, if we meet, we shall not scape a
brawl;
[p]For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.
Mercutio : Thou art like one of those fellows that when he
[p]enters the confines
of a tavern claps me his sword
[p]upon the table and says 'God send me
no need of
[p]thee!' and by the operation of the second cup
draws
[p]it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need.
Benvolio : Am I like such a fellow?
Mercutio : Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as
[p]any in Italy, and
as soon moved to be moody, and as
[p]soon moody to be moved.
Benvolio : And what to?
Mercutio : Nay, an there were two such, we should have none
[p]shortly, for one
would kill the other. Thou! why,
[p]thou wilt quarrel with a man that
hath a hair more,
[p]or a hair less, in his beard, than thou hast:
thou
[p]wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no
[p]other
reason but because thou hast hazel eyes: what
[p]eye but such an eye
would spy out such a quarrel?
[p]Thy head is as fun of quarrels as an
egg is full of
[p]meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle
as
[p]an egg for quarrelling: thou hast quarrelled with a
[p]man for
coughing in the street, because he hath
[p]wakened thy dog that hath
lain asleep in the sun:
[p]didst thou not fall out with a tailor for
wearing
[p]his new doublet before Easter? with another, for
[p]tying
his new shoes with old riband? and yet thou
[p]wilt tutor me from
quarrelling!
Benvolio : An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man
[p]should buy the
fee-simple of my life for an hour and a quarter.
Mercutio : The fee-simple! O simple!
Benvolio : By my head, here come the Capulets.
Mercutio : By my heel, I care not.
Tybalt : Follow me close, for I will speak to them.
[p]Gentlemen, good den: a
word with one of you.
Mercutio : And but one word with one of us? couple it with
[p]something; make it
a word and a blow.
Tybalt : You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an you
[p]will give me
occasion.
Mercutio : Could you not take some occasion without giving?
Tybalt : Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo,--
Mercutio : Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels? an
[p]thou make minstrels
of us, look to hear nothing but
[p]discords: here's my fiddlestick;
here's that shall
[p]make you dance. 'Zounds, consort!
Benvolio : We talk here in the public haunt of men:
[p]Either withdraw unto some
private place,
[p]And reason coldly of your grievances,
[p]Or else
depart; here all eyes gaze on us.
Mercutio : Men's eyes were made to look, and let them gaze;
[p]I will not budge
for no man's pleasure, I.
Tybalt : Well, peace be with you, sir: here comes my man.
Mercutio : But I'll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery:
[p]Marry, go before
to field, he'll be your follower;
[p]Your worship in that sense may
call him 'man.'
Tybalt : Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford
[p]No better term than
this,--thou art a villain.
Romeo : Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
[p]Doth much excuse the
appertaining rage
[p]To such a greeting: villain am I
none;
[p]Therefore farewell; I see thou know'st me not.
Tybalt : Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
[p]That thou hast done me;
therefore turn and draw.
Romeo : I do protest, I never injured thee,
[p]But love thee better than thou
canst devise,
[p]Till thou shalt know the reason of my love:
[p]And
so, good Capulet,--which name I tender
[p]As dearly as my own,--be
satisfied.
Mercutio : O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!
[p]Alla stoccata carries it
away.
[p][Draws]
[p]Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?
Tybalt : What wouldst thou have with me?
Mercutio : Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine
[p]lives; that I mean
to make bold withal, and as you
[p]shall use me hereafter, drybeat the
rest of the
[p]eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his
pitcher
[p]by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your
[p]ears
ere it be out.
Tybalt : I am for you.
Romeo : Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.
Mercutio : Come, sir, your passado.
Romeo : Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons.
[p]Gentlemen, for shame,
forbear this outrage!
[p]Tybalt, Mercutio, the prince expressly
hath
[p]Forbidden bandying in Verona streets:
[p]Hold, Tybalt! good
Mercutio!
Mercutio : I am hurt.
[p]A plague o' both your houses! I am sped.
[p]Is he gone,
and hath nothing?
Benvolio : What, art thou hurt?
Mercutio : Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, 'tis enough.
[p]Where is my page?
Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.
Romeo : Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much.
Mercutio : No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a
[p]church-door; but
'tis enough,'twill serve: ask for
[p]me to-morrow, and you shall find
me a grave man. I
[p]am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague
o'
[p]both your houses! 'Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a
[p]cat, to
scratch a man to death! a braggart, a
[p]rogue, a villain, that fights
by the book of
[p]arithmetic! Why the devil came you between us?
I
[p]was hurt under your arm.
Romeo : I thought all for the best.
Mercutio : Help me into some house, Benvolio,
[p]Or I shall faint. A plague o'
both your houses!
[p]They have made worms' meat of me: I have
it,
[p]And soundly too: your houses!
Romeo : This gentleman, the prince's near ally,
[p]My very friend, hath got
his mortal hurt
[p]In my behalf; my reputation stain'd
[p]With
Tybalt's slander,--Tybalt, that an hour
[p]Hath been my kinsman! O
sweet Juliet,
[p]Thy beauty hath made me effeminate
[p]And in my
temper soften'd valour's steel!
Benvolio : O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead!
[p]That gallant spirit hath
aspired the clouds,
[p]Which too untimely here did scorn the earth.
Romeo : This day's black fate on more days doth depend;
[p]This but begins the
woe, others must end.
Benvolio : Here comes the furious Tybalt back again.
Romeo : Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain!
[p]Away to heaven, respective
lenity,
[p]And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!
[p][Re-enter
TYBALT]
[p]Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,
[p]That late thou
gavest me; for Mercutio's soul
[p]Is but a little way above our
heads,
[p]Staying for thine to keep him company:
[p]Either thou, or I,
or both, must go with him.
Tybalt : Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here,
[p]Shalt with him
hence.
Romeo : This shall determine that.
Benvolio : Romeo, away, be gone!
[p]The citizens are up, and Tybalt
slain.
[p]Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death,
[p]If
thou art taken: hence, be gone, away!
Romeo : O, I am fortune's fool!
Benvolio : Why dost thou stay?
First Citizen : Which way ran he that kill'd Mercutio?
[p]Tybalt, that murderer, which
way ran he?
Benvolio : There lies that Tybalt.
First Citizen : Up, sir, go with me;
[p]I charge thee in the princes name,
obey.
[p][Enter Prince, attended; MONTAGUE, CAPULET, their]
[p]Wives,
and others]
Prince Escalus : Where are the vile beginners of this fray?
Benvolio : O noble prince, I can discover all
[p]The unlucky manage of this fatal
brawl:
[p]There lies the man, slain by young Romeo,
[p]That slew thy
kinsman, brave Mercutio.
Lady Capulet : Tybalt, my cousin! O my brother's child!
[p]O prince! O cousin!
husband! O, the blood is spilt
[p]O my dear kinsman! Prince, as thou
art true,
[p]For blood of ours, shed blood of Montague.
[p]O cousin,
cousin!
Prince Escalus : Benvolio, who began this bloody fray?
Benvolio : Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand did slay;
[p]Romeo that spoke
him fair, bade him bethink
[p]How nice the quarrel was, and urged
withal
[p]Your high displeasure: all this uttered
[p]With gentle
breath, calm look, knees humbly bow'd,
[p]Could not take truce with
the unruly spleen
[p]Of Tybalt deaf to peace, but that he
tilts
[p]With piercing steel at bold Mercutio's breast,
[p]Who all as
hot, turns deadly point to point,
[p]And, with a martial scorn, with
one hand beats
[p]Cold death aside, and with the other sends
[p]It
back to Tybalt, whose dexterity,
[p]Retorts it: Romeo he cries
aloud,
[p]'Hold, friends! friends, part!' and, swifter than
[p]his
tongue,
[p]His agile arm beats down their fatal points,
[p]And 'twixt
them rushes; underneath whose arm
[p]An envious thrust from Tybalt hit
the life
[p]Of stout Mercutio, and then Tybalt fled;
[p]But by and by
comes back to Romeo,
[p]Who had but newly entertain'd revenge,
[p]And
to 't they go like lightning, for, ere I
[p]Could draw to part them,
was stout Tybalt slain.
[p]And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and
fly.
[p]This is the truth, or let Benvolio die.
Lady Capulet : He is a kinsman to the Montague;
[p]Affection makes him false; he
speaks not true:
[p]Some twenty of them fought in this black
strife,
[p]And all those twenty could but kill one life.
[p]I beg for
justice, which thou, prince, must give;
[p]Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo
must not live.
Prince Escalus : Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio;
[p]Who now the price of his dear
blood doth owe?
Montague : Not Romeo, prince, he was Mercutio's friend;
[p]His fault concludes
but what the law should end,
[p]The life of Tybalt.
Prince Escalus : And for that offence
[p]Immediately we do exile him hence:
[p]I have
an interest in your hate's proceeding,
[p]My blood for your rude
brawls doth lie a-bleeding;
[p]But I'll amerce you with so strong a
fine
[p]That you shall all repent the loss of mine:
[p]I will be deaf
to pleading and excuses;
[p]Nor tears nor prayers shall purchase out
abuses:
[p]Therefore use none: let Romeo hence in haste,
[p]Else, when
he's found, that hour is his last.
[p]Bear hence this body and attend
our will:
[p]Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill.
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