Act 1, Scene 1. A public street in Verona. Samson and Gregory, servants of Capulet, enter carrying swords and shields. Samson.
Gregory, I swear it, will not endure insults. Gregory. No, for then we would be insult sufferers. Samson.
I mean, if we get angry, we'll draw our swords. Gregory Yes, and if you want to live, draw your head out of the hangman's rope. Samson I strike quickly when I'm angry. Gregory But you're not likely to get angry quickly. Samson, a dog from Montague's house makes me angry.
Gregory, to be angry is to move. To be brave is to stand still. Therefore, if you're angry, you'll run away. Samson, a dog of that house shall move me to be brave.
I will walk near the wall if any of Montague's servants pass by. Gregory, that shows you're a weak slave, for the weakest is pushed to the wall. Well, Samson, that's true, and therefore, women... being the weaker sex, are always being pushed against the wall. So I will push Montague's men away from the wall and his maidens to the wall.
Gregory. The quarrel is not only between our masters, but between us and their servants as well. Samson.
It's all the same quarrel. I'll prove myself a tyrant. After I've fought with the men, I'll be cruel to the maidens.
I'll cut off their heads. Gregory. The heads of the maidens?
Samson. Yes, the heads of the maidens. or the maidenheads.
Take it in any sense you like. Gregory. They must take it in the sense they feel it. Samson.
They feel me as long as I'm able to stand, and everyone knows I'm a real man. Gregory. It's a good thing you're not a fish. If you were, you would not give much satisfaction. Draw your weapon.
Here come two of Montague's servants. Two servants, Abraham and Balthazar, enter. Samson.
My bare sword is out. Start a or coral. I'll back you up.
Gregory, how will you back me up? By turning your back and running? Samson, don't be afraid of me.
Gregory, afraid indeed. Don't be ridiculous. Samson, we'll get the law on our side.
Let them begin. Gregory, I'll make a sour face as I pass by and let them take it as they choose. Samson, no, as they dare.
I'll thumb my nose at them. That will insult them if they notice it. Avery.
Abraham, are you thumbing your nose at us, sir? Samson, I'm thumbing my nose, sir. Abraham, are you thumbing your nose at us, sir? Samson to Gregory, is the law on our side if I say yes?
Gregory, no. Samson, no, sir. I'm not thumbing my nose at you, sir. I'm just thumbing my nose, sir.
Gregory, are you trying to start a fight, sir? Abraham, a fight, sir? No, sir. Samson, no. If you do start a quarrel, I'm ready.
My master is as good as your master. Abraham. But he's no better. Samson.
Well, sir. Benvolio enters. Gregory. You should say better. Here comes one of my master's relatives.
Samson to Abraham. My master's better, sir. Abraham. You're a liar. Samson.
Dry your swords if you're real men. Gregory. Give him your crushing blow.
They fight. Benvolio, stop it you fools. Put your swords away. You don't know what you're doing.
He strikes down their swords. Tybalt enters. Tybalt, are you fighting with these cowards?
Turn around, Benvolio. I'm going to kill you. Benvolio, I'm only trying to make peace. Put away your sword or use it to get these men away from me.
Tybalt, you have your sword drawn and you talk about peace? I hate the word peace, as I hate hell. All men to use and you.
Fight. coward they fight officers and three of four citizens enter with clubs and pikes officers clubs axes and pikes strike beat them down down with the capulets down with the Montagues Capulet in his robe and Lady Capulet enter Capulet what's all this noise give me my sword Lady Capulet you need a crutch why are you asking for a sword Capulet give me my sword I said old my Montague is coming, and he is waving his sword in defiance of me. Montague and Lady Montague enter.
Montague, you're a villain, Capulet, to Lady Montague. Don't hold me. Let me go. Lady Montague, you shall not move a foot toward your enemy.
Prince Aeschylus, enter with his followers. Prince, rebellious people, enemies to peace, abusers of your swords, bloodied with your neighbor's blood. Won't they listen?
Listen to me. Me, you men, you beasts, you who quench the fire of your destructive rage with purple blood spurting from your veins. Unless you want to be tortured, throw those angry weapons you hold in your bloody hands to the ground and hear the sentence from me. your angry prince. Three fights arising from meaningless insults, started by you, old Capulet, and you, old Montague, have disturbed the quiet of our streets three times, and caused Verona's old men to throw away their proper dignified ornaments, and carry old pikes rusted with peace in their equally old hands to part your dreaded hatred. If you ever disturb our streets again, you will have to die for breaking the peace.
For now, all of you go away except you, Capulet. You'll go with me. And you, Montague, are to come to me this afternoon to find out what I'm going to do in your case. Go to my castle, Freetown, the common judgment place. Once more, unless you want to die, all of you must leave now.
all leave except montague lady montague and benvolio montague who started up this old quarrel again speak up nephew were you here when it started benvolio capulet's servants were here along with your servants and they were fighting as i came up i drew my sword to separate them at that moment the hot-tempered tybalt arrived with his sword drawn breathing defiance in my ears swinging his sword about my head and slicing the winds but the winds not being hurt, hissed at him in scorn. But the winds, not being hurt, hissed at him in scorn. While we were exchanging blows, more and more people came to fight on each side until the prince came and stopped the fighting. Lady Montague.
Where is Romeo? Have you seen him today? I'm glad he wasn't at this fight. Benvolio.
Madam, about an hour before the wonderful sun peered out of the golden east, a troubled mind drove me to take a walk. Underneath the grove of sycamore trees, west of the with his deep sighs. But as soon as the sun, which cheers up everything, begins in the far east to draw, the dark curtains from dawn's bed, my sad son creeps home away from this light. He secludes himself alone in his room, shutting his windows, locking the lovely daylight outside, and creating an artificial night.
His mood will become dark and ominous, unless good advice can remove the cause of his sadness. Benvolio. My noble uncle, do you know the reason for his behavior? montague i do not know it and i cannot learn it from him benvolio have you pleaded with him in any way montague i have tried and so have many friends but he is the counselor of his own emotions though i will not say how well he plays counselor he is so secret and closed-mouthed so far from being found out and cured that he's like a bud bitten by a deadly worm before the bud can spread its sweet leaves to the air or offer its beauty to the sun.
If we could just learn what causes his sorrow, we would willingly cure it as it is known about it. Romeo enters. Benvolio.
Here he comes. If you will, please step aside and I'll find out what's wrong with him. If I don't, you can deny any connection with me.
Montague. Stay. I hope you'll be long enough to hear his true confession. To Lady Montague. Come, madam.
Let's go. Lord and Lady Montague exit. Benvolio Good morning, cousin Romeo Is it still morning? Benvolio The clock just struck nine Romeo Alas, the hour seems so long Was that my father who left here so quickly?
Benvolio Yes, it was What sadness lengthens your hours, Romeo? Romeo Not having something that, if I had it, would make the hour seem short Benvolio Are you still awake? Are you in love? Romeo.
Out. Benvolio. Of love?
Romeo. The one I love doesn't love me. Benvolio. It's too bad that love, so gentle in appearance, should be so tyrannous and rough when being experienced.
Romeo. It's too bad that love, whose sight is blindfolded, can still see ways to work his will even without his eyes. Where shall we eat? My, what fight happened here?
Dance. On second thought, don't tell me. I've heard it all. It has much to do with hate, but more with love. Why then?
Oh, brawling love. Oh, loving hate. Oh, anything first created out of nothing. Oh, heavy lightness. Serious frivolity.
Deformed chaos of outward... pretty forms. Lead feather, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health. Ever wakeful sleep, that is not what it is. I take no joy from this love I feel.
Are you laughing at me? Benville. No, cousin, I'm crying.
Romeo Dear good-hearted friend, why? Benvolio Because of your good heart's grief. Romeo This is love's sin.
My own griefs make my heart heavy, which will only increase if burdened with your sorrow too. The love which you have shown me adds more grief to my own too-heavy sorrow. Love is a smoke rising from the fumes of sighs.
When the air is cleared, love is a fire sparkling in lover's eyes. eyes. When frustrated, love is a sea fed by lovers'tears.
What else is love? A very wise insanity, a choking bitterness, and a lasting sweet. Goodbye, cousin. Benvolio.
Wait, I'll go with you. If you leave me, you'll do me wrong. Romeo. Nonsense. I've lost myself.
I'm not here. This isn't Romeo. He's somewhere else. Benvolio.
Tell me in all seriousness. Who is it that you love? Romeo Do you want me to groan and tell you? Benvolio Groan? No, but tell me seriously who you love Romeo You want a sick man, in seriousness, to make his will That's not good advice for someone who is so ill In all seriousness, cousin, I do love a woman Benvolio I assumed that when I learned you in love Romeo You're right on the mark And the one one I love is beautiful.
Benvolio. A bright, clean target cousin is the easiest to hit. Romeo.
Well, you missed the target that time. She won't be hit with love's arrow. She has the same views as Diana, the moon goddess.
She's well protected in her armor of virginity. She's safe from love's weak, childish bow. She will not listen to my loving words or let me look at her with love in my eyes or allow herself to be seduced.
Oh. she is rich in beauty, only poor in that when she dies, her treasure will die with her beauty. Benvolio. Then she has sworn that she'll live as a virgin for now? Romeo.
She has, and in being stingy, she is horribly wasteful. For when beauty is starved by severe attitudes, it is cut off from all future generations. She's too beautiful, too wise, too wisely beautiful to earn her way to heaven by making me suffer.
She vows she will not live. love, and because of that vow, I'm dead, though I live to tell that fact now. Benvolio, listen to me.
Forget her. Romeo, oh, teach me how to forget to think. Benvolio, just set your eyes free to look at other beautiful women.
Romeo, that would just be another way to make me recall her unparalleled beauty. Those fortunate masks that kiss beautiful ladies'foreheads, being black, make us remember that they hide. the beautiful.
The man who is struck blind can't forget the precious treasure of his lost eyesight. Show me a woman who's surpassingly beautiful, and I'll ask what good is her beauty except as a note, where I could read who is still more beautiful than that beauty. Goodbye. You can't teach me to forget her.
Benvolio. I'll make you change your mind or die trying. They exit.