ROMEO AND JULIET PROLOGUE. Enter Chorus. Chor. 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-cross'd 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, nought 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. Prologue. Omitted in Ff. In the Qq (except Q1) the speaker of the Prologue is described as 'Chorus,' the same person no doubt delivering the 'chorus' at the end of Act I. ACT I. SCENE I. Verona. A public place. Enter SAMPSON and GREGORY, of the house of Capulet, armed with swords and bucklers. Sam. Gregory, on my word, we'll not carry coals. Gre. No, for then we should be colliers. Sam. I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw. Gre. Ay, while you live, draw your neck out of collar. Sam. I strike quickly, being moved. Gre. But thou art not quickly moved to strike. moves me. Gre. To move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand: therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st away. Sam. A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. Gre. That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall. Sam. 'Tis true; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall: there- 20 fore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. Gre. The quarrel is between our masters and us their men. of the collar,' which Ff and most modern edd. substitute. 15. take the wall, get the better. Sam. 'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads. Gre. The heads of the maids? Sam. Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Gre. They must take it in sense that feel it. Sam. Me they shall feel while I am able to stand and 'tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh. Gre. 'Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool; here comes two of the house of Montagues. Sam. My naked weapon is out: quarrel; I will back thee. Gre. How! turn thy back and run? Sam. Fear me not. Gre. No, marry; I fear thee! Sam. Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin. Gre. I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list. Sam. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is disgrace to them, if they bear it. Enter ABRAham and BALTHASAR. Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? 27. cruel; so Q94,5° Q23 Ff have civil.' 32. sense, physical feeling. 37. poor John, a coarse fish dried and salted. 48. bite my thumb at them, an insulting gesture, commonly 30 40 50 used by swaggerers as a means of provoking quarrels. It is more precisely described by Cotgrave as performed by putting the thumb-nail into the mouth, and with a jerk from the upper teeth make it to knack.' Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Sam. [Aside to Gre.] Is the law of our side, if I say ay? Gre. No. Sam. No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir. Gre. Do you quarrel, sir? Abr. Quarrel, sir! no, sir. Sam. But if you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you. Abr. No better. Sam. Well, sir. Gre. [Aside to Sam.] Say 'better:' here comes one of my master's kinsmen. Sam. Yes, better, sir. Abr. You lie. Sam. Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. Enter BENVOLIO. Ben. Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do. [Beats down their swords. Enter TYBALT. Tyb. What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. 66. one of my master's kinsmen, i.e. Tybalt. Gregory may be supposed to be looking in the direction from which Tybalt comes, with his back to Benvolio. Mr. Daniel's stage direction, Enter at opposite sides, Benvolio and Tibalt,' relieves the otherwise awkward Ben. I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me. Tyb. What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward! [They fight. Enter several of both houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens and Peace-officers with clubs. First Off Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike! beat them down! Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues! Enter old CAPULET in his gown, and LADY CAPULET. Cap. What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho! La. Cap. A crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword? Cap. My sword, I say! Old Montague is come, And flourishes his blade in spite of me. Enter MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE. Mon. Thou villain Capulet,-Hold me not, let me go. La. Mon. Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe. Enter PRINCE, with Attendants. Prin. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel, 80. Clubs, the common cry raised to part a street quarrel. 80. bills, the usual weapons of watchmen. 409 80. partisans, halberts. 80 89. neighbour-stained, stained with the blood of fellow-country men. : |