JULIET
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.
ROMEO[Aside]
Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
JULIET’
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 name 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 that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
ROMEO
I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.
JULIET
What man art thou that thus bescreen’d in night
So stumblest on my counsel?
ROMEO
By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee;
Had I it written, I would tear the word.
JULIET
My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words
Of that tongue’s utterance, yet I know the sound:
Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?
ROMEO
Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.JULIET
How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
The orchard walls are high and hard to climb,
And the place death, considering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee here.ROMEO
With love’s light wings did I o’er-perch these walls;
For stony limits cannot hold love out,
And what love can do that dares love attempt;
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
Than twenty of their swords: look thou but sweet,
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;
And but thou love me, let them find me here:
My life were better ended by their hate,
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;
He lent me counsel and I lent him eyes.
I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as farAs that vast shore wash’d with the farthest sea,
I would adventure for such merchandise.JULIET
Thou know’st the mask of night is on my face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek
For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night
Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny
What I have spoke: but farewell compliment!
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say ‘Ay,’And I will take thy word: yet if thou swear’st,
Thou mayst prove false; at lovers’ perjuries
Then say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:
Or if thou think’st I am too quickly won,
I’ll frown and be perverse an say thee nay,
So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond,
And therefore thou mayst think my ‘havior light:
But trust me, gentleman, I’ll prove more true
Than those that have more cunning to be strange.
I should have been more strange, I must confess,
But that thou overheard’st, ere I was ware,
My true love’s passion: therefore pardon me,
And not impute this yielding to light love,
Which the dark night hath so discovered.ROMEO
Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swearThat tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops–

JULIET
O swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.ROMEO
What shall I swear by?

JULIET
Do not swear at all;Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self,
Which is the god of my idolatry,
And I’ll believe thee.ROMEO
If my heart’s dear love–

JULIET
Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,I have no joy of this contract to-night:
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say ‘It lightens.’ Sweet, good
night!This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath,May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest
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: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.And yet I wish but for the thing I have:
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
Nurse calls withinI hear some noise within; dear love, adieu!Anon, good nurse! Sweet Montague, be true. Stay but a little, I will come again.Exit, above
ROMEO
O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard.Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.Re-enter JULIET, aboveJULIETThree words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.
If that thy bent of love be honourable,Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow,
By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite;
And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay
And follow thee my lord throughout the world.Nurse[Within] Madam!
JULIET
I come, anon.–But if thou mean’st not well,
I do beseech thee–
Nurse[Within] Madam!

JULIET
By and by, I come:To cease thy suit, and leave me to my grief:
To-morrow will I send.
ROMEO
So thrive my soul–

JULIET
A thousand times good night!
Exit, above

ROMEO
A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books, But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.RetiringRe-enter JULIET, above

JULIET
Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer’s voice,To lure this tassel-gentle back again!
Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud;
Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies,
And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine,
With repetition of my Romeo’s name.ROMEO
It is my soul that calls upon my name:How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night,
Like softest music to attending ears!JULIET
Romeo!

ROMEO
My dear?

JULIET
At what o’clock to-morrowShall I send to thee?

ROMEO
At the hour of nine.

JULIET
I will not fail: ’tis twenty years till then.I have forgot why I did call thee back.

ROME
OLet me stand here till thou remember it.

JULIET
I shall forget, to have thee still stand there,Remembering how I love thy company.

ROMEO
And I’ll still stay, to have thee still forget,Forgetting any other home but this.

JULIET
‘Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone:And yet no further than a wanton’s bird;
Who lets it hop a little from her hand,
Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,
And with a silk thread plucks it back again,
So loving-jealous of his liberty.ROMEO
I would I were thy bird.JULIET
Sweet, so would I:
Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.
Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.Exit above
ROMEOSleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!
Hence will I to my ghostly father’s cell, His help to crave, and my dear hap to
tell.
Exit