Home > Romeo and Juliet Text > Act I, Scene I - Page 2

MON:

Many a morning hath he there been seen,
With tears augmenting the fresh morning's dew,
Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs;
But all so soon as the all-cheering sun(130)
Should in the farthest East begin to draw
The shady curtains from Aurora's bed,
Away from light steals home my heavy son
And private in his chamber pens himself,
Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out(135)
And makes himself an artificial night.
Black and portentous must this humour prove
Unless good counsel may the cause remove.

MON:

He’s been seen there many mornings,
Crying tears that add to the fresh morning’s dew,
Adding “clouds” to the clouds her already had with deep sighs;
But just as soon as the sun (which should make you happy)
Moves well above the horizon, as the Goddess of Morning Aurora
Draws back the shady bed curtains from her bed,
My depressed son runs away from the light and comes home,
And locks himself in his bedroom,
Covers up his windows, locks out the fair daylight,
And makes himself an artificial night;
Black and ominous this mental state will be
Unless good advice can remove its cause.

BEN:

My noble uncle, do you know the cause?

BEN:

My noble uncle, do you know the cause?

MON:

I neither know it nor can learn of him.(140)

MON:

I don’t know and he won’t tell me.

BEN:

Have you importun'd him by any means?

BEN:

Have you questioned him at all?

MON:

Both by myself and many other friends;
But he, his own affections’ counsellor,
Is to himself—I will not say how true—
But to himself so secret and so close,(145)
So far from sounding and discovery,
As is the bud bit with an envious worm
Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air
Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.
Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow,(150)
We would as willingly give cure as know.

MON:

Both myself and many other friend
But he, advisor to his own affections,
Keeps it all to himself – I will not say how true
But to himself, so secret and so close,
So far from sounding and discovery,
Just like a flower bud bit by a worm jealous of its beauty
Before her can bloom and spread his sweet leaves to the air,
Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.
If we could figure out why he is so unhappy,
We would try to cure him with the same zeal.

Enter Romeo.

BEN:

See, where he comes. So please you, step aside,
I'll know his grievance, or be much denied.

BEN:

See, he’s coming; please step aside;
I’ll get him to talk to me or else.

MON:

I would thou wert so happy by thy stay
To hear true shrift. Come, madam, let's away,(155)

MON:

I wish you were happy to stay
And hear his true confession. Come, madam, let’s leave.

Exeunt Montague and Wife.

BEN:

Good morrow, cousin.

BEN:

Good morning, cousin

ROM:

Is the day so young?

ROM:

Is it morning?

BEN:

But new struck nine.

BEN:

It’s 9 AM.

ROM:

Ay me! sad hours seem long.
Was that my father that went hence so fast?(160)

ROM:

Dear me! sad hours seem long.
Was that my father that went away so fast?

BEN:

It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?

BEN:

It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?

ROM:

Not having that, which, having, makes them short.

ROM:

Not having the thing that would make them short hours.

BEN:

In love?

BEN:

In love?

ROM:

Out—

ROM:

Out,

BEN:

Of love?(165)

BEN:

Of love?

ROM:

Out of her favour, where I am in love.

ROM:

On the outs with the girl I love.

BEN:

Alas that love, so gentle in his view,
Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!

BEN:

Alas, that love, so gentle in his promise,
Should be so tyrannous and rough in reality!

ROM:

Alas that love, whose view is muffled still,
Should without eyes see pathways to his will!(170)
Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here?
Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.
Here's much to do with hate, but more with love.
Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O any thing, of nothing first create!(175)
O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.(180)
Dost thou not laugh?

ROM:

Alas, that love, whose eyes are blindfolded,
Should, without eyes, see ways to have his will done.
Where should we eat? – Oh, me! What fight was here?
Never mind, don’t tell me, for I have heard it all.
There’s a lot of this fight that has to do with hate, but also love-
Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O anything of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Mis-shapen disorder of perfectly pleasing forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still waking sleep! That is not what love is!
This love feel I makes me feel no love in this.
Why don’t you laugh?

BEN:

No, coz, I rather weep.

BEN:

No, cousin, I'd rather cry.

ROM:

Good heart, at what?

ROM:

Good heart, at what?

BEN:

At thy good heart's oppression.

BEN:

At your good heart's oppression.

ROM:

Why, such is love's transgression.(185)
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest
With more of thine. This love that thou hast shown
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
Love is a smoke rais'd with the fume of sighs;(190)
Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes;
Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with lovers’ tears.
What is it else? A madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.
Farewell, my coz.(195)

ROM:

Why, that is love's transgression.
My own griefs lie heavy in my heart;
Which you will take over to have it paired
With more grief of your own. this love that you have shown
Adds more grief to mine which is already too much.
Love is like smoke rising with clouds of sighs;
Being cleansed, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers' tears.
What else is it? a madness most discreet,
A choking acid, and a preserving sweet.
Farewell, my coz.

BEN:

Soft! I will go along.
An if you leave me so, you do me wrong.

BEN:

Hold on! I’ll go along.
If you leave me so depressed, you do me wrong.

ROM:

Tut! I have lost myself; I am not here:
This is not Romeo, he's some otherwhere.

ROM:

Tut! I have lost myself; I am not here.
This is not Romeo, he's some place else.

BEN:

Tell me in sadness, who is that you love?(200)

BEN:

Tell me in sadness who is that you love?

ROM:

What, shall I groan and tell thee?

ROM:

What, shall I groan and tell you?

BEN:

Groan? Why, no;
But sadly tell me who.

BEN:

Groan?! why, no;
But sadly tell me who.

ROM:

Bid a sick man in sadness make his will.
Ah, word ill urg'd to one that is so ill!(205)
In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.

ROM:

Bid a sick man in sadness make his will,
Ah, word that shouldn’t be used to one that is so ill!
In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.

BEN:

I aim'd so near when I suppos'd you lov'd.

BEN:

I thought so when I supposed you were in love.

ROM:

A right good markman! And she's fair I love.

ROM:

A right good marksman! And she's fair who I love.

BEN:

A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.

BEN:

A right fair mark, fair coz, is the first hit.

ROM:

Well, in that hit you miss. She'll not be hit(210)
With Cupid's arrow. She hath Dian’s wit,
And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd,
From Love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd.
She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
Nor bide th’ encounter of assailing eyes,(215)
Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold.
O, she's rich in beauty; only poor
That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store.

ROM:

Well, in that hit, you miss. she'll not be hit
With Cupid's arrow, she hath Dian's the love goddess’ wit;
And, in strong determination of chastity well armed,
From love's weak childish bow she lives unharmed.
She will not put up with loving language
Nor tolerate loving looks,
Nor does she care if a guy is rich.
O, she's rich in beauty; only poor
That, when she dies, her beauty dies with her.

BEN:

Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste?

BEN:

Then she has sworn to remain a virgin?

ROM:

She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste;(220)
For beauty, starv'd with her severity,
Cuts beauty off from all posterity.
She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair,
To merit bliss by making me despair.
She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow(225)
Do I live dead that live to tell it now.

ROM:

She has, and in that decision, is wasting her looks and charms;
For beauty, starved with this woman’s severity,
Cuts beauty off from all posterity.
She is too fair, too wise; wisely too fair,
To earn her own happiness by making me despair.
She has sworn not to love; and, in that vow,
I am really dead as I stand here alive to tell you about it now.

BEN:

Be rul'd by me: forget to think of her.

BEN:

Listen to me, forget about her.

ROM:

O, teach me how I should forget to think!

ROM:

O, teach me how I should forget to think.

BEN:

By giving liberty unto thine eyes.
Examine other beauties.(230)

BEN:

By giving freedom to your eyes to
Examine other beauties.

ROM:

'Tis the way
To call hers, exquisite, in question more.
These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows,
Being black puts us in mind they hide the fair.
He that is strucken blind cannot forget(235)
The precious treasure of his eyesight lost.
Show me a mistress that is passing fair,
What doth her beauty serve but as a note
Where I may read who pass'd that passing fair?
Farewell. Thou canst not teach me to forget.(240)

ROM:

That way is
To call her beauty, which is exquisite, more into question.
These happy masks that cover fair ladies' faces,
Being black, reminds us that they hide their beauty;
A man that is stricken blind cannot forget
The precious treasure of his eyesight that he lost.
Show me a mistress that is passing fair,
What purpose does her beauty serve but as a reminder
That I may see some other woman who cannot pass her beauty?
Farewell. thou canst not teach me to forget.

BEN:

I'll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.

BEN:

I'll prove you wrong, or else die trying.

Exeunt.