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Romeo & Juliet
 


 
ACT II, Scene ii
Act II, Scene ii: Capulet's orchard. ROMEO comes from the wall, just having overheard MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO'S conversation.
ROMEO
  Mercutio makes fun of scars because he's never felt pain.
[JULIET appears at her upstairs window, and ROMEO sees her.]
 

But wait! What light is coming from that window?
It is the eastern light and Juliet is the sun.
Rise up, beautiful sun, and make the jealous moon invisible.
The moon is already sick and pale with grief
because you, Juliet, are more beautiful than she is.
Don't become one of her virgin followers because she is jealous;
her vow of virginity is sickly and anemic.
Only fools wear the uniform of that vow; take off that uniform.
There stands my lady; O, she is my love!
If only she could know she was my beloved.
She speaks, yet she says nothing. What does the matter?
Her eyes speak; I'll answer them.
I'm being too confident; she's not speaking to me.
Two of the most beautiful stars in all the heavens beg her eyes
to twinkle in their orbits while they are gone.
What if her eyes were in the heavens, and the stars in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
a As daylight shames a lamp. If her eyes were stars,
the heavens would shine so brightly
that the birds would sing because they would think it was day.
See how she leans her cheek on her hand!
I wish I were a glove on her hand
so that I could touch her cheek.

JULIET
  Alas!
ROMEO
  She is speaking!
O, speak again, bright angel, for you,
up there above my head, are as glorious to the night
as is an angel of heaven
to the white, upturned, wondering eyes
of humans who stand back to gaze on him
when he rides upon the slow-moving clouds
and sails through the air.
JULIET
 

Romeo! Romeo! Why are you, Romeo?
Reject your father and refuse his name.
Or if you will not, just swear to be my love, and I
will no longer be a Capulet.

ROMEO (to himself)
  Shall I listen to her any longer, or shall I speak to her?
JULIET
  Not you, but only your family name is my enemy.
You would still be Romeo even if you were not a Montague.
What is a Montague? It's not a hand or a foot,
an arm or a face, or any other part
of a man's body. O, take some other name!
What's in a name? The thing which we call a rose
would smell just as sweet if it had any other name.
So Romeo--even if he weren't called Romeo--
would be just as perfect
without his name. Romeo, get rid of your name,
and in place of that name, which isn't part of you,
take all of me.
ROMEO
  I'll take you at your word.
If you'll call me love, I'll be christened again to get a new name
and never again be called Romeo.
JULIET
  Who is that, hiding there in the dark,
who is eavesdropping on my private thoughts?
ROMEO
  If I have to use a name,
I don't know how to tell you who I am.
My name, dear saint, is hateful to me
because it's the name of your enemy.
If I had written it down, I'd tear up the word.
JULIET
 

I have not listened to even a hundred words
that you've spoken, but I recognize your voice.
Aren't you Romeo--and a Montague?

ROMEO
  Neither one, beautiful maiden, if you dislike either.
JULIET
  How did you get here? Tell me. And why?
The orchard walls are high and hard to climb,
and this is a place of death to you--considering who you are--
If any of my relatives should find you here.
ROMEO
  I flew over the walls on the wings of love;
those strong walls can't keep love out,
and whatever love can do, love will try.
Therefore, your relatives can't keep me out.
JULIET
  If they see you, they'll murder you.
ROMEO
  I see more danger in your eyes
than in twenty of their swords. If you just look sweetly at me,
I'm protected from their hatred.
JULIET
  I would not have them find you here for anything in the world.
ROMEO
  The dark night will hide me from their eyes,
and if you don't love me, I wish they would find me here.
It is better to be killed by their hate,
than have my death postponed without your love.
JULIET
  Who told you how to get here?
ROMEO
  Love led me, love who first made me wonder which
way to go. Love gave me advice and I listened.
I am no ship's pilot, but if you were as far away as
the most distant land on the most distant sea,
I'd risk a voyage there to you.
JULIET
 

If the dark didn't hide my face,
you'd see that I am blushing
because of what you've heard me say tonight.
I'd gladly stand on formalities-gladly, gladly, deny
what you heard me say--but goodbye to proprieties.
Do you love me? I know you'll say "yes"
and I'll believe you. Yet, even if you swear,
you could turn out to be a liar. They say even Jove
laughs at the false oaths of lovers! O, gentle Romeo,
if you love me, honestly admit it.
Or if you think I am too quickly won by you,
I'll frown and be grouchy and say "no"
so you'll have to court me; otherwise I wouldn't snub you for any reason.
To tell the truth, handsome Montague, I'm too fond of you.
Therefore, you may think my behavior is immodest.
But trust me, gentle sir, I'll be truer
than those who act more clever and pretend coolness.
I would have been more coy, I must admit,
but you overheard me before I knew you were here,
my true love. Please forgive me,
and don't think that I fell for you because of a shallow love
w hich the dark night has revealed.

ROMEO
  Lady, I swear by the blessed moon,
t hat gives a silver light to the tops of these fruit trees--
JULIET
  O, don't swear by the moon, the fickle moon
that changes monthly in her circular orbit,
for fear that your love should prove equally changeable.
ROMEO
  What shall I swear by?
JULIET
  Don't swear at all;
or, if you have to swear, swear by your gracious self.
You're the god I worship,
and I'll believe you.
ROMEO
  If my heart's dear love--
JULIET
  Well, don't swear. I am delighted by you,
but I'm not delighted by our pledges tonight.
Our love is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,
too like the lightning which has faded
before you can even say, "It's lightning." Good night my sweet!
Our bud of love, ripened by summer's breath,
may have turned into a beautiful flower by the next time we meet.
Good night, good night. May sweet rest and peace
come to your heart the way it lies within my breasts!
ROMEO
  Will you leave me so unsatisfied?
JULIET
  What satisfaction can you want tonight?
ROMEO
  I want you to exchange love's faithful vows with me.
JULIET
  I gave you my vow of love before you even asked for it.
I wish I could give it again.
ROMEO
  Would you take back your vow of love? Why, my love?
JULIET
  So I can be generous and give it to you again.
Yet I don't want anything but your love, and I have that.
My desire to give you love is as broad as the sea,
and just as deep; the more love I give you,
the more I have to give because my love is infinite.
The NURSE calls from within.
  I hear noise from inside. Dear love, goodbye!
(To Nurse) I'm coming, good nurse.--
(To Romeo) Sweet Montague, be true to me.
Stay here just a little while, and I'll be back.
JULIET exits
ROMEO
  O blessed, blessed night! I'm afraid,
since it is night, that this is all a dream,
too flattering and sweet to be real.
Re-enter JULIET on the balcony.
JULIET
  Just a few more words, dear Romeo, and then it's definitely good night.
If your love is honorable,
and you want to marry me, send me word tomorrow
by someone I'll arrange to send to you.
Tell me where and what time the wedding will be,
and I'll lay all my wealth on your feet
and follow you as my husband anywhere.
NURSE (calling)
  Madam!
JULIET (to Nurse)
  I am coming right now.--(To Romeo) But if you don't have honest intentions,
I beg you--
NURSE (calling)
  Madam!
JULIET (to Nurse)
  Immediately! I am coming!
(To Romeo)--to stop pursuing me and leave me to my grief.
I'll send a messenger tomorrow.
ROMEO
  My soul will live for that--
JULIET
  Good night a thousand times. (She exits)
ROMEO
  This night is a thousand times worse without your light.
Love is drawn towards love the way schoolboys are drawn away from their books;
but when love is drawn away from love, it's like going to school with a scowl.
He starts to leave.
Re-enter JULIET on the balcony.
JULIET (whispers)
  Romeo! I wish I had a falconer's voice
to lure this male falcon back again!
But being still ruled by others, I can't shout,
or else I would yell until I opened the cave where Echo lies.
Then I'd make her silver voice more hoarse than mine
by saying my Romeo's name over and over.
Romeo!
ROMEO
  It's my soul that is calling my name.
Lovers' voices sound silver-sweet at night,
like soft music to receptive listeners.
JULIET
  Romeo!
ROMEO
  Yes, my sweet?
JULIET
  What time tomorrow
whould I send my messenger to you?
ROMEO
  By nine o'clock.
JULIET
  I will not fail. It will be twenty years until then.
I forget why I called you back.
ROMEO
  I'll stay here until you remember.
JULIET
  I'll forget if you keep standing there
because I'll only remember how much I love your company.
ROMEO
  And I'll still stay, so you will keep forgetting
as I forget any other hem but this one in your company.
JULIET
  It's almost morning. I wish you would go now--
but no farther than a spoiled girl's pet bird
which is allowed to hop away from her hand just a little
like a poor prisoner in his twisted chains.
Then with a silk thread, the girl pulls the bird back again,
she is so loving, and yet so jealous of his freedom.
ROMEO
  I wish I were your bird.
JULIET
  Sweetheart, so do I.
Yet if you were my bird, I'd kill you with too much love.
Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow
that I could say good night until tomorrow.
JULIET exits
ROMEO
  May you sleep well and feel peaceful inside.
I wish I were your sleep and peace to find such a sweet resting place.
From here I'll go to my priest
to ask for his help and tell him of my good fortune.
ROMEO exits.