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ACT I, Scene ii |
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Act I, Scene ii: A street.
Enter CAPULET, PARIS, and the clown, his SERVANT. |
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CAPULET |
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Montague is under bond, just
like me,
and facing the same punishment. It shouldn't be hard, I think,
for men as old as we are to keep the peace. |
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PARIS |
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You both have honorable reputations,
and it's a pity you've been fighting for so long.
But now, my lord, what do you say, how will you answer my
proposal? |
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CAPULET |
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By saying again what I told you
before:
my child is too young, too new to the world.
She isn't quite fourteen years old yet;
it will be two more years
before we think she'll be ready to marry. |
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PARIS |
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Younger girls than she have become
happy mothers. |
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CAPULET |
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Yes, and they are too soon scarred
by that early childbirth.
All of my children are dead except her;
she is the only heir I have in the world.
But go ahead and try to win her heart, gentle Paris;
my wishes are only a part of her consent.
If she agrees, within her wishes
will I offer my consent and agreement.
Tonight, I am going to give my annual masquerade banquet,
and I have invited many guests
who are people I love. You are invited, too.
One more very welcome guest makes the company all the richer.
At my humble house tonight, you'll see
the most beautiful maidens of Verona that make the night bright.
Such joy as red-blooded young men feel
when well-dressed spring treads on the heel
of limping winter, just such joy
among the lovely young maidens will you find tonight
at my house. Listen to everything, look at everything,
and like the lady best who is most worthy.
My daughter will be among the ladies,
but she may not be the one you choose when you have seen them
all.
Come with me. (To the Servant) Go, servant, walk about
beautiful Verona; find the people
whose names are on these invitations and say to them
that I will be pleased to welcome them to my house tonight. |
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Exit CAPULET and PARIS. |
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SERVANT |
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I'm to find those whose names
are written here! I've heard that
the shoemaker should work with his wool, and the tailor with
his leather, the fisherman with his pencil, and the painter
with his net.
But I have to find the people whose names are written here,
and will never find them because I can't read.
I must find someone who can read. Here's help already! |
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Enter BENVOLIO and
ROMEO. |
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BENVOLIO |
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Come on, Romeo. One fire burns
out another; |
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one person's pain is lessened
by someone else's misery; |
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become dizzy from spinning, and
be helped by reversing the direction; |
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one terrible grief can be cured
by someone else's pain. |
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Find a new infection in your
eye,
And the poison of the old infection will die. |
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ROMEO |
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The plaintain leaf is a good
remedy of that. |
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BENVOLIO |
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For what, I ask you? |
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ROMEO |
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For your wounded skin (when I
kick you). |
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BENVOLIO |
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Romeo, are you crazy? |
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ROMEO |
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No, I'm not crazy, but a madman
is freer than I am.
I'm shut up in prison, given no food,
whipped, tortured, and--(Sees the Servant)--Good
evening, good fellow. |
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SERVANT |
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And a good evening to you Sir,
can you read? |
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ROMEO |
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Yes, that's my one happiness
in my unhappiness. |
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SERVANT |
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Perhaps you memorize.
Can you read anything you see? |
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ROMEO |
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Yes, if I know the letters and
the language. |
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SERVANT |
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You're an honest fellow. Have
nice day! |
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ROMEO |
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Wait fellow, I can read
(Romeo takes the list and reads.) "Signior Martino
and his wife and daughters; Count
Anselme and his beautiful sisters; Virtuvio's widow Signior
Placentio and his lovely nieces; Mercutio and his brother
Valentine; my uncle Capulet, with his wife and daughters;
my lovely niece Rosaline; Livia; Signior Valentio and his
cousin Tybalt; Lucio; and lively Helena." (Returns
the paper to Servant.) This is a beautiful group of people.
Where are they to go?
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SERVANT |
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Up. |
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ROMEO |
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Where? |
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SERVANT |
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To dinner, to our house. |
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ROMEO |
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Whose house? |
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SERVANT |
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My master's. |
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ROMEO |
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Of course, I should have asked
you that before. |
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SERVANT |
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Now I'll tell you without you
asking. My master is the very rich
Capulet, and if you're not a Montague, I invite you
to come and have a drink of wine. Bless you! |
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SERVANT exits |
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BENVOLIO |
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At this party of Capulet's,
the beautiful Rosaline that you love so much will dine
with all of the beautiful girls of Verona.
Go there, and with an unprejudiced eye,
compare her face to some of the others I'll show.
I'll make you think your swan is a crow. |
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ROMEO |
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When the devout belief of my
eyes |
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asserts such a lie, then my tears
will turn to fires; |
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and these eyes, often drowned
in tears, could never die. |
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Transparent unbelievers should
be burned for lying! |
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Someone more beautiful than my
love? The all-seeing sun
has never seen my love's equal since the world began. |
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BENVOLIO |
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Ha!You think she's beautiful because, having no one to
compare her with,
you only saw her balanced with herself in each of your eyes.
But in your two eyes, those crystal scales of yours, weigh
your lady's lave against another lady
whom I will show you at this party,
and your Rosaline will scarcely look good who now seems
the fairest to you.
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ROMEO |
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I'll go with you, not to find
a lovelier girl,
but to rejoice in the beauty of my own Rosaline. |
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They exit. |
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