PROLOGUE.
 Enter CHORUS.

Chorus	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-crossed lovers take their life;
	Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
		Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
	The fearful passage of their death-marked love,
		And the continuance of their parents' rage,
	Which, but their children's end, naught 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.
											[Exit.

Verona. A public Place.
 Enter SAMPSON and GREGORY, armed with swords and bucklers.

Sampson	Gregory, on my word, we'll not carry coals.

Gregory	No, for then we should be colliers.

Sampson	I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw.

Gregory	Ay, while you live, draw your neck out of collar.

Sampson	I strike quickly, being moved.

Gregory	But thou art not quickly moved to strike.

Sampson	A dog of the house of Montague moves me.

Gregory	To move is to stir, and to be valiant is to stand; 
	therefore, if thou art moved, thou runnest away.

Sampson	A dog of that house shall move me to stand. I will take the 
	wall of any man or maid of Montague's.

Gregory	That shows thee a weak slave, for the weakest goes to the 
	wall.

Sampson	'Tis true; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, 
	are ever thrust to the wall; therefore I will push 
	Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the 
	wall.

Gregory	The quarrel is between our masters and us their men.

Sampson	'Tis all one. I will show myself a tyrant: when I have 
	fought with the men, I will be civil with the maids - I 
	will cut off their heads.

Gregory	The heads of the maids?

Sampson	Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it 
	in what sense thou wilt.

Gregory	They must take it in sense that feel it.

Sampson	Me they shall feel while I am able to stand; and 'tis known 
	I am a pretty piece of flesh.

Gregory	'Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been 
	poor-john. Draw thy tool; here comes of the house of 
	Montagues.

                      Enter ABRAHAM and BALTHASAR.

Sampson	My naked weapon is out; quarrel, I will back thee.

Gregory	How - turn thy back and run?

Sampson	Fear me not.

Gregory	No, marry; I fear thee!

Sampson	Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin.

Gregory	I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they 
	list.

Sampson	Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is 
	disgrace to them if they bear it.

Abraham	Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?

Sampson	I do bite my thumb, sir.

Abraham	Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?

Sampson	[Aside to GREGORY.] Is the law of our side if I say 'Ay'?

Gregory	[Aside to SAMPSON.] No.

Sampson	No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my 
	thumb, sir.

Gregory	Do you quarrel, sir?

Abraham	Quarrel, sir? No, sir.

Sampson	But if you do, sir, I am for you. I serve as good a man as 
	you.

Abraham	No better.

Sampson	Well, sir.

                             Enter BENVOLIO.

Gregory	[Aside to SAMPSON.] Say 'better'; here comes one of my 
	master's kinsmen.

Sampson	Yes, better, sir.

Abraham	You lie.

Sampson	Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy washing blow.
											[They fight.

Benvolio	Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do.

                              Enter TYBALT.

Tybalt	What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?
	Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death.

Benvolio	I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,
	Or manage it to part these men with me.

Tybalt	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 three of four CITIZENS with clubs or partisans.

Citizens	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.

Capulet	What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!

        Enter old MONTAGUE, drawing his sword, and LADY MONTAGUE.

Lady Capulet	A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?

Capulet	My sword, I say! Old Montague is come,
	And flourishes his blade in spite of me.

Montague	Thou villain Capulet!
	[To LADY MONTAGUE.]	Hold me not; let me go!

Lady Montague	Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.

                   Enter PRINCE ESCALUS with his TRAIN.

Prince	Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,
	Profaners of this neighbour-staind steel-
	Will they not hear? What ho! You men, you beasts,
	That quench the fire of your pernicious rage
	With purple fountains issuing from your veins!
	On pain of torture, from those bloody hands
	Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground,
	And hear the sentence of your movd prince.
	Three civil brawls bred of an airy word
	By thee, old Capulet and Montague,
	Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets
	And made Verona's ancient citizens
	Cast by their grave-beseeming ornaments
	To wield old partisans, in hands as old,
	Cankered with peace, to part your cankered hate.
	If ever you disturb our streets again,
	Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
	For this time all the rest depart away.
	You, Capulet, shall go along with me;
	And, Montague, come you this afternoon
	To know our further pleasure in this case,
	To old Freetown, our common judgement-place.
	Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.
											[Exeunt all but MONTAGUE,
											LADY MONTAGUE, and BENVOLIO.

Montague	Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?
	Speak, nephew; were you by when it began?

Benvolio	Here were the servants of your adversary
	And yours, close fighting ere I did approach.
	I drew to part them; in the instant came
	The fiery Tybalt with his sword prepared,
	Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears,
	He swung about his head and cut the winds,
	Who, nothing hurt withal, hissed him in scorn.
	While we were interchanging thrusts and blows,
	Came more and more, and fought on part and part,
	Till the prince came, who parted either part.

Lady Montague	O where is Romeo? Saw you him today?
	Right glad I am he was not at this fray.

Benvolio	Madam, an hour before the worshipped sun
	Peered forth the golden window of the east,
	A troubled mind drive me to walk abroad,
	Where, underneath the grove of sycamore
	That westward rooteth from this city side,
	So early walking did I see your son.
	Towards him I made, but he was ware of me
	And stole into the covert of the wood.
	I, measuring his affections by my own,
	Which then most sought where most might not be found,
	Being one too many by my weary self,
	Pursued my humour not pursuing his,
	And gladly shunned who gladly fled from me.

Montague	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
	Should in the furthest 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,
	And makes himself an artificial night.
	Black and portentous must this humour prove
	Unless good counsel may the cause remove.

Benvolio	My noble uncle, do you know the cause?

Montague	I neither know it nor can learn of him.

Benvolio	Have you importuned him by any means?

Montague	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,
	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,
	We would as willingly give cure as know.

                               Enter ROMEO.

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

Montague	I would thou wert so happy by thy stay
	To hear true shrift. Come, madam, let's away.
							 [Exeunt MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE.
Benvolio	Good morrow, cousin.

Romeo							Is the day so young?

Benvolio	But new struck nine.

Romeo						Ay me! - sad hours seem long.
	Was that my father that went hence so fast?

Benvolio	It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?

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

Benvolio	In love?

Romeo	Out.

Benvolio	Of love?

Romeo	Out of her favour, where I am in love.

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

Romeo	Alas that love, whose view is muffled still,
	Should without eyes see pathways to his will.
	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 anything, of nothing first create!
	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.
	Dost thou not laugh?

Benvolio						No, coz, I rather weep.

Romeo	Good heart, at what?

Benvolio							At thy good heart's oppression.

Romeo	Why, such is love's transgression.
	Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
	Which thou wilt propagate, to have it pressed
	With more of thine. This love that thou hast shown
	Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
	Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs;
	Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
	Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers' tears;
	What is it else? A madness most discreet,
	A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.
	Farewell, my coz.
											[Going.
Benvolio						Soft, I will go along;
	And if you leave me so, you do me wrong.

Romeo	Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here.
	This is not Romeo, he's some other where.

Benvolio	Tell me in sadness, who is that you love?

Romeo	What, shall I groan and tell thee?

Benvolio	Groan? Why no; but sadly tell me who.

Romeo	Bid a sick man in sadness make his will?
	A word ill urged to one that is so ill.
	In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.

Benvolio	I aimed so near when I supposed you loved.

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

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

Romeo	Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit
	With Cupid's arrow. She hath Dian's wit,
	And, in strong proof of chastity well armed,
	From love's weak childish bow she lives unharmed.
	She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
	Nor bide th' encounter of assailing eyes,
	Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold.
	O she is rich in beauty, only poor
	That when she dies, with beauty dies her store.

Benvolio	Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste?

Romeo	She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste;
	For beauty, starved 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
	Do I live dead, that live to tell it now.

Benvolio	Be ruled by me; forget to think of her.

Romeo	O, teach me how I should forget to think!

Benvolio	By giving liberty unto thine eyes;
	Examine other beauties.

Romeo								'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
	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 passed that passing fair?
	Farewell; thou canst not teach me to forget.

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