Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Servingmen come forth with napkins. FIRST SERVINGMAN Where’s Potpan that he helps not
to take away? He shift a trencher? He scrape a
trencher? SECOND SERVINGMAN When good manners shall lie
all in one or two men’s hands, and they unwashed 5
too, ’tis a foul thing. FIRST SERVINGMAN Away with the joint stools, remove
the court cupboard, look to the plate.—
Good thou, save me a piece of marchpane, and, as
thou loves me, let the porter let in Susan Grindstone 10
and Nell.—Anthony and Potpan! THIRD SERVINGMAN Ay, boy, ready. FIRST SERVINGMAN You are looked for and called for,
asked for and sought for, in the great chamber. THIRD SERVINGMAN We cannot be here and there too. 15
Cheerly, boys! Be brisk awhile, and the longer liver
take all. They move aside. | The servants are bustling about, clearing tables and cleaning dishes, complaining about the mess the partygoers made at dinner, and trying to save some scraps for themselves. |
Enter Capulet and his household, all the guests and
gentlewomen to Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, and the
other Maskers. CAPULET
Welcome, gentlemen. Ladies that have their toes
Unplagued with corns will walk a bout with
you.— 20
Ah, my mistresses, which of you all
Will now deny to dance? She that makes dainty,
She, I’ll swear, hath corns. Am I come near you
now?—
Welcome, gentlemen. I have seen the day 25
That I have worn a visor and could tell
A whispering tale in a fair lady’s ear,
Such as would please. ’Tis gone, ’tis gone, ’tis gone.
You are welcome, gentlemen.—Come, musicians,
play. Music plays and they dance. 30
A hall, a hall, give room!—And foot it, girls.—
More light, you knaves, and turn the tables up,
And quench the fire; the room is grown too hot.—
Ah, sirrah, this unlooked-for sport comes well.—
Nay, sit, nay, sit, good cousin Capulet, 35
For you and I are past our dancing days.
How long is ’t now since last yourself and I
Were in a mask? | At the shindig, Capulet welcomes his guests to the party and invites everyone to get their groove on. He also threatens that if any young girl refuses to dance, he'll tell everyone she "hath corns" on her feet. (We're not kidding.) |
CAPULET’S COUSIN By ’r Lady, thirty years. CAPULET
What, man, ’tis not so much, ’tis not so much. 40
’Tis since the nuptial of Lucentio,
Come Pentecost as quickly as it will,
Some five and twenty years, and then we masked. CAPULET’S COUSIN
’Tis more, ’tis more. His son is elder, sir.
His son is thirty. 45 CAPULET Will you tell me that?
His son was but a ward two years ago. | Having welcomed in Romeo and company all in masks, Capulet turns to his cousin and asks how long it's been since they put on masks and went to a dance. His cousin says it's been thirty years, and Capulet says, "Whoa—time flies." |
ROMEO, to a Servingman
What lady’s that which doth enrich the hand
Of yonder knight? SERVINGMAN I know not, sir. 50 ROMEO
O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear—
Beauty too rich for use, for Earth too dear.
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows 55
As yonder lady o’er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand
And, touching hers, make blessèd my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight,
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night. 60 | Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for. Romeo sees Juliet dancing and…falls in love at first sight. Rosaline who? He asks one of the servingmen who she is, but the guy doesn't know. |
TYBALT
This, by his voice, should be a Montague.—
Fetch me my rapier, boy. Page exits.
What, dares the slave
Come hither covered with an antic face
To fleer and scorn at our solemnity? 65
Now, by the stock and honor of my kin,
To strike him dead I hold it not a sin. | Meanwhile, Tybalt, a.k.a., that dude who did all the fighting before (a.k.a., Juliet's easily angered cousin), hears Romeo and recognizes his voice. Blood boils right about…now. He sends his page to get his sword. |
CAPULET
Why, how now, kinsman? Wherefore storm you so? TYBALT
Uncle, this is a Montague, our foe,
A villain that is hither come in spite 70
To scorn at our solemnity this night. CAPULET
Young Romeo is it? TYBALT ’Tis he, that villain Romeo. | Lord Capulet sees Tybalt stomping around and ask him what he's up to. Tybalt says he's going to beat up Romeo for crashing their party. |
CAPULET
Content thee, gentle coz. Let him alone.
He bears him like a portly gentleman, 75
And, to say truth, Verona brags of him
To be a virtuous and well-governed youth.
I would not for the wealth of all this town
Here in my house do him disparagement.
Therefore be patient. Take no note of him. 80
It is my will, the which if thou respect,
Show a fair presence and put off these frowns,
An ill-beseeming semblance for a feast. | Lord Capulet orders him to relax and leave Romeo alone—Romeo seems to be a nice enough kid. Plus, Lord Capulet wisely reasons that parties tend to get ruined by open brawls. |
TYBALT
It fits when such a villain is a guest.
I’ll not endure him. 85 CAPULET He shall be endured.
What, goodman boy? I say he shall. Go to.
Am I the master here or you? Go to.
You’ll not endure him! God shall mend my soul,
You’ll make a mutiny among my guests, 90
You will set cock-a-hoop, you’ll be the man! TYBALT
Why, uncle, ’tis a shame. CAPULET Go to, go to.
You are a saucy boy. Is ’t so indeed?
This trick may chance to scathe you. I know what. 95
You must contrary me. Marry, ’tis time—
Well said, my hearts.—You are a princox, go.
Be quiet, or—More light, more light!—for shame,
I’ll make you quiet.—What, cheerly, my hearts! | Tybalt says that brawling is exactly the correct response when a villain crashes your party, and says he won't put up with Romeo being there. Capulet is beside himself. Did his twerp of a nephew just defy him? He calls Tybalt an insolent little twit, and then continues to insult him while also greeting guests and directing the party. |
TYBALT
Patience perforce with willful choler meeting 100
Makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting.
I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall,
Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt’rest gall.
He exits. | Before storming off, Tybalt swears he'll make Romeo pay for this supposed insult later. Cue the dramatic and ominous music. |
ROMEO, taking Juliet’s hand
If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: 105
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. | Romeo approaches Juliet and delivers one of the coolest pickup lines to ever come out of the 16th century. Translation: your hand is clearly holy, so if I've offended you by touching it with my rough, unworthy hand, let me make things better with a kiss. |
JULIET
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, 110
And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss. | Juliet tells him not to be so hard on himself. By holding her hand he's just showing devotion, the same way that pilgrims touch the hands of saints'—as in the statues of saints they worship. She also points out that placing their hands together, palm to palm, is like kissing. |
ROMEO
Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? JULIET
Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer. ROMEO
O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do.
They pray: grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. 115 JULIET
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake. ROMEO
Then move not while my prayer’s effect I take.
He kisses her.
Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged. | Romeo says "game on." He asks Juliet if pilgrims and saints have lips as well as palms, which (duh), of course they do. She tells him as much, and he suggests they do with their lips what they're doing with their palms. He kisses her and says that as a result, his sin is taken away. |
JULIET
Then have my lips the sin that they have took. ROMEO
Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! 120
Give me my sin again. He kisses her. | Juliet points out that the sin is now on her lips, and Romeo offers to take it back. With another kiss, of course. |
JULIET You kiss by th’ book. | Juliet jokes that Romeo kisses methodically, as in he's very good at coming up with reasons to steal kisses from her. Clever lad. |
NURSE
Madam, your mother craves a word with you.
Juliet moves toward her mother. ROMEO
What is her mother? NURSE Marry, bachelor, 125
Her mother is the lady of the house,
And a good lady, and a wise and virtuous.
I nursed her daughter that you talked withal.
I tell you, he that can lay hold of her
Shall have the chinks. Nurse moves away. 130 | Juliet's nurse interrupts them and sends Juliet away, and Romeo asks her the name of the girl he's been kissing. The Nurse says she's Lady Capulet's daughter, obviously, and whoever marries her will be incredibly wealthy. |
ROMEO, aside Is she a Capulet?
O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt. | Romeo is clearly bummed. And feels like his life is now in the hands of his enemy, which—being a Capulet—Juliet is. |
BENVOLIO
Away, begone. The sport is at the best. ROMEO
Ay, so I fear. The more is my unrest. CAPULET
Nay, gentlemen, prepare not to be gone. 135
We have a trifling foolish banquet towards.—
Is it e’en so? Why then, I thank you all.
I thank you, honest gentlemen. Good night.—
More torches here.—Come on then, let’s to bed.—
Ah, sirrah, by my fay, it waxes late. 140
I’ll to my rest. | Benvolio tells Romeo it's time to go, the party has reached its climax. Romeo says that's what he's afraid of, but he's not talking about the party. He's talking about the fact that falling in love with a Capulet is sure to be trouble. |
All but Juliet and the Nurse begin to exit. JULIET
Come hither, nurse. What is yond gentleman? NURSE
The son and heir of old Tiberio. JULIET
What’s he that now is going out of door? NURSE
Marry, that, I think, be young Petruchio. 145 JULIET
What’s he that follows here, that would not dance? NURSE I know not. JULIET
Go ask his name. The Nurse goes. If he be marrièd,
My grave is like to be my wedding bed. NURSE, returning
His name is Romeo, and a Montague, 150
The only son of your great enemy. | Juliet, meanwhile, is dying to know who her mystery kisser is. She sends the Nurse to find out only to discover he's the only son of the Capulets' enemies, the Montagues. |
JULIET
My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me
That I must love a loathèd enemy. 155 NURSE
What’s this? What’s this? JULIET A rhyme I learned even now
Of one I danced withal. One calls within “Juliet.” NURSE Anon, anon.
Come, let’s away. The strangers all are gone. 160 They exit. | Juliet is none to pleased with this information. Seriously. She had to fall in love with the one boy she's forbidden to fall in love with. Sigh. |