Reading Help THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET
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Some 'Juliet,' and some 'Paris'; and all run, `
` With open outcry, toward our monument. `
` Prince. What fear is this which startles in our ears? `
` Chief Watch. Sovereign, here lies the County Paris slain; `
` And Romeo dead; and Juliet, dead before, `
` Warm and new kill'd. `
` Prince. Search, seek, and know how this foul murder comes. `
` Chief Watch. Here is a friar, and slaughter'd Romeo's man, `
` With instruments upon them fit to open `
` These dead men's tombs. `
` Cap. O heavens! O wife, look how our daughter bleeds! `
` This dagger hath mista'en, for, lo, his house `
` Is empty on the back of Montague, `
` And it missheathed in my daughter's bosom! `
` Wife. O me! this sight of death is as a bell `
` That warns my old age to a sepulchre. `
` `
` Enter Montague [and others]. `
` `
` Prince. Come, Montague; for thou art early up `
` To see thy son and heir more early down. `
` Mon. Alas, my liege, my wife is dead to-night! `
` Grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath. `
` What further woe conspires against mine age? `
` Prince. Look, and thou shalt see. `
` Mon. O thou untaught! what manners is in this, `
` To press before thy father to a grave? `
` Prince. Seal up the mouth of outrage for a while, `
` Till we can clear these ambiguities `
` And know their spring, their head, their true descent; `
` And then will I be general of your woes `
` And lead you even to death. Meantime forbear, `
` And let mischance be slave to patience. `
` Bring forth the parties of suspicion. `
` Friar. I am the greatest, able to do least, `
` Yet most suspected, as the time and place `
` Doth make against me, of this direful murther; `
` And here I stand, both to impeach and purge `
` Myself condemned and myself excus'd. `
` Prince. Then say it once what thou dost know in this. `
` Friar. I will be brief, for my short date of breath `
` Is not so long as is a tedious tale. `
` Romeo, there dead, was husband to that Juliet; `
` And she, there dead, that Romeo's faithful wife. `
` I married them; and their stol'n marriage day `
` Was Tybalt's doomsday, whose untimely death `
` Banish'd the new-made bridegroom from this city; `
` For whom, and not for Tybalt, Juliet pin'd. `
` You, to remove that siege of grief from her, `
` Betroth'd and would have married her perforce `
` To County Paris. Then comes she to me `
` And with wild looks bid me devise some mean `
` To rid her from this second marriage, `
` Or in my cell there would she kill herself. `
` Then gave I her (so tutored by my art) `
` A sleeping potion; which so took effect `
` As I intended, for it wrought on her `
` The form of death. Meantime I writ to Romeo `
` That he should hither come as this dire night `
` To help to take her from her borrowed grave, `
` Being the time the potion's force should cease. `
` But he which bore my letter, Friar John, `
` Was stay'd by accident, and yesternight `
` Return'd my letter back. Then all alone `
` At the prefixed hour of her waking `
` Came I to take her from her kindred's vault; `
` Meaning to keep her closely at my cell `
` Till I conveniently could send to Romeo. `
` But when I came, some minute ere the time `
` Of her awaking, here untimely lay `
` The noble Paris and true Romeo dead. `
` She wakes; and I entreated her come forth `
` And bear this work of heaven with patience; `
` But then a noise did scare me from the tomb, `
` And she, too desperate, would not go with me, `
` But, as it seems, did violence on herself. `
` All this I know, and to the marriage `
` Her nurse is privy; and if aught in this `
` Miscarried by my fault, let my old life `
` Be sacrific'd, some hour before his time, `
` Unto the rigour of severest law. `
` Prince. We still have known thee for a holy man. `
` Where's Romeo's man? What can he say in this? `
` Bal. I brought my master news of Juliet's death; `
` And then in post he came from Mantua `
` To this same place, to this same monument. `
` This letter he early bid me give his father, `
` And threat'ned me with death, going in the vault, `
` If I departed not and left him there. `
` Prince. Give me the letter. I will look on it. `
` Where is the County's page that rais'd the watch? `
` Sirrah, what made your master in this place? `
` Boy. He came with flowers to strew his lady's grave; `
` And bid me stand aloof, and so I did. `
` Anon comes one with light to ope the tomb; `
` And by-and-by my master drew on him; `
` And then I ran away to call the watch. `
` Prince. This letter doth make good the friar's words, `
` Their course of love, the tidings of her death; `
` And here he writes that he did buy a poison `
` Of a poor pothecary, and therewithal `
` Came to this vault to die, and lie with Juliet. `
` Where be these enemies? Capulet, Montage, `
` See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, `
` That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love! `
` And I, for winking at you, discords too, `
` Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punish'd. `
` Cap. O brother Montague, give me thy hand. `
` This is my daughter's jointure, for no more `
` Can I demand. `
` Mon. But I can give thee more; `
` For I will raise her Statue in pure gold, `
` That whiles Verona by that name is known, `
` There shall no figure at such rate be set `
` As that of true and faithful Juliet. `
` Cap. As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie- `
` Poor sacrifices of our enmity! `
` Prince. A glooming peace this morning with it brings. `
` The sun for sorrow will not show his head. `
` Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; `
` Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished; `
` For never was a story of more woe `
` Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. `
` Exeunt omnes. `
` `
` THE END `
` `
` `
`
` With open outcry, toward our monument. `
` Prince. What fear is this which startles in our ears? `
` Chief Watch. Sovereign, here lies the County Paris slain; `
` And Romeo dead; and Juliet, dead before, `
` Warm and new kill'd. `
` Prince. Search, seek, and know how this foul murder comes. `
` Chief Watch. Here is a friar, and slaughter'd Romeo's man, `
` With instruments upon them fit to open `
` These dead men's tombs. `
` Cap. O heavens! O wife, look how our daughter bleeds! `
` This dagger hath mista'en, for, lo, his house `
` Is empty on the back of Montague, `
` And it missheathed in my daughter's bosom! `
` Wife. O me! this sight of death is as a bell `
` That warns my old age to a sepulchre. `
` `
` Enter Montague [and others]. `
` `
` Prince. Come, Montague; for thou art early up `
` To see thy son and heir more early down. `
` Mon. Alas, my liege, my wife is dead to-night! `
` Grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath. `
` What further woe conspires against mine age? `
` Prince. Look, and thou shalt see. `
` Mon. O thou untaught! what manners is in this, `
` To press before thy father to a grave? `
` Prince. Seal up the mouth of outrage for a while, `
` Till we can clear these ambiguities `
` And know their spring, their head, their true descent; `
` And then will I be general of your woes `
` And lead you even to death. Meantime forbear, `
` And let mischance be slave to patience. `
` Bring forth the parties of suspicion. `
` Friar. I am the greatest, able to do least, `
` Yet most suspected, as the time and place `
` Doth make against me, of this direful murther; `
` And here I stand, both to impeach and purge `
` Myself condemned and myself excus'd. `
` Prince. Then say it once what thou dost know in this. `
` Friar. I will be brief, for my short date of breath `
` Is not so long as is a tedious tale. `
` Romeo, there dead, was husband to that Juliet; `
` And she, there dead, that Romeo's faithful wife. `
` I married them; and their stol'n marriage day `
` Was Tybalt's doomsday, whose untimely death `
` Banish'd the new-made bridegroom from this city; `
` For whom, and not for Tybalt, Juliet pin'd. `
` You, to remove that siege of grief from her, `
` Betroth'd and would have married her perforce `
` To County Paris. Then comes she to me `
` And with wild looks bid me devise some mean `
` To rid her from this second marriage, `
` Or in my cell there would she kill herself. `
` Then gave I her (so tutored by my art) `
` A sleeping potion; which so took effect `
` As I intended, for it wrought on her `
` The form of death. Meantime I writ to Romeo `
` That he should hither come as this dire night `
` To help to take her from her borrowed grave, `
` Being the time the potion's force should cease. `
` But he which bore my letter, Friar John, `
` Was stay'd by accident, and yesternight `
` Return'd my letter back. Then all alone `
` At the prefixed hour of her waking `
` Came I to take her from her kindred's vault; `
` Meaning to keep her closely at my cell `
` Till I conveniently could send to Romeo. `
` But when I came, some minute ere the time `
` Of her awaking, here untimely lay `
` The noble Paris and true Romeo dead. `
` She wakes; and I entreated her come forth `
` And bear this work of heaven with patience; `
` But then a noise did scare me from the tomb, `
` And she, too desperate, would not go with me, `
` But, as it seems, did violence on herself. `
` All this I know, and to the marriage `
` Her nurse is privy; and if aught in this `
` Miscarried by my fault, let my old life `
` Be sacrific'd, some hour before his time, `
` Unto the rigour of severest law. `
` Prince. We still have known thee for a holy man. `
` Where's Romeo's man? What can he say in this? `
` Bal. I brought my master news of Juliet's death; `
` And then in post he came from Mantua `
` To this same place, to this same monument. `
` This letter he early bid me give his father, `
` And threat'ned me with death, going in the vault, `
` If I departed not and left him there. `
` Prince. Give me the letter. I will look on it. `
` Where is the County's page that rais'd the watch? `
` Sirrah, what made your master in this place? `
` Boy. He came with flowers to strew his lady's grave; `
` And bid me stand aloof, and so I did. `
` Anon comes one with light to ope the tomb; `
` And by-and-by my master drew on him; `
` And then I ran away to call the watch. `
` Prince. This letter doth make good the friar's words, `
` Their course of love, the tidings of her death; `
` And here he writes that he did buy a poison `
` Of a poor pothecary, and therewithal `
` Came to this vault to die, and lie with Juliet. `
` Where be these enemies? Capulet, Montage, `
` See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, `
` That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love! `
` And I, for winking at you, discords too, `
` Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punish'd. `
` Cap. O brother Montague, give me thy hand. `
` This is my daughter's jointure, for no more `
` Can I demand. `
` Mon. But I can give thee more; `
` For I will raise her Statue in pure gold, `
` That whiles Verona by that name is known, `
` There shall no figure at such rate be set `
` As that of true and faithful Juliet. `
` Cap. As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie- `
` Poor sacrifices of our enmity! `
` Prince. A glooming peace this morning with it brings. `
` The sun for sorrow will not show his head. `
` Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; `
` Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished; `
` For never was a story of more woe `
` Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. `
` Exeunt omnes. `
` `
` THE END `
` `
` `
`