Romeo and Juliet
ACT III SCENE I | A public place. | |
[Enter MERCUTIO, BENVOLIO, Page, and Servants] | ||
BENVOLIO | I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire: | |
The day is hot, the Capulets abroad, | ||
And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl; | ||
For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring. | ||
MERCUTIO | Thou art like one of those fellows that when he | |
enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword | ||
upon the table and says ‘God send me no need of | ||
thee!’ and by the operation of the second cup draws | ||
it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need. | ||
BENVOLIO | Am I like such a fellow? | 10 |
MERCUTIO | Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as | |
any in Italy, and as soon moved to be moody, and as | ||
soon moody to be moved. | ||
BENVOLIO | And what to? | |
MERCUTIO | Nay, an there were two such, we should have none | |
shortly, for one would kill the other. Thou! why, | ||
thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more, | ||
or a hair less, in his beard, than thou hast: thou | ||
wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no | ||
other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes: what | 20 | |
eye but such an eye would spy out such a quarrel? | ||
Thy head is as fun of quarrels as an egg is full of | ||
meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as | ||
an egg for quarrelling: thou hast quarrelled with a | ||
man for coughing in the street, because he hath | ||
wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun: | ||
didst thou not fall out with a tailor for wearing | ||
his new doublet before Easter? with another, for | ||
tying his new shoes with old riband? and yet thou | ||
wilt tutor me from quarrelling! | ||
BENVOLIO | An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man | |
should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour and a quarter. | 31 | |
MERCUTIO | The fee-simple! O simple! | |
BENVOLIO | By my head, here come the Capulets. | |
MERCUTIO | By my heel, I care not. | |
[Enter TYBALT and others] | ||
TYBALT | Follow me close, for I will speak to them. | |
Gentlemen, good den: a word with one of you. | ||
MERCUTIO | And but one word with one of us? couple it with | |
something; make it a word and a blow. | ||
TYBALT | You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an you | 40 |
will give me occasion. | ||
MERCUTIO | Could you not take some occasion without giving? | |
TYBALT | Mercutio, thou consort’st with Romeo,– | |
MERCUTIO | Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels? an | |
thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but | ||
discords: here’s my fiddlestick; here’s that shall | ||
make you dance. ‘Zounds, consort! | ||
BENVOLIO | We talk here in the public haunt of men: | |
Either withdraw unto some private place, | ||
And reason coldly of your grievances, | ||
Or else depart; here all eyes gaze on us. | 50 | |
MERCUTIO | Men’s eyes were made to look, and let them gaze; | |
I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I. | ||
[Enter ROMEO] | ||
TYBALT | Well, peace be with you, sir: here comes my man. | |
MERCUTIO | But I’ll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery: | |
Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower; | ||
Your worship in that sense may call him ‘man.’ | ||
TYBALT | Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford | |
No better term than this,–thou art a villain. | ||
ROMEO | Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee | |
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage | 60 | |
To such a greeting: villain am I none; | ||
Therefore farewell; I see thou know’st me not. | ||
TYBALT | Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries | |
That thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw. | ||
ROMEO | I do protest, I never injured thee, | |
But love thee better than thou canst devise, | ||
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love: | ||
And so, good Capulet,–which name I tender | ||
As dearly as my own,–be satisfied. | ||
MERCUTIO | O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! | 70 |
Alla stoccata carries it away. | ||
[Draws] | ||
Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk? | ||
TYBALT | What wouldst thou have with me? | |
MERCUTIO | Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine | |
lives; that I mean to make bold withal, and as you | ||
shall use me hereafter, drybeat the rest of the | ||
eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher | ||
by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your | ||
ears ere it be out. | ||
TYBALT | I am for you. | |
[Drawing] | ||
ROMEO | Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up. | 80 |
MERCUTIO | Come, sir, your passado. | |
[They fight] | ||
ROMEO | Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons. | |
Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage! | ||
Tybalt, Mercutio, the prince expressly hath | ||
Forbidden bandying in Verona streets: | ||
Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio! | ||
[ TYBALT under ROMEO’s arm stabs MERCUTIO, and flies with his followers ] | ||
MERCUTIO | I am hurt. | |
A plague o’ both your houses! I am sped. | ||
Is he gone, and hath nothing? | ||
BENVOLIO | What, art thou hurt? | |
MERCUTIO | Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, ’tis enough. | |
Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon. | ||
[Exit Page] | ||
ROMEO | Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much. | |
MERCUTIO | No, ’tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a | |
church-door; but ’tis enough,’twill serve: ask for | ||
me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I | ||
am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o’ | ||
both your houses! ‘Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a | 100 | |
cat, to scratch a man to death! a braggart, a | ||
rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of | ||
arithmetic! Why the devil came you between us? I | ||
was hurt under your arm. | ||
ROMEO | I thought all for the best. | 100 |
MERCUTIO | Help me into some house, Benvolio, | |
Or I shall faint. A plague o’ both your houses! | ||
They have made worms’ meat of me: I have it, | ||
And soundly too: your houses! | ||
[Exeunt MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO] | ||
ROMEO | This gentleman, the prince’s near ally, | |
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt | ||
In my behalf; my reputation stain’d | ||
With Tybalt’s slander,–Tybalt, that an hour | ||
Hath been my kinsman! O sweet Juliet, | ||
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate | ||
And in my temper soften’d valour’s steel! | 110 | |
[Re-enter BENVOLIO] | ||
BENVOLIO | O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio’s dead! | |
That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds, | ||
Which too untimely here did scorn the earth. | ||
ROMEO | This day’s black fate on more days doth depend; | |
This but begins the woe, others must end. | ||
BENVOLIO | Here comes the furious Tybalt back again. | |
ROMEO | Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain! | |
Away to heaven, respective lenity, | ||
And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now! | ||
[Re-enter TYBALT] | ||
Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again, | ||
That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio’s soul | ||
Is but a little way above our heads, | ||
Staying for thine to keep him company: | ||
Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him. | ||
TYBALT | Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here, | |
Shalt with him hence. | ||
ROMEO | This shall determine that. | |
[They fight; TYBALT falls] | ||
BENVOLIO | Romeo, away, be gone! | |
The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain. | ||
Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death, | 130 | |
If thou art taken: hence, be gone, away! | ||
ROMEO | O, I am fortune’s fool! | |
BENVOLIO | Why dost thou stay? | |
[Exit ROMEO] | ||
[Enter Citizens, &c] | ||
First Citizen | Which way ran he that kill’d Mercutio? | |
Tybalt, that murderer, which way ran he? | ||
BENVOLIO | There lies that Tybalt. | |
First Citizen | Up, sir, go with me; | |
I charge thee in the princes name, obey. | ||
[ Enter Prince, attended; MONTAGUE, CAPULET, their Wives, and others ] | ||
PRINCE | Where are the vile beginners of this fray? | |
BENVOLIO | O noble prince, I can discover all | |
The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl: | ||
There lies the man, slain by young Romeo, | 140 | |
That slew thy kinsman, brave Mercutio. | ||
LADY CAPULET | Tybalt, my cousin! O my brother’s child! | |
O prince! O cousin! husband! O, the blood is spilt | ||
O my dear kinsman! Prince, as thou art true, | ||
For blood of ours, shed blood of Montague. | ||
O cousin, cousin! | ||
PRINCE | Benvolio, who began this bloody fray? | |
BENVOLIO | Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo’s hand did slay; | |
Romeo that spoke him fair, bade him bethink | ||
How nice the quarrel was, and urged withal | 150 | |
Your high displeasure: all this uttered | ||
With gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bow’d, | ||
Could not take truce with the unruly spleen | ||
Of Tybalt deaf to peace, but that he tilts | ||
With piercing steel at bold Mercutio’s breast, | ||
Who all as hot, turns deadly point to point, | ||
And, with a martial scorn, with one hand beats | ||
Cold death aside, and with the other sends | ||
It back to Tybalt, whose dexterity, | ||
Retorts it: Romeo he cries aloud, | 160 | |
‘Hold, friends! friends, part!’ and, swifter than | ||
his tongue, | ||
His agile arm beats down their fatal points, | ||
And ‘twixt them rushes; underneath whose arm | ||
An envious thrust from Tybalt hit the life | ||
Of stout Mercutio, and then Tybalt fled; | ||
But by and by comes back to Romeo, | ||
Who had but newly entertain’d revenge, | ||
And to ‘t they go like lightning, for, ere I | ||
Could draw to part them, was stout Tybalt slain. | ||
And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and fly. | 170 | |
This is the truth, or let Benvolio die. | ||
LADY CAPULET | He is a kinsman to the Montague; | |
Affection makes him false; he speaks not true: | ||
Some twenty of them fought in this black strife, | ||
And all those twenty could but kill one life. | ||
I beg for justice, which thou, prince, must give; | ||
Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live. | ||
PRINCE | Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio; | |
Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe? | ||
MONTAGUE | Not Romeo, prince, he was Mercutio’s friend; | 180 |
His fault concludes but what the law should end, | ||
The life of Tybalt. | ||
PRINCE | And for that offence | |
Immediately we do exile him hence: | ||
I have an interest in your hate’s proceeding, | ||
My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding; | ||
But I’ll amerce you with so strong a fine | ||
That you shall all repent the loss of mine: | ||
I will be deaf to pleading and excuses; | ||
Nor tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses: | ||
Therefore use none: let Romeo hence in haste, | 190 | |
Else, when he’s found, that hour is his last. | ||
Bear hence this body and attend our will: | ||
Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill. | ||
[Exeunt] |
Next: Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 2