Shakespeare's Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (best book series to read txt) π
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2. The day is hot. "It is observed that in Italy almost all assassinations are committed during the heat of summer" (Johnson).
3. Scape. Not "'scape," as often printed. The word is used in prose; as in M. of V. ii. 2. 174, etc.
6. Me. See on ii. 4. 23 above. We have the same construction in him, two lines below, where some eds. have "it" (from 1st quarto).
8. Operation. Effect. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 104: "A good sherris-sack hath a twofold operation in it," etc.
11. Am I, etc. "The quietness of this retort, with the slight but significant emphasis which we imagine thrown upon the I, admirably gives point to the humorous effect of Mercutio's lecturing Benvolioβthe sedate and peace-making Benvolio, and lectured by Mercutio, of all people!βfor the sin of quarrelsomeness" (Clarke).
12. Jack. See on ii. 4. 127 above.
14. Moody. Angry. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iv. 4. 39: "But, being moody, give him line and scope," etc.
31. Tutor me from. Teach me to avoid.
39. Good den. See on i. 2. 57 above.
43. Apt enough to. Ready enough for. Cf. iii. 3. 157 below.
47. Consort'st with. Keepest company with. Cf. V. and A. 1041, M.N.D. iii. 2. 387, T. and C. v. 3. 9, etc.
48. Consort. The word (with accent on first syllable) sometimes meant a company of musicians. Cf. T.G. of V. iii. 2. 84:β
See also 2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 327. In these passages the modern eds. generally read "concert." Milton has consort in the same sense in the Ode at a Solemn Musick, 27:β
Cf.Ode on Nativ. 132: "Make up full consort to the angelic symphony;" Il Pens. 145: "With such consort as they keep," etc. "The consorts of S.'s time were not only concerted music, but generally composed of such instruments as belonged to one family. If, for example, only viols were employed, the consort was called whole, but if virginal, lute, or flute came into the combination, it was a broken consort, or broken music" (Elson). Cf. A.Y.L. i. 2. 150, etc.
51. Zounds. Like 'swounds (see Ham. ii. 2. 604), an oath contracted from "God's wounds!" and generally omitted or changed in the folio in deference to the statute of James I. against the use of the name of God on the stage. Here the folio has "Come."
54. Reason coldly. Talk coolly or dispassionately. Cf. M. of V. ii. 8. 27: "I reason'd with a Frenchman yesterday;" and Much Ado, iii. 2. 132: "bear it coldly but till midnight," etc.
"Benvolio presents a triple alternative: either to withdraw to a private place, or to discuss the matter quietly where they were, or else to part company; and it is supremely in character that on such an occasion he should perceive and suggest all these methods of avoiding public scandal" (White).
55. Depart. Perhaps = part. Cf. 3 Hen. VI. ii. 6. 43: "A deadly groan, like life and death's departing," etc. So depart with = part with; as in K. John, ii. 1. 563:β
In the Marriage Ceremony "till death us do part" was originally "us depart." The word is used in the same sense in Wiclif's Bible, Matthew, xix. 6. On the other hand, part often = depart; as in T.N. v. 1. 394, Cor. v. 6. 73, T. of A. iv. 2. 21, etc.
57. I. The repetition of the pronoun at the end of the sentence is common in S. Cf. T.G. of V. v. 4. 132: "I care not for her, I;" Rich. III. iii. 2. 78: "I do not like these several councils, I;" T.A. v. 3. 113: "I am no vaunter, I;" Id. v. 3. 185: "I am no baby, I," etc. See also iii. 5. 12 below.
62. The hate I bear thee. The reading of 1st quarto. The other early eds. have "love"; but Tybalt is not given to irony.
64. Love. Delius says that this "is of course ironical," but the reiteration in the next speech shows that it is not. Romeo's love for Juliet embraces, in a way, all her kindred. His heart, as Talfourd expresses it in Ion,β
65. Appertaining rage, etc. That is, the rage appertaining to (belonging to, or becoming) such a greeting. Cf. Macb. iii. 6. 48:β
68. Boy. Often used contemptuously; as in Much Ado. v. 1. 83, 187, Cor. v. 6. 101, 104, 117, etc.
73. Tender. Regard, cherish. Cf. Ham. i. 3. 107: "Tender yourself more dearly," etc.
76. A la stoccata. Capell's emendation of the "Alla stucatho" or "Allastucatho" of the early eds. Stoccata is the Italian term for a thrust or stab with a rapier. It is the same as the "stoccado" of M.W. ii. 1. 234, the "stock" of Id. ii. 3. 26, and the "stuck" of T.N. iii. 4. 303 and Ham. iv. 7. 162. Carries it away = carries the day.
79. King of cats. See on ii. 4. 20 above. On nine lives, cf. Marston, Dutch Courtezan: "Why then thou hast nine lives like a cat," etc. A little black-letter book, Beware the Cat, 1584, says that it was permitted to a witch "to take on her a cattes body nine times." Trusler, in his Hogarth Moralized, remarks: "The conceit of a cat's having nine lives hath cost at least nine lives in ten of the whole race of them. Scarce a boy in the streets but has in this point outdone even Hercules himself, who was renowned for killing a monster that had but three lives."
81. Dry-beat. Beat soundly. Cf. L. L. L. v. 2. 263: "all dry-beaten with pure scoff." See also iv. 5. 120 below. S. uses the word only three times; but we have "dry basting" in C. of E. ii. 2. 64.
83. Pilcher. Scabbard; but no other example of the word in this sense has been found. Pilch or pilche meant a leathern coat, and the word or a derivative of it may have been applied to the leathern sheath of a rapier.
87. Passado. See on ii. 4. 27 above.
89. Outrage. A trisyllable here. Cf. entrance in i. 4. 8.
91. Bandying. Contending. Cf. 1 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 190: "This factious bandying of their favourites." For the literal sense, see on ii. 5. 14 above.
92. The 1st quarto has here the stage-direction, "Tibalt under Romeos arme thrusts Mercutio in and flyes;" which some modern eds. retain substantially.
93. Sped. Dispatched, "done for." Cf. M. of V. ii. 9. 72: "So begone; you are sped;" T. of S. v. 2. 185: "We three are married, but you two are sped," etc. See also Milton, Lycidas, 122: "What need they? They are sped" (that is, provided for).
100. Grave. Farmer cites Lydgate's Elegy on Chaucer: "My master Chaucer now is grave;" and Steevens remarks that we have the same quibble in The Revenger's Tragedy, 1608, where Vindice dresses up a lady's skull and says: "she has a somewhat grave look with her." Cf. John of Gaunt's play on his name when on his death-bed (Rich. II. ii. 1. 82).
104. Fights by the book of arithmetic. Cf. ii. 4. 22 above: "keeps time, distance," etc.
111. Your houses! "The broken exclamation of a dying man, who has not breath to repeat his former anathema, 'A plague o' both your houses!'" (Marshall).
113. My very friend. Cf. T.G. of V. iii. 2. 41: "his very friend;" M. of V. iii. 2. 226: "my very friends and countrymen," etc.
116. Cousin. Some editors adopt the "kinsman" of 1st quarto; but cousin was often = kinsman. See on i. 5. 32 above.
120. Aspir'd. Not elsewhere used transitively by S. Cf. Chapman, Iliad, ix.: "and aspir'd the gods' eternal seats;" Marlowe, Tamburlaine: "our souls aspire celestial thrones," etc.
121. Untimely. Often used adverbially (like many adjectives in -ly); as in Macb. v. 8. 16, Ham. iv. 1. 40, etc. See also v. 3. 258 below.
122. Depend. Impend (Schmidt). Cf. R. of L. 1615: "In me moe woes than words are now depending;" and Cymb. iv. 3. 23: "our jealousy Doth yet depend."
126. Respective. Considerate. Cf. M. of V. v. 1. 156: "You should have been respective," etc.
127. Conduct. Conductor, guide. Cf. Temp. v. 1. 244:β
Rich. III. i. 1. 45: "This conduct to convey me to the Tower," etc. See also v. 3. 116 below.
129. For Mercutio's soul, etc. The passage calls to mind one similar yet very different in Hen. V. iv. 6. 15 fol.:β
133. Consort. Accompany. Cf. C. of E. i. 2. 28: "And afterward consort you till bedtime;" J.C. v. 1. 83: "Who to Philippi here consorted us," etc. For the intransitive use of the word, see on 43 above.
137. Doom thee death. Cf. Rich. III. ii. 1. 102: "to doom my brother's death;" T.A. iv. 2. 114: "The emperor, in his rage, will doom her death." Amazed = bewildered, stupefied; as often.
139. Fortune's fool. Made a fool of by fortune, the sport of fortune. Cf. Lear, iv. 6. 195: "The natural fool of fortune." See also Ham. i. 4. 54: "we fools of nature;" and cf. M. for M. iii. 1. 11, Macb. ii. 1. 44, etc.
145. Discover. Uncover, reveal. See on ii. 2. 106 above.
146. Manage. "Bringing about" (Schmidt); or we may say that all the manage is simply = the whole course. The word means management, administration, in Temp. i. 2.
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