Shakespeare's Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (best book series to read txt) 📕

is summed up by Mr. P.A. Daniel in his valuable paper "On the Times or Durations of the Actions of Shakspere's Plays" (Trans. of New Shaks. Soc. 1877-79, p. 194) as follows:—

"Time of this Tragedy, six consecutive days, commencing on the morning of the first, and ending early in the morning of the sixth.

Day 1. (Sunday) Act I. and Act II. sc. i. and ii.

  "    2. (Monday) Act II. sc. iii.-vi., Act III. sc. i.-iv.

Day 3. (Tuesday) Act III. sc. v., Act IV. sc. i.-iv.

  "    4. (Wednesday) Act IV. sc. v.

  "    5. (Thursday) Act V.

  "    6. (Friday) End of Act V. sc. iii."

After the above was printed, Dr. Furnivall called Mr. Daniel's attention to my note on page 249 fol. in which I show that the drama may close on Thursday morning instead of Friday. Mr. Daniel was at first disinclined to accept this view, but on second thought was compelled to admit that I was right.

List of Characters in the Play

The numbers in parentheses indicate the lines the characters have in each scene.

Escalus: i. 1(23); iii. 1(16); v. 3(36). Whole no. 75.

Paris: i. 2(4); iii. 4(4); iv. 1(23), 5(6); v. 3(32). Whole no. 69.

Montague: i. 1(28); iii. 1(3); v. 3(10). Whole no. 41.

Capulet: i. 1(3), 2(33), 5(56); iii. 4(31), 5(63); iv. 2(26), 4(19), 5(28); v. 3(10). Whole no. 269.

2d Capulet: i. 5(3). Whole no. 3.

Romeo: i. 1(65), 2(29), 4(34), 5(27); ii. 1(2), 2(86), 3(25), 4(54), 6(12); iii. 1(36), 3(71), 5(24); v. 1(71), 3(82). Whole no. 618.

Mercutio: i. 4(73); ii. 1(34), 4(95); iii. 1(71). Whole no. 273.

Benvolio: i. 1(51), 2(20), 4(13). 5(1); ii. 1(9). 4(14); iii. 1(53). Whole no. 161.

Tybalt: i. 1(5), 5(17); iii. 1(14). Whole no. 36.

Friar Laurence: ii. 3(72), 6(18); iii. 3(87); iv. 1(56), 5(25); v. 2(17), 3(75). Whole no. 350.

Friar John: v. 2(13). Whole no. 13.

Balthasar: v. 1(11), 3(21). Whole no. 32.

Sampson: i. 1(41). Whole no. 41.

Gregory: i. 1(24). Whole no. 24.

Peter: iii. 4(7); iv. 5(30). Whole no. 37

Abram: i. 1(5). Whole no. 5.

Apothecary: v. 1(7). Whole no. 7.

1st Musician: iv. 5(16). Whole no. 16.

2d Musician: iv. 5(6). Whole no. 6.

3d Musician: iv. 5(1). Whole no. 1.

1st Servant: i. 2(21), 3(5), 5(11); iv. 4(1). Whole no. 38.

2d Servant: i. 5(7); iv. 2(5), 4(2). Whole no. 14.

1st Watchman: v. 3(19). Whole no. 19.

2d Watchman: v. 3(1). Whole no. 1.

3d Watchman: v. 3(3). Whole no. 3.

1st Citizen: i. 1(2); iii. 1(4). Whole no. 6.

Page: v. 3(9). Whole no. 9.

Lady Montague: i. 1(3). Whole no. 3.

Lady Capulet: i. 1(1), 3(36), 5(1); iii. 1(11), 4(2), 5(37); iv. 2(3), 3(3), 4(3), 5(13); v. 3(5). Whole no. 115.

Juliet: i. 3(8), 5(19); ii. 2(114), 5(43), 6(7); iii. 2(116), 5(105); iv. 1(48), 2(12), 3(56); v. 3(13). Whole no. 541.

Nurse: i. 3(61), 5(15); ii. 2(114), 6(43), 7(7); iii. 2(116), 5(105); iv. 1(48), 2(12), 3(56); v. 3(13). Whole no. 290.

"Prologue": (14). Whole no. 14.

"Chorus": end of act i. (14). Whole no. 14.

In the above enumeration, parts of lines are counted as whole lines, making the total in the play greater than it is. The actual number in each scene is as follows: Prologue (14); i. 1(244), 2(106), 3(106), 4(114), 5(147); Chorus (14); ii. 1(42), 2(190), 3(94), 4(233), 5(80), 6(37); iii. 1(202), 2(143), 3(175), 4(36), 5(241); iv. 1(126), 2(47), 3(58), 4(28), 5(150); v. 1(86), 2(30), 3(310). Whole number in the play, 3053. The line-numbering is that of the Globe ed.

INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED a (= one), 215 a hall, a hall! 190 a la stoccata, 221 Abraham Cupid, 197 abused (= marred), 247 ache, 216 adventure (verb), 200, 266 advise (= consider), 244 afeard, 202 affections, 169 affray (verb), 238 afore, 214 afore me, 236 against (of time), 236 agate, 186 airy tongue, 203 all (intensive), 170 alligator, 263 amazed, 224 ambling, 183 ambuscadoes, 187 amerce, 225 anatomy, 234 ancient, 168, 206 and there an end, 236 antic, 191 apace, 215 ape, 198 apt to, 219, 235 as (= as if), 216 as (= namely), 254 as (omitted), 170 as (redundant), 272 associate me, 265 aspire (transitive), 223 atomies, 186 attach (= arrest), 271 attending (= attentive), 203 ay, 229 ay me! 197, 262 baked meats, 256 Balthasar (accent), 262 bandying, 216, 222 bankrupt (spelling), 229 banquet (= dessert), 195 bate (in falconry), 227 bear a brain, to, 179 beetle-brows, 183 behoveful, 253 bent (= inclination), 202 be-rhyme, 209 bescreened, 199 beshrew, 216, 244, 265 betossed, 267 better tempered, 234 bills (weapons), 167 bite by the ear, to, 211 bite the thumb, to, 167 blaze, 235 blazon, 218 bons, 209 bosom's lord, my, 262 both our remedies, 206 bound (play upon) 174, 183 bow of lath, 182 boy (contemptuous), 221 brace, 273 bride (masculine), 243 broad (goose), 212 broken music, 220 burn daylight, to, 185 button, 208 butt-shaft, 207 by and by (= presently), 224, 236, 273 candles (night's), 237 canker (= worm), 205 cankered, 168 Capel's, 262, 270 captain of compliments, 207 carries it away, 221 carry coals, to, 166 carry no crotchets, 261 case (play upon), 183, 259 cat, nine lives of, 221 catched, 258 catling, 261 charge, 265 cheerly, 190 cheveril, 212 chinks, 194 choler (play upon), 166 chop-logic, 243 Chorus, 165 circle (magician's), 198 circumstance, 216, 271 civil (= grave), 227 closed (= enclosed), 188 closet (= chamber), 253 clout, 207 clubs, 167 cock-a-hoop, 192 coil (= ado), 216 colliers, 166 come near, 190 comfortable (active), 271 commission, 248 compare (noun), 216, 246 compliment, 200 concealed, 234 conceit, 218 conclude (transitive), 225 conduct (= conductor), 223, 270 conduit, 242 confessor (accent), 218, 233 confidence (= conference), 212 confound (= destroy), 217 confusions, 258 conjurations, 267 conjure (accent), 197 consort (noun), 219 consort (transitive), 223 consort with, 219 content thee, 192 contract (accent), 201 contrary (accent), 229 contrary (verb), 193 convert (intransitive), 193 cot-quean, 257 county(= count), 181, 241 court-cupboard, 189 courtship, 233 cousin (= kinsman), 223 cousin (= uncle), 190 cover (play upon), 180 cross (= perverse), 253 cross (= thwart), 267 crow-keeper, 182 crush a cup, 176 crystal scales, 176 cure (intransitive), 174 curfew-bell, 256 Cynthia, 238 damnation (concrete), 245 dare (play upon), 207 dark heaven, 173 date (= duration), 188 dateless, 269 dear, 232, 265, 267 dear hap, 204 dear mercy, 232 death (concrete), 268 death-darting eye, 229 defy (= refuse), 267 deny (= refuse), 190 depart (= part), 220 depend (impend), 223 desperate, 236 determine of, 229 detestable (accent), 258 devotion (quadrisyllable), 248 Dian's wit, 171 digressing, 235 discover (= reveal), 201, 224 dislike (= displease), 200 displant, 233 dispute (= reason), 233 dissemblers (metre), 230 distemperature, 206 distraught, 255 division (in music), 238 do danger, 265 do disparagement, 192 do hate, 234 doctrine (= instruction), 172 doom thee death, 223 doth (plural), 165 doubt (= distrust), 267 drawn, 167 drift (= scheme), 252 dry-beat, 222, 261 dump, 260 Dun in the mire, 184 dun's the mouse, 184 earth, 173, 196 elf-locks, 187 empty (= hungry), 267 encamp them, 205 encounter, 218 endart, 181 enforce (= force), 267 engrossing, 269 enpierced, 183 entrance (trisyllable), 182 envious (= malicious), 224, 228 Ethiope, 191 evening mass, 247 exile (accent), 225, 232 expire (transitive), 188 extremes, 248 extremities, 196 faintly, 182 fairies' midwife, 186 familiar (metre), 232 fantasticoes, 208 fashion-mongers, 209 fay (= faith), 195 fearful (= afraid), 232 feeling (= heartfelt), 240 festering, 254 fettle, 243 fine (= penance), 193 fire drives out fire, 174 five wits, 185, 211 flattering (= illusive), 261 flecked, 204 fleer, 191 flirt-gills, 213 flowered (pump), 211 fond (= foolish), 233, 259 fool, 179 foolish, 195 fool's paradise, 214 for (repeated), 196 form (play upon), 209 forth, 169 fortune's fool, 224 frank (= bountiful), 201 Freetown, 169 fret, 237 friend (= lover), 239 from forth, 204 gapes, 196 garish, 228 gear (= matter), 212, 264 ghostly, 204 give leave awhile, 178 give me, 252 give me leave, 216 gleek, 260 glooming, 273 God save the mark! 229 God shall mend my soul! 192 God shield, 248 God ye good morrow! 212 good-den (or god-den), 170, 175, 219, 243 good goose, bite not, 211 good hap, 235 good morrow, 170, 205 good thou, 189 gore-blood, 229 gossamer, 217 grandsire, 209 grave (play upon), 223 grave beseeming, 168 green (eyes), 245 green (= fresh), 254 grey-eyed,