Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (most read book in the world TXT) 📕

myself; I am not here;
This is not Romeo, he’s some other where. Benvolio Tell me in sadness, who is that you love. Romeo What, shall I groan and tell thee? Benvolio

Groan! why, no;
But sadly tell me who.

Romeo

Bid a sick man in sadness make his will:
Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill!
In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.

Benvolio I aim’d so near, when I supposed you loved. Romeo A right good mark-man! And she’s fair I love. Benvolio A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit. Romeo

Well, in that hit you miss: she’ll not be hit
With Cupid’s arrow; she hath Dian’s wit;
And, in strong proof of chastity well arm’d,
From love’s weak childish bow she lives unharm’d.
She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes,
Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold:
O, she is rich in beauty, only poor,
That when she dies with beauty dies her store.

Benvolio Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste? Romeo

She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste,
For beauty starved with her severity
Cuts beauty off from all posterity.
She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair,
To merit bliss by making me despair:
She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow
Do I live dead that live to tell it now.

Benvolio Be ruled by me, forget to think of her. Romeo O, teach me how I should forget to think. Benvolio

By giving liberty unto thine eyes;
Examine other beauties.

Romeo

’Tis the way
To call hers exquisite, in question more:
These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows
Being black put us in mind they hide the fair;
He that is strucken blind cannot forget
The precious treasure of his eyesight lost:
Show me a mistress that is passing fair,
What doth her beauty serve, but as a note
Where I may read who pass’d that passing fair?
Farewell: thou canst not teach me to forget.

Benvolio I’ll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt. Exeunt. Scene II

A street.

Enter Capulet, Paris, and Servant. Capulet

But Montague is bound as well as I,
In penalty alike; and ’tis not hard, I think,
For men so old as we to keep the peace.

Paris

Of honourable reckoning are you both;
And pity ’tis you lived at odds so long.
But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?

Capulet

But saying o’er what I have said before:
My child is yet a stranger in the world;
She hath not seen the change of fourteen years;
Let two more summers wither in their pride,
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.

Paris Younger than she are happy mothers made. Capulet

And too soon marr’d are those so early made.
The earth hath swallow’d all my hopes but she,
She is the hopeful lady of my earth:
But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
My will to her consent is but a part;
An she agree, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.
This night I hold an old accustom’d feast,
Whereto I have invited many a guest,
Such as I love; and you, among the store,
One more, most welcome, makes my number more.
At my poor house look to behold this night
Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light:
Such comfort as do lusty young men feel
When well-apparell’d April on the heel
Of limping winter treads, even such delight
Among fresh female buds shall you this night
Inherit at my house; hear all, all see,
And like her most whose merit most shall be:
Which on more view, of many mine being one
May stand in number, though in reckoning none.
Come, go with me. To Servant, giving a paper. Go, sirrah, trudge about
Through fair Verona; find those persons out
Whose names are written there, and to them say,
My house and welcome on their pleasure stay. Exeunt Capulet and Paris.

Servant Find them out whose names are written here! It is written, that the shoemaker should meddle with his yard, and the tailor with his last, the fisher with his pencil, and the painter with his nets; but I am sent to find those persons whose names are here writ, and can never find what names the writing person hath here writ. I must to the learned.⁠—In good time. Enter Benvolio and Romeo. Benvolio

Tut, man, one fire burns out another’s burning,
One pain is lessen’d by another’s anguish;
Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning;
One desperate grief cures with another’s languish:
Take thou some new infection to thy eye,
And the rank poison of the old will die.

Romeo Your plaintain-leaf is excellent for that. Benvolio For what, I pray thee? Romeo For your broken shin. Benvolio Why, Romeo, art thou mad? Romeo

Not mad, but bound more than a madman is;
Shut up in prison, kept without my food,
Whipp’d and tormented and⁠—God-den, good fellow.

Servant God gi’ god-den. I pray, sir, can you read? Romeo Ay, mine own fortune in my misery. Servant Perhaps you have learned it without book: but, I pray, can you read anything you see? Romeo Ay, if I know the letters and the language. Servant Ye say honestly: rest you merry! Romeo

Stay, fellow; I can read. Reads.

“Signior Martino and his wife and daughters; County Anselme and his beauteous sisters; the lady widow of Vitruvio; Signior Placentio and his lovely nieces; Mercutio and his brother Valentine; mine uncle Capulet, his wife, and daughters; my fair niece Rosaline; Livia; Signior Valentio and his cousin Tybalt; Lucio and the lively Helena.”

A fair assembly: whither should they come?

Servant Up. Romeo Whither? Servant To supper; to our house. Romeo Whose house? Servant My master’s. Romeo Indeed, I should have ask’d you that before. Servant Now I’ll tell you without asking: my master is the great rich Capulet; and if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray, come and crush a cup of wine. Rest you merry! Exit. Benvolio

At this same ancient feast of Capulet’s
Sups the fair Rosaline whom thou so lovest,
With all the admired beauties of Verona:
Go thither; and, with unattainted eye,
Compare her face with some that I shall show,
And I will make thee think thy swan a crow.

Romeo

When the devout religion