Romeo & Juliet Act 1 McCook

Two households, both alike in dignity (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Two households, both alike in dignity (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

The fearful passage of their death-marked love And the continuance of their parents’ rage, Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove, Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; The which, if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. editorial emendationChorus exits.editorial emendation editorial emendationACT 1editorial emendation editorial emendationScene 1editorial emendation Enter Sampson and Gregory, with swords and bucklers, of the hous

Old Montague is come And flourishes his blade in spite of me.

You men, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage With purple fountains issuing from your veins: On pain of torture, from those bloody hands Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground, And hear the sentence of your movèd prince.

Three civil brawls bred of an airy word By thee, old Capulet, and Montague, Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets And made Verona’s ancient citizens Cast by their grave-beseeming ornaments To wield old partisans in hands as old, Cankered with peace, to part your cankered hate.

If ever you disturb our streets again, Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.

BENVOLIO Here were the servants of your adversary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach.

In the instant came The fiery Tybalt with his sword prepared, Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears, He swung about his head and cut the winds, Who, nothing hurt withal, hissed him in scorn.

Towards him I made, but he was ’ware of me And stole into the covert of the wood.

MONTAGUE Many a morning hath he there been seen, With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew, Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs.

Black and portentous must this humor prove, Unless good counsel may the cause remove.

ROMEO Why, such is love’s transgression.

Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes; Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.

She hath Dian’s wit, And, in strong proof of chastity well armed, From love’s weak childish bow she lives uncharmed.

ROMEO She hath, and in that sparing editorial emendationmakeseditorial emendation huge waste; For beauty, starved with her severity, Cuts beauty off from all posterity.

One desperate grief cures with another’s languish.

And yet, I warrant, it had upon its brow A bump as big as a young cock’rel’s stone, A perilous knock, and it cried bitterly.

Younger than you Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, Are made already mothers.

Give me a case to put my visage in.—