Romeo and Juliet: Act 3, Scene 3
Enters FRIAR [LAURENCE].
FRIAR LAURENCE
1. fearful: full of fear.
2. parts: qualities.
2. parts: qualities.
1
Romeo, come forth; come forth, thou fearful man:
2
Affliction is enamour'd of thy parts,
3
And thou art wedded to calamity.
[Enter] ROMEO.
ROMEO
4. doom: judgment, sentence.
4
Father, what news? what is the prince's doom?
5
What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand,
6
That I yet know not?
FRIAR LAURENCE
6
Too familiar
7
Is my dear son with such sour company:
8
I bring thee tidings of the prince's doom.
ROMEO
9. doomsday: i.e., death.
10. vanish'd: Shakespeare must be using "vanish'd" to mean "issued," but I can't see why.
10. vanish'd: Shakespeare must be using "vanish'd" to mean "issued," but I can't see why.
9
What less than doomsday is the prince's doom?
FRIAR LAURENCE
10
A gentler judgment vanish'd from his lips,
11
Not body's death, but body's banishment.
ROMEO
12
Ha, banishment! be merciful, say "death";
13
For exile hath more terror in his look,
14
Much more than death: do not say "banishment."
FRIAR LAURENCE
15
Hence from Verona art thou banished:
16. Be patient: Compose yourself.
17. without: outside of.
20. world's exile: exile from the world.
17. without: outside of.
20. world's exile: exile from the world.
16
Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.
ROMEO
17
There is no world without Verona walls,
18
But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
19
Hence "banished" is banish'd from the world,
20
And world's exile is death: then "banished"
21
Is death mis-term'd: calling death "banished,"
22
Thou cutt'st my head off with a golden axe,
23
And smilest upon the stroke that murders me.
FRIAR LAURENCE
24
O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness!
25. Thy . . . death: our law decrees death as the punishment for your crime. 26. rush'd aside: brushed aside.
25
Thy fault our law calls death; but the kind prince,
26
Taking thy part, hath rush'd aside the law,
27
And turn'd that black word "death" to "banishment."
28. dear: precious, rare.
28
This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not.
ROMEO
29
'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here,
30
Where Juliet lives; and every cat and dog
31
And little mouse, every unworthy thing,
32
Live here in heaven and may look on her;
33. validity: worth, dignity.
34. courtship: (1) courtliness; (2) opportunity to woo. 35. carrion-flies: Romeo is referring to ordinary flies, which feast on carrionrotten meat.
34. courtship: (1) courtliness; (2) opportunity to woo. 35. carrion-flies: Romeo is referring to ordinary flies, which feast on carrionrotten meat.
33
But Romeo may not. More validity,
34
More honourable state, more courtship lives
35
In carrion-flies than Romeo: they may seize
36
On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand
37
And steal immortal blessing from her lips,
38
Who even in pure and vestal modesty,
39. Still blush: always blush. as thinking their own kisses sin: as if they [Juliet's lips] think that their kissing [i.e., touching one another] is a sin.
39
Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin;
40
But Romeo may not; he is banished:
41
Flies may do this, but I from this must fly:
42
They are free men, but I am banished.
43
And say'st thou yet that exile is not death?
44
Hadst thou no poison mix'd, no sharp-ground knife,
45. sudden mean of death, though ne'er so mean: some quick means of death, no matter how contemptible.
45
No sudden mean of death, though ne'er so mean,
46
But "banished" to kill me? "Banished"?
47
O friar, the damned use that word in hell;
48
Howlings attend it: how hast thou the heart,
49. ghostly confessor: i.e., spiritual counselor.
49
Being a divine, a ghostly confessor,
50
A sin-absolver, and my friend profess'd,
51
To mangle me with that word "banished"?
FRIAR LAURENCE
52. fond: foolish.
52
Thou fond mad man, hear me but speak a word.
ROMEO
53
O, thou wilt speak again of banishment.
FRIAR LAURENCE
54
I'll give thee armour to keep off that word:
55
Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy,
56
To comfort thee, though thou art banished.
ROMEO
57
Yet "banished"? Hang up philosophy!
58
Unless philosophy can make a Juliet,
59. Displant: transplant.
60. prevails not: is of no effect.
60. prevails not: is of no effect.
59
Displant a town, reverse a prince's doom,
60
It helps not, it prevails not. Talk no more.
FRIAR LAURENCE
61
O, then I see that madmen have no ears.
ROMEO
62. wise men have no eyes: Romeo's point is that one glance at him should make it obvious to the wise Friar Laurence that Romeo cannot live without Juliet.
63. dispute: discuss, present another point of view. of thy estate: concerning the state of your affairs.
63. dispute: discuss, present another point of view. of thy estate: concerning the state of your affairs.
62
How should they, when that wise men have no eyes?
FRIAR LAURENCE
63
Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.
ROMEO
64
Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel:
65
Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love,
66
An hour but married, Tybalt murdered,
67
Doting like me and like me banished,
68
Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair,
69
And fall upon the ground, as I do now,
70
Taking the measure of an unmade grave.
Enter Nurse [within] and knock.
FRIAR LAURENCE
71
Arise; one knocks; good Romeo, hide thyself.
ROMEO
72
Not I; unless the breath of heartsick groans,
73
Mist-like, infold me from the search of eyes.
Knock.
FRIAR LAURENCE
74
Hark, how they knock!Who's there?Romeo, arise;
75. taken: arrested. Stay a while!: wait a moment! This is said to whoever is knocking at the door.
75
Thou wilt be taken.Stay awhile!Stand up;
Knock.
76
Run to my study.By and by!God's will,
77. simpleness: foolishness.
77
What simpleness is this!I come, I come!
Knock.
78
Who knocks so hard? whence come you? what's your will?
Nurse [Within.]
79
Let me come in, and you shall know my errand;
80
I come from Lady Juliet.
FRIAR LAURENCE
80
Welcome, then.
Enter NURSE.
Nurse
81
O holy friar, O, tell me, holy friar,
82
Where is my lady's lord, where's Romeo?
FRIAR LAURENCE
83
There on the ground, with his own tears made drunk.
Nurse
84. he is even in my mistress' case: he is in exactly the same state as my mistress. 85. sympathy: similarity [of suffering].
84
O, he is even in my mistress' case,
85
Just in her case! O woful sympathy!
86
Piteous predicament! Even so lies she,
87
Blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubbering.
88. an you be a man: if you are a man.
88
Stand up, stand up; stand, an you be a man:
89
For Juliet's sake, for her sake, rise and stand;
90. O: i.e., fit of groaning.
90
Why should you fall into so deep an O?
ROMEO
91
Nurse!
Nurse
92. Death's the end of all: This saying means "things can't be so badat least you're not dead."
92
Ah sir! ah sir! Death's the end of all.
ROMEO
93
Spakest thou of Juliet? how is it with her?
94. old: experienced, hardened.
94
Doth she not think me an old murderer,
95
Now I have stain'd the childhood of our joy
96. blood removed but little from her own: i.e., blood of a near relative (Tybalt).
96
With blood removed but little from her own?
97
Where is she? and how doth she? and what says
98. conceal'd lady: secret wife. to: about.
98
My conceal'd lady to our cancell'd love?
Nurse
99
O, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps;
100
And now falls on her bed; and then starts up,
101
And Tybalt calls; and then on Romeo cries,
102
And then down falls again.
ROMEO
102
As if that name,
103. level: aim.
103
Shot from the deadly level of a gun,
104
Did murder her; as that name's cursed hand
105
Murder'd her kinsman. O, tell me, friar, tell me,
106. this anatomy: i.e., my body.
107. sack: attack and destroy.
107. sack: attack and destroy.
106
In what vile part of this anatomy
107
Doth my name lodge? tell me, that I may sack
108
The hateful mansion.
FRIAR LAURENCE
108. Hold: stop. Romeo does something, such as pulling out a dagger, that shows he means to kill himself.
108
Hold thy desperate hand:
109
Art thou a man? thy form cries out thou art:
110
Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denote
111. unreasonable: irrational.
112-113. Unseemly woman ... seeming both: unseemly woman dwelling within one who seems to be a man, or [even worse] unseemly beast dwelling within one who seems to be both a man and a woman.
115. better temper'd: stronger, more stable.
112-113. Unseemly woman ... seeming both: unseemly woman dwelling within one who seems to be a man, or [even worse] unseemly beast dwelling within one who seems to be both a man and a woman.
115. better temper'd: stronger, more stable.
111
The unreasonable fury of a beast:
112
Unseemly woman in a seeming man!
113
Or ill-beseeming beast in seeming both,
114
Thou hast amazed me! By my holy order,
115
I thought thy disposition better temper'd.
116
Hast thou slain Tybalt? wilt thou slay thyself?
117
And slay thy lady that in thy life lives,
118
By doing damned hate upon thyself?
119. Why . . .
birth: why do you bittery complain that you were ever born? 120-121. birth, and heaven, and earth, all three do meet / In thee at once:
122. shape: human form. wit: intellect.
123. like a usurer: Shakespeare is thinking of a usurer as a rich person who hoards his wealth and never puts any of it to its proper, productive use. 125. bedeck: adorn.
122. shape: human form. wit: intellect.
123. like a usurer: Shakespeare is thinking of a usurer as a rich person who hoards his wealth and never puts any of it to its proper, productive use. 125. bedeck: adorn.
119
Why rail'st thou on thy birth, the heaven and earth?
120
Since birth, and heaven, and earth, all three do meet
121
In thee at once; which thou at once wouldst lose.
122
Fie, fie, thou shamest thy shape, thy love, thy wit;
123
Which, like a usurer, abound'st in all,
124
And usest none in that true use indeed
125
Which should bedeck thy shape, thy love, thy wit.
126. form of wax: waxwork figure.
126
Thy noble shape is but a form of wax,
127
Digressing from the valour of a man;
128
Thy dear love sworn but hollow perjury,
129
Killing that love which thou hast vow'd to cherish;
130
Thy wit, that ornament to shape and love,
131. Misshapen: deformed. conduct: guidance.
131
Misshapen in the conduct of them both,
132. powder: gunpowder. flask: powder horn.
132
Like powder in a skilless soldier's flask,
133
Is set afire by thine own ignorance,
134. thou dismember'd with thine own defence: i.e., you are blown to bits by that which should defend you from harm.
134
And thou dismember'd with thine own defence.
135
What, rouse thee, man! thy Juliet is alive,
136
For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead;
137. happy: fortunate.
137
There art thou happy: Tybalt would kill thee,
138
But thou slew'st Tybalt; there are thou happy too:
139
The law that threaten'd death becomes thy friend
140
And turns it to exile; there art thou happy:
141
A pack of blessings lights up upon thy back;
142
Happiness courts thee in her best array;
143. mishaved: misbehaved.
143
But, like a mishaved and sullen wench,
144
Thou pout'st upon thy fortune and thy love.
145
Take heed, take heed, for such die miserable.
146. as was decreed: as was already planned on and agreed to.
146
Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed,
147
Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her.
148. watch be set: guard be posted. The watch would be set at dusk, but as it turns out, Romeo doesn't leave Verona until almost dawn.
148
But look thou stay not till the watch be set,
149
For then thou canst not pass to Mantua;
150
Where thou shalt live, till we can find a time
151. blaze: make known. reconcile your friends: i.e., get your families to agree to approve the marriage.
151
To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends,
152
Beg pardon of the prince, and call thee back
153
With twenty hundred thousand times more joy
154
Than thou went'st forth in lamentation.
155
Go before, nurse: commend me to thy lady;
156
And bid her hasten all the house to bed,
157
Which heavy sorrow makes them apt unto:
158
Romeo is coming.
Nurse
159
O Lord, I could have stay'd here all the night
160. counsel: advice, philosophy. O, what learning is!" The Nurse is very impressed by how well the learned Friar can talk.
160
To hear good counsel: O, what learning is!
161
My lord, I'll tell my lady you will come.
ROMEO
162. chide: scold. Romeo says to the Nurse, "bid my sweet prepare to chide," as though he deserves chiding from Juliet, but why? Because he killed Tybalt? Because he's going to be later than she expected?
162
Do so, and bid my sweet prepare to chide.
Nurse
163
Here, sir, a ring she bid me give you, sir:
164
Hie you, make haste, for it grows very late.
[Exit Nurse.]
ROMEO
165
How well my comfort is revived by this!
FRIAR LAURENCE
166. here stands all your state: all of your fortunes depends on what I am about to tell you.
166
Go hence; good night; and here stands all your state:
167
Either be gone before the watch be set,
168
Or by the break of day disguised from hence.
169
Sojourn in Mantua; I'll find out your man,
170-171. he shall signify from time to time / Every good hap to you that chances here: he will tell you news, from time to time, of all the happenings that work to your benefit here in Verona.
170
And he shall signify from time to time
171
Every good hap to you that chances here:
172
Give me thy hand; 'tis late: farewell; good night.
ROMEO
173
But that a joy past joy calls out on me,
174. brief: hastily.
174
It were a grief, so brief to part with thee.
175
Farewell.
Exeunt.