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Romeo and Juliet - Act 2, scene 3
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Romeo and Juliet - Act 2, scene 3Act 2, scene 3
⌜Scene 3⌝
Synopsis:
Determined to marry Juliet, Romeo hurries to Friar Lawrence. The Friar agrees to marry them, expressing the hope that the marriage may end the feud between their families.
Enter Friar ⌜Lawrence⌝ alone with a basket.FRIAR LAWRENCE
1029 The gray-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night,
1030 ⌜Check’ring⌝ the eastern clouds with streaks of light,
1031 And fleckled darkness like a drunkard reels
1032 From forth day’s path and Titan’s ⌜fiery⌝ wheels.
1033 5 Now, ere the sun advance his burning eye,
1034 The day to cheer and night’s dank dew to dry,
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1035
I must upfill this osier cage of ours1036 With baleful weeds and precious-juicèd flowers.
1037 The Earth that’s nature’s mother is her tomb;
1038 10 What is her burying grave, that is her womb;
1039 And from her womb children of divers kind
1040 We sucking on her natural bosom find,
1041 Many for many virtues excellent,
1042 None but for some, and yet all different.
1043 15 O, mickle is the powerful grace that lies
1044 In plants, herbs, stones, and their true qualities.
1045 For naught so vile that on the Earth doth live
1046 But to the Earth some special good doth give;
1047 Nor aught so good but, strained from that fair use,
1048 20 Revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse.
1049 Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied,
1050 And vice sometime by action dignified.
Enter Romeo.
1051 Within the infant rind of this weak flower
1052 Poison hath residence and medicine power:
1053 25 For this, being smelt, with that part cheers each
1054 part;
1055 Being tasted, stays all senses with the heart.
1056 Two such opposèd kings encamp them still
1057 In man as well as herbs—grace and rude will;
1058 30 And where the worser is predominant,
1059 Full soon the canker death eats up that plant.
ROMEO
1060 Good morrow, father.
FRIAR LAWRENCE 1061 Benedicite.
1062 What early tongue so sweet saluteth me?
1063 35 Young son, it argues a distempered head
1064 So soon to bid “Good morrow” to thy bed.
1065 Care keeps his watch in every old man’s eye,
1066 And, where care lodges, sleep will never lie;
1067 But where unbruisèd youth with unstuffed brain
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1068
40 Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth1069 reign.
1070 Therefore thy earliness doth me assure
1071 Thou art uproused with some distemp’rature,
1072 Or, if not so, then here I hit it right:
1073 45 Our Romeo hath not been in bed tonight.
ROMEO
1074 That last is true. The sweeter rest was mine.
FRIAR LAWRENCE
1075 God pardon sin! Wast thou with Rosaline?
ROMEO
1076 With Rosaline, my ghostly father? No.
1077 I have forgot that name and that name’s woe.
FRIAR LAWRENCE
1078 50 That’s my good son. But where hast thou been
1079 then?
ROMEO
1080 I’ll tell thee ere thou ask it me again.
1081 I have been feasting with mine enemy,
1082 Where on a sudden one hath wounded me
1083 55 That’s by me wounded. Both our remedies
1084 Within thy help and holy physic lies.
1085 I bear no hatred, blessèd man, for, lo,
1086 My intercession likewise steads my foe.
FRIAR LAWRENCE
1087 Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift.
1088 60 Riddling confession finds but riddling shrift.
ROMEO
1089 Then plainly know my heart’s dear love is set
1090 On the fair daughter of rich Capulet.
1091 As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine,
1092 And all combined, save what thou must combine
1093 65 By holy marriage. When and where and how
1094 We met, we wooed, and made exchange of vow
1095 I’ll tell thee as we pass, but this I pray,
1096 That thou consent to marry us today.
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FRIAR LAWRENCE 1097 Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here!
1098 70 Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear,
1099 So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies
1100 Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.
1101 Jesu Maria, what a deal of brine
1102 Hath washed thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!
1103 75 How much salt water thrown away in waste
1104 To season love, that of it doth not taste!
1105 The sun not yet thy sighs from heaven clears,
1106 Thy old groans yet ringing in mine ancient ears.
1107 Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit
1108 80 Of an old tear that is not washed off yet.
1109 If e’er thou wast thyself, and these woes thine,
1110 Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline.
1111 And art thou changed? Pronounce this sentence
1112 then:
1113 85 Women may fall when there’s no strength in men.
ROMEO
1114 Thou chid’st me oft for loving Rosaline.
FRIAR LAWRENCE
1115 For doting, not for loving, pupil mine.
ROMEO
1116 And bad’st me bury love.
FRIAR LAWRENCE 1117 Not in a grave
1118 90 To lay one in, another out to have.
ROMEO
1119 I pray thee, chide me not. Her I love now
1120 Doth grace for grace and love for love allow.
1121 The other did not so.
FRIAR LAWRENCE 1122 O, she knew well
1123 95 Thy love did read by rote, that could not spell.
1124 But come, young waverer, come, go with me.
1125 In one respect I’ll thy assistant be,
1126 For this alliance may so happy prove
1127 To turn your households’ rancor to pure love.
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ROMEO 1128 100 O, let us hence. I stand on sudden haste.
FRIAR LAWRENCE
1129 Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.
They exit.