SCENE I. Verona. A public place. Romeo and Juliet  Shakespeare homepage  |  Romeo and Juliet  | Act 1, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Verona. A public place. 

 Enter SAMPSON and GREGORY, of the house of Capulet, armed with swords and bucklers  SAMPSON  Gregory, o' my word, we'll not carry coals. 

 GREGORY  No, for then we should be colliers. 

 SAMPSON  I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw. 

 GREGORY  Ay, while you live, draw your neck out o' the collar. 

 SAMPSON  I strike quickly, being moved. 

 GREGORY  But thou art not quickly moved to strike. 

 SAMPSON  A dog of the house of Montague moves me. 

 GREGORY  To move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand: 

 therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st away. 

 SAMPSON  A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will 

 take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. 

 GREGORY  That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes 

 to the wall. 

 SAMPSON  True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, 

 are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push 

 Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids 

 to the wall. 

 GREGORY  The quarrel is between our masters and us their men. 

 SAMPSON  'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I 

 have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the 

 maids, and cut off their heads. 

 GREGORY  The heads of the maids? 

 SAMPSON  Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; 

 take it in what sense thou wilt. 

 GREGORY  They must take it in sense that feel it. 

 SAMPSON  Me they shall feel while I am able to stand: and 

 'tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh. 

 GREGORY  'Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou 

 hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool! here comes 

 two of the house of the Montagues. 

 SAMPSON  My naked weapon is out: quarrel, I will back thee. 

 GREGORY  How! turn thy back and run? 

 SAMPSON  Fear me not. 

 GREGORY  No, marry; I fear thee! 

 SAMPSON  Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin. 

 GREGORY  I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as 

 they list. 

 SAMPSON  Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them; 

 which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it. 



 Enter ABRAHAM and BALTHASAR  ABRAHAM  Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? 

 SAMPSON  I do bite my thumb, sir. 

 ABRAHAM  Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? 

 SAMPSON  [Aside to GREGORY]  Is the law of our side, if I say 

 ay? 

 GREGORY  No. 

 SAMPSON  No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I 

 bite my thumb, sir. 

 GREGORY  Do you quarrel, sir? 

 ABRAHAM  Quarrel sir! no, sir. 

 SAMPSON  If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you. 

 ABRAHAM  No better. 

 SAMPSON  Well, sir. 

 GREGORY  Say 'better:' here comes one of my master's kinsmen. 

 SAMPSON  Yes, better, sir. 

 ABRAHAM  You lie. 

 SAMPSON  Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow. 



 They fight 

 Enter BENVOLIO  BENVOLIO  Part, fools! 

 Put up your swords; you know not what you do. 



 Beats down their swords 

 Enter TYBALT  TYBALT  What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? 

 Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. 

 BENVOLIO  I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword, 

 Or manage it to part these men with me. 

 TYBALT  What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, 

 As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: 

 Have at thee, coward! 



 They fight 

 Enter, several of both houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs  First Citizen  Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike! beat them down! 

 Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues! 



 Enter CAPULET in his gown, and LADY CAPULET  CAPULET  What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho! 

 LADY CAPULET  A crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword? 

 CAPULET  My sword, I say! Old Montague is come, 

 And flourishes his blade in spite of me. 



 Enter MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE  MONTAGUE  Thou villain Capulet,--Hold me not, let me go. 

 LADY MONTAGUE  Thou shalt not stir a foot to seek a foe. 



 Enter PRINCE, with Attendants  PRINCE  Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, 

 Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel,-- 

 Will they not hear? What, ho! 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 mistemper'd weapons to the ground, 

 And hear the sentence of your moved prince. 

 Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word, 

 By thee, old Capulet, and Montague, 

 Have thrice disturb'd 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, 

 Canker'd with peace, to part your canker'd hate: 

 If ever you disturb our streets again, 

 Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. 

 For this time, all the rest depart away: 

 You Capulet; shall go along with me: 

 And, Montague, come you this afternoon, 

 To know our further pleasure in this case, 

 To old Free-town, our common judgment-place. 

 Once more, on pain of death, all men depart. 



 Exeunt all but MONTAGUE, LADY MONTAGUE, and BENVOLIO  MONTAGUE  Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach? 

 Speak, nephew, were you by when it began? 

 BENVOLIO  Here were the servants of your adversary, 

 And yours, close fighting ere I did approach: 

 I drew to part them: 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 hiss'd him in scorn: 

 While we were interchanging thrusts and blows, 

 Came more and more and fought on part and part, 

 Till the prince came, who parted either part. 

 LADY MONTAGUE  O, where is Romeo? saw you him to-day? 

 Right glad I am he was not at this fray. 

 BENVOLIO  Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun 

 Peer'd forth the golden window of the east, 

 A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad; 

 Where, underneath the grove of sycamore 

 That westward rooteth from the city's side, 

 So early walking did I see your son: 

 Towards him I made, but he was ware of me 

 And stole into the covert of the wood: 

 I, measuring his affections by my own, 

 That most are busied when they're most alone, 

 Pursued my humour not pursuing his, 

 And gladly shunn'd who gladly fled from me. 

 MONTAGUE  Many a morning hath he there been seen, 

 With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew. 

 Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs; 

 But all so soon as the all-cheering sun 

 Should in the furthest east begin to draw 

 The shady curtains from Aurora's bed, 

 Away from the light steals home my heavy son, 

 And private in his chamber pens himself, 

 Shuts up his windows, locks far daylight out 

 And makes himself an artificial night: 

 Black and portentous must this humour prove, 

 Unless good counsel may the cause remove. 

 BENVOLIO  My noble uncle, do you know the cause? 

 MONTAGUE  I neither know it nor can learn of him. 

 BENVOLIO  Have you importuned him by any means? 

 MONTAGUE  Both by myself and many other friends: 

 But he, his own affections' counsellor, 

 Is to himself--I will not say how true-- 

 But to himself so secret and so close, 

 So far from sounding and discovery, 

 As is the bud bit with an envious worm, 

 Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, 

 Or dedicate his beauty to the sun. 

 Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow. 

 We would as willingly give cure as know. 



 Enter ROMEO  BENVOLIO  See, where he comes: so please you, step aside; 

 I'll know his grievance, or be much denied. 

 MONTAGUE  I would thou wert so happy by thy stay, 

 To hear true shrift. Come, madam, let's away. 



 Exeunt MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE  BENVOLIO  Good-morrow, cousin. 

 ROMEO  Is the day so young? 

 BENVOLIO  But new struck nine. 

 ROMEO  Ay me! sad hours seem long. 

 Was that my father that went hence so fast? 

 BENVOLIO  It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours? 

 ROMEO  Not having that, which, having, makes them short. 

 BENVOLIO  In love? 

 ROMEO  Out-- 

 BENVOLIO  Of love? 

 ROMEO  Out of her favour, where I am in love. 

 BENVOLIO  Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, 

 Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof! 

 ROMEO  Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still, 

 Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will! 

 Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here? 

 Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. 

 Here's much to do with hate, but more with love. 

 Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! 

 O any thing, of nothing first create! 

 O heavy lightness! serious vanity! 

 Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms! 

 Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, 

 sick health! 

 Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! 

 This love feel I, that feel no love in this. 

 Dost thou not laugh? 

 BENVOLIO  No, coz, I rather weep. 

 ROMEO  Good heart, at what? 

 BENVOLIO  At thy good heart's oppression. 

 ROMEO  Why, such is love's transgression. 

 Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, 

 Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest 

 With more of thine: this love that thou hast shown 

 Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. 

 Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; 

 Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; 

 Being vex'd a sea nourish'd with lovers' tears: 

 What is it else? a madness most discreet, 

 A choking gall and a preserving sweet. 

 Farewell, my coz. 

 BENVOLIO  Soft! I will go along; 

 An if you leave me so, you do me wrong. 

 ROMEO  Tut, I have lost 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  Shakespeare homepage  |  Romeo and Juliet  | Act 1, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene 