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Shakespeare on Stage
American Shakespeare Center, Twelfth Night. To Jun. 16, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, Love's Labour's Lost. To Jun. 15, 2013.
Folger Shakespeare Library, Twelfth Night. To Jun. 9, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, Return to the Forbidden Planet. To Dec. 1, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, The Duchess of Malfi. To Jun. 15, 2013.
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Romeo and Juliet (Quarto 2, 1599)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Roger Apfelbaum
Peer Reviewed
1005
Enter Frier alone with a basket.
Fri. The grey-eyed morne smiles on the frowning
Checking the Easterne clowdes with streaks of light:
And fleckeld darknesse like a drunkard reeles,
From forth daies path, and Titans burning wheeles:
1010Now ere the sun aduance his burning eie,
The day to cheere, and nights dancke dewe to drie,
I must vpfill this osier cage of ours,
With balefull weedes, and precious iuyced flowers,
The earth that's natures mother is her tombe,
1015What is her burying graue, that is her wombe:
And from her wombe children of diuers kinde,
We sucking on her naturall bosome finde:
Many for many, vertues excellent:
None but for some, and yet all different.
1020O mickle is the powerfull grace that lies
In Plants, hearbes, stones, and their true quallities:
For nought so vile, that on the earth doth liue,
But to the earth some speciall good doth giue:
Nor ought so good but straind from that faire vse,
1025Reuolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse.
Vertue it selfe turnes vice being misapplied,
And vice sometime by action dignified.
Enter Romeo.
Within the infant rinde of this weake flower
1030Poyson hath residence, and medicine power:
For this being smelt with that part, cheares each part,
Being tasted, staies all sences with the hart.
Two such opposed Kings encamp them still,
In man as well as hearbes, grace and rude will:
1035And where the worser is predominant,
Full soone the Canker death eates vp that Plant.
Ro. Goodmorrow father.
Fri. Benedicitie.
What early tongue so sweete saluteth me?
1040Young sonne, it argues a distempered hed,
So soone to bid goodmorrow to thy bed:
Care keepes his watch in euery old mans eye,
And where care lodges, sleepe will neuer lye:
But where vnbrused youth with vnstuft braine
1045Doth couch his lims, there golden sleepe doth raigne.
Therefore thy earlinesse doth me assure,
Thou art vprousd with some distemprature:
Or if not so, then here I hit it right,
Our Romeo hath not bene in bed to night.
1050Ro. That last is true, the sweeter rest was mine.
Fri. God pardon sin, wast thou with Rosaline?
Ro. With Rosaline, my ghostly father no,
I haue forgot that name, and that names wo.
Fri. Thats my good son, but wher hast thou bin thē?
1055Ro. Ile tell thee ere thou aske it me agen:
I haue bene feasting with mine enemie,
Where on a sudden one hath wounded me:
Thats by me wounded both, our remedies
Within thy helpe and holy phisicke lies:
1060I beare no hatred blessed man: for loe
My intercession likewise steads my foe.
Fri. Be plaine good sonne and homely in thy drift,
Ridling confession, findes but ridling shrift.
Ro. Then plainly know my harts deare loue is set
1065On the faire daughter of rich Capulet:
As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine,
And all combind, saue what thou must combine
By holy marriage, when and where, and how,
We met, we wooed, and made exchange of vow:
1070Ile tell thee as we passe, but this I pray,
That thou consent to marrie vs to day.
Fri. Holy S. Frauncis what a change is here?
Is Rosaline that thou didst loue so deare,
So soone forsaken? young mens loue then lies
1075Not truly in their hearts, but in their eies.
Iesu Maria, what a deale of brine
Hath washt thy sallow cheekes for Rosaline?
How much salt water throwne away in waste,
To season loue, that of it doth not taste.
1080The Sun not yet thy sighes, from heauen cleares
Thy old grones yet ringing in mine auncient eares:
Lo here vpon thy cheeke the staine doth sit,
Of an old teare that is not washt off yet.
If ere thou wast thy selfe, and these woes thine,
1085Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline.
And art thou chang'd, pronounce this sentence then,
Women may fall, when theres no strength in men.
Ro. Thou chidst me oft for louing Rosaline.
Fri. For doting, not for louing pupill mine.
1090Ro. And badst me burie loue.
Fri. Not in a graue,
To lay one in an other out to haue.
Ro. I pray thee chide me not, her I loue now.
Doth grace for grace, and loue for loue allow:
1095The other did not so.
Fri. O she knew well,
Thy loue did reade by rote, that could not spell:
But come young wauerer, come go with me,
In one respect ile thy assistant be:
1100For this alliance may so happie proue,
To turne your housholds rancor to pure loue.
Ro. O let vs hence, I stand on sudden hast.
Fri. Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast.
Exeunt.