Act 3 — Scene III. Friar Laurence's cell.[901]

Fri. L. Romeo, come forth; come forth, thou fearful man:[903] Affliction is enamour'd of thy parts,[904] And thou art wedded to calamity.

Rom. Father, what news? what is the prince's doom?[906] What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand,[907] 5 That I yet know not? Fri. L. Too familiar Is my dear son with such sour company:[908] I bring thee tidings of the prince's doom. Rom. What less than dooms-day is the prince's doom?[909] Fri. L. A gentler judgement vanish'd from his lips,[910] 10 Not body's death, but body's banishment. Rom. Ha, banishment! be merciful, say 'death;' For exile hath more terror in his look, Much more than death: do not say 'banishment.'[911] Fri. L. Here from Verona art thou banished:[912] 15 Be patient, for the world is broad and wide. Rom. There is no world without Verona walls,[913] But purgatory, torture, hell itself.[914] Hence banished is banish'd from the world,[915] And world's exile is death: then 'banished'[916][917][918] 20 Is death mis-term'd: calling death 'banished,'[917][919] Thou cut'st my head off with a golden axe And smilest upon the stroke that murders me.[920] Fri. L. O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness! Thy fault our law calls death; but the kind prince, 25 Taking thy part, hath rush'd aside the law,[921] And turn'd that black word death to banishment: This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not.[922] Rom. 'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here, Where Juliet lives; and every cat and dog 30 And little mouse, every unworthy thing, Live here in heaven and may look on her,[923] But Romeo may not: more validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion-flies than Romeo: they may seize 35 On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand, And steal immortal blessing from her lips;[924] Who, even in pure and vestal modesty,[925][926] Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin;[926][927] But Romeo may not; he is banished:[926][928] 40 This may flies do, but I from this must fly:[926][928] They are free men, but I am banished:[926][928] And say'st thou yet, that exile is not death?[926][928] Hadst thou no poison mix'd, no sharp-ground knife,[926][929] No sudden mean of death, though ne'er so mean,[926] 45 But 'banished' to kill me?—'Banished'?[926] O friar, the damned use that word in hell; Howling attends it: how hast thou the heart,[930] Being a divine, a ghostly confessor, A sin-absolver, and my friend profess'd,[931] 50 To mangle me with that word 'banished'?[932] Fri. L. Thou fond mad man, hear me but speak a word.[933] Rom. O, thou wilt speak again of banishment. Fri. L. I'll give thee armour to keep off that word;[934] Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy, 55 To comfort thee, though thou art banished. Rom. Yet 'banished'? Hang up philosophy! Unless philosophy can make a Juliet, Displant a town, reverse a prince's doom, It helps not, it prevails not: talk no more.[935] 60 Fr. L. O, then I see that madmen have no ears.[936] Rom. How should they, when that wise men have no eyes?[937] Fr. L. Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.[938] Rom. Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel:[939] Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love,[940] 65 An hour but married, Tybalt murdered,[941] Doting like me, and like me banished, Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair,[942] And fall upon the ground, as I do now, Taking the measure of an unmade grave.[943] [Knocking within.70 Fri. L. Arise; one knocks; good Romeo, hide thyself.[944] Rom. Not I; unless the breath of heart-sick groans[945][946] Mist-like infold me from the search of eyes.[945][947] [Knocking. Fri. L. Hark, how they knock! Who's there? Romeo, arise;[945][948] Thou wilt be taken.—Stay awhile!—Stand up;[949] [Knocking.75 Run to my study.—By and by! God's will, What simpleness is this!—I come, I come![950] [Knocking. Who knocks so hard? whence come you? what's your will?[951] Nurse. [Within] Let me come in, and you shall know my errand;[952] I come from Lady Juliet. Fri. L. Welcome, then.[953] 80

Nurse. O holy friar, O, tell me, holy friar, Where is my lady's lord, where's Romeo?[954] Fri. L. There on the ground, with his own tears made drunk.[955] Nurse. O, he is even in my mistress' case,[956] Just in her case! Fr. L. O woeful sympathy![957] 85 Piteous predicament![957] Nurse. Even so lies she,[958] Blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubbering. Stand up, stand up; stand, an you be a man:[959][960] For Juliet's sake, for her sake, rise and stand;[959] Why should you fall into so deep an O?[961] 90 Rom. Nurse![961] Nurse. Ah sir! ah sir! Well, death's the end of all.[962] Rom. Spakest thou of Juliet? how is it with her?[963] Doth she not think me an old murderer,[964] Now I have stain'd the childhood of our joy[965] 95 With blood removed but little from her own? Where is she? and how doth she? and what says[966] My conceal'd lady to our cancell'd love?[967] Nurse. O, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps; And now falls on her bed; and then starts up, 100 And Tybalt calls; and then on Romeo cries,[968] And then down falls again. Rom. As if that name,[969] Shot from the deadly level of a gun,[969][970] Did murder her; as that name's cursed hand Murder'd her kinsman. O, tell me, friar, tell me,[971] 105 In what vile part of this anatomy[972] Doth my name lodge? tell me, that I may sack The hateful mansion.[973] [Drawing his sword. Fri. L. Hold thy desperate hand: Art thou a man? thy form cries out thou art: Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denote[974] 110 The unreasonable fury of a beast: Unseemly woman in a seeming man![975] Or ill-beseeming beast in seeming both![975][976] Thou hast amazed me: by my holy order, I thought thy disposition better temper'd. 115 Hast thou slain Tybalt? wilt thou slay thyself? And slay thy lady that in thy life lives,[977] By doing damned hate upon thyself?[978] Why rail'st thou on thy birth, the heaven and earth?[978][979] Since birth and heaven and earth, all three do meet[978][980] 120 In thee at once, which thou at once wouldst lose.[978][120][981] Fie, fie, thou shamest thy shape, thy love, thy wit;[978] Which, like a usurer, abound'st in all,[978][982] And usest none in that true use indeed[978] Which should bedeck thy shape, thy love, thy wit:[978] 125 Thy noble shape is but a form of wax,[978] Digressing from the valour of a man;[978][983] Thy dear love sworn, but hollow perjury,[978] Killing that love which thou hast vow'd to cherish;[978] Thy wit, that ornament to shape and love,[978] 130 Mis-shapen in the conduct of them both,[978] Like powder in a skilless soldier's flask,[978][984] Is set a-fire by thine own ignorance,[978][985] And thou dismember'd with thine own defence.[978] What, rouse thee, man! thy Juliet is alive, 135 For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead; There art thou happy: Tybalt would kill thee, But thou slew'st Tybalt; there art thou happy too:[986] The law, that threaten'd death, becomes thy friend,[987] And turns it to exile; there art thou happy:[988] 140 A pack of blessings lights upon thy back;[989] Happiness courts thee in her best array; But, like a misbehaved and sullen wench,[990] Thou pout'st upon thy fortune and thy love:[991] Take heed, take heed, for such die miserable. 145 Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed, Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her: But look thou stay not till the watch be set, For then thou canst not pass to Mantua; Where thou shalt live till we can find a time 150 To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends, Beg pardon of the prince and call thee back[992] With twenty hundred thousand times more joy Than thou went'st forth in lamentation. Go before, nurse: commend me to thy lady, 155 And bid her hasten all the house to bed, Which heavy sorrow makes them apt unto: Romeo is coming. Nurse. O Lord, I could have stay'd here all the night[993] To hear good counsel: O, what learning is![994] 160 My lord, I'll tell my lady you will come. Rom. Do so, and bid my sweet prepare to chide. Nurse. Here, sir, a ring she bid me give you, sir:[995] Hie you, make haste, for it grows very late.[996] [Exit. Rom. How well my comfort is revived by this! 165 Fri. Go hence; good night; and here stands all your state:[997][998] Either be gone before the watch be set,[997] Or by the break of day disguised from hence:[997][999] Sojourn in Mantua; I'll find out your man, And he shall signify from time to time 170 Every good hap to you that chances here: Give me thy hand; 'tis late: farewell; good night. Rom. But that a joy past joy calls out on me, It were a grief, so brief to part with thee: Farewell.[1000] [Exeunt. 175