Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet is the world's most famous drama of tragic young love.

Defying the feud which divides their families, Romeo and Juliet enjoy the fleeting rapture of courtship, marriage and sexual fulfillment; but a combination of old animosities and new coincidences brings them to suicidal deaths.

This play offers a rich mixture of romantic lyricism, bawdy comedy, intimate harmony and sudden violence. Long successful in the theater, it has also generated numerous operas, ballets and films; and these have helped to make Romeo and Juliet perennially topical.

ROMEO AND JULIET by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

PERSONS REPRESENTED

Escalus, Prince of Verona.

Paris, a young Nobleman, Kinsman to the Prince.

Montague, Heads of two Houses at variance with each other.

Capulet, an Old Man, Uncle to Capulet.

Romeo, Son to Montague.

Mercutio, Kinsman to the Prince and Friend to Romeo.

Benvolio, Nephew to Montague and Friend to Romeo.

Tybalt, Nephew to Lady Capulet.

Friar Lawrence, a Franciscan.

Friar John, of the same Order.

Balthasar, Servant to Romeo.

Sampson, Servant to Capulet.

Gregory, Servant to Capulet.

Peter, Servant to Juliet's Nurse.

Abraham, Servant to Montague.

An Apothecary.

Three Musicians.

Chorus.

Page to Paris; another Page.

An Officer.

Lady Montague, Wife to Montague.

Lady Capulet, Wife to Capulet.

Juliet, Daughter to Capulet.

Nurse to Juliet.

Citizens of Verona; several Men and Women, relations to both houses; Maskers, Guards, Watchmen, and Attendants.

THE PROLOGUE

[Enter Chorus.]

Chor.

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which but their children's end naught could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which, if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

ACT I.

Scene I.

A public place.

[Enter Sampson and Gregory 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.