Romeo and Juliet

It lives only until it is displaced by a healthier, more vigorous love, capable of outgrowing the precarious period of infancy.[8] This is not the only instance of the kind in Shakespeare. Orsino's experience in Twelfth Night is similar to Romeo's. At the beginning of the play he is suffering from unrequited love for Olivia, but later finds his Juliet in Viola.

Romeo is a very young man—if indeed we may call him a man when we first meet him. We may suppose him to be twenty, but hardly older. He has seen very little of society, as we infer from Benvolio's advising him to go to the masquerade at Capulet's, in order to compare "the admired beauties of Verona" with Rosaline. He had thought her "fair, none else being by." He is hardly less "a stranger in the world" than Juliet himself. Love develops him as it does her, but more slowly.

Contrast the strength of Juliet's new-born heroism in her budding womanhood, when she drinks the potion that is to consign her to the horrors of the charnel-house, with the weakness of Romeo who is ready to kill himself when he learns that he is to be banished from Verona,—an insignificant fate compared with that which threatens her—banishment from home, a beggar in the streets,—the only alternative a criminal marriage that would forever separate her from her lawful husband, or death to escape that guilt and wretchedness. No wonder that the Friar cannot control his contempt and indignation when Romeo draws his sword:—

He has the form of a man, but talks and acts like a weak girl, while the girl of fourteen whom he loves—a child three days before, we might say—now shows a self-control and fortitude worthy of a man.

Romeo does not attain to true manhood until he receives the tidings of Juliet's supposed death. "Now, for the first time," as Dowden says, "he is completely delivered from the life of dream, completely adult, and able to act with an initiative in his own will, and with manly determination. Accordingly, he now speaks with masculine directness and energy: 'Is it even so? Then I defy you, stars!' Yes; he is now master of events; the stars cannot alter his course. 'Nothing,' as Maginn has observed, 'can be more quiet than his final determination, "Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee to night." ... It is plain Juliet. His mind is made up; the whole course of the short remainder of his life so unalterably fixed that it is perfectly useless to think more about it.' These words, because they are the simplest, are amongst the most memorable that Romeo utters. Now passion, imagination, and will are fused together, and Romeo who was weak has at length become strong."

Mercutio.—Dryden quotes a traditional saying concerning Mercutio, that if Shakespeare had not killed him, he would have killed Shakespeare. But Shakespeare was never driven to disposing of a personage in that way, because he was unequal to the effort of maintaining the full vigour or brilliancy of the characterization. He did not have to kill off Falstaff, for instance, until he had carried him through three complete plays, and then only because his "occupation," dramatically speaking, "was gone." There was the same reason for killing Mercutio. The dramatist had no further use for him after the quarrel with Tybalt which leads to his death. In both the novel and the poem, Romeo kills Tybalt in a street brawl between the partisans of the rival houses. The dramatic effect of the scene in the play where Romeo avoids being drawn into a conflict with Tybalt until driven to incontrollable grief and wrath by the death of his friend is far more impressive. The self-control and self-restraint of Romeo, in spite of the insults of Tybalt and the disgust of Mercutio at what seems to him "calm, dishonourable, vile submission," show how reluctant the lover of Juliet is to fight with her kinsman. He does his best to restrain his friend from the duel: "Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up—" but to no purpose; nor is his appeal to Benvolio to "beat down their weapons" more successful. He then attempts to do this himself, but the only result is to bring about the death of Mercutio, who exclaims: "Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm." Poor Romeo can only plead, "I thought all for the best."

But at this point in the play, when the tragic complication really begins, the dramatist must dismiss Mercutio from the stage, as he does with Falstaff after Prince Hal has become King. Mercutio must not come in contact with Juliet, nor will Romeo himself care to meet him. He is the most foul-mouthed of Shakespeare's characters, the clowns and profligates not excepted. The only instance in Shakespeare's works in which the original editions omit a word from the text is in a speech of Mercutio's; and Pope, who could on occasion be as coarse as any author of that licentious age, felt obliged to drop two of Mercutio's lines from his edition of the dramatist. Fortunately, the majority of the knight's gross allusions are so obscure that they would not be understood nowadays, even by readers quite familiar with the language of the time.

And yet Mercutio is a fellow of excellent fancy—poetical fancy—as the familiar description of Queen Mab amply proves. Critics have picked it to pieces and found fault with some of the details; but there was never a finer mingling of exquisite poetry with keen and sparkling wit. Its imperfections and inconsistencies, if such they be, are in keeping with the character and the situation. It was meant to be a brilliant improvisation, not a carefully elaborated composition. Shakespeare may, indeed, have written the speech as rapidly and carelessly as he makes Mercutio speak it.

The Time-analysis of the Play

Day 1. (Sunday) Act I. and Act II. sc. i. and ii.

  "    2. (Monday) Act II. sc. iii.-vi., Act III. sc. i.-iv.

Day 3. (Tuesday) Act III. sc. v., Act IV. sc. i.-iv.

  "    4. (Wednesday) Act IV. sc. v.

  "    5. (Thursday) Act V.

  "    6. (Friday) End of Act V. sc. iii."

After the above was printed, Dr. Furnivall called Mr. Daniel's attention to my note on page 249 fol. in which I show that the drama may close on Thursday morning instead of Friday. Mr. Daniel was at first disinclined to accept this view, but on second thought was compelled to admit that I was right.

List of Characters in the Play

Peter: iii. 4(7); iv. 5(30). Whole no. 37

Abram: i. 1(5). Whole no. 5.

Apothecary: v. 1(7). Whole no. 7.

1st Musician: iv. 5(16). Whole no. 16.

2d Musician: iv. 5(6). Whole no. 6.

3d Musician: iv. 5(1). Whole no. 1.

1st Servant: i. 2(21), 3(5), 5(11); iv. 4(1). Whole no. 38.

2d Servant: i. 5(7); iv. 2(5), 4(2). Whole no. 14.

1st Watchman: v. 3(19). Whole no. 19.

2d Watchman: v. 3(1). Whole no. 1.

3d Watchman: v. 3(3). Whole no. 3.

1st Citizen: i. 1(2); iii. 1(4). Whole no. 6.

Page: v. 3(9). Whole no. 9.

Lady Montague: i. 1(3). Whole no. 3.

Lady Capulet: i. 1(1), 3(36), 5(1); iii. 1(11), 4(2), 5(37); iv. 2(3), 3(3), 4(3), 5(13); v. 3(5). Whole no. 115.

Juliet: i. 3(8), 5(19); ii. 2(114), 5(43), 6(7); iii. 2(116), 5(105); iv. 1(48), 2(12), 3(56); v. 3(13). Whole no. 541.

Nurse: i. 3(61), 5(15); ii. 2(114), 6(43), 7(7); iii. 2(116), 5(105); iv. 1(48), 2(12), 3(56); v. 3(13). Whole no. 290.

"Prologue": (14). Whole no. 14.

"Chorus": end of act i. (14). Whole no. 14.

In the above enumeration, parts of lines are counted as whole lines, making the total in the play greater than it is. The actual number in each scene is as follows: Prologue (14); i. 1(244), 2(106), 3(106), 4(114), 5(147); Chorus (14); ii. 1(42), 2(190), 3(94), 4(233), 5(80), 6(37); iii. 1(202), 2(143), 3(175), 4(36), 5(241); iv. 1(126), 2(47), 3(58), 4(28), 5(150); v. 1(86), 2(30), 3(310). Whole number in the play, 3053. The line-numbering is that of the Globe ed.

INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED

• a (= one), 215
• a hall, a hall! 190
• a la stoccata, 221
• Abraham Cupid, 197
• abused (= marred), 247
• ache, 216
• adventure (verb), 200, 266
• advise (= consider), 244
• afeard, 202
• affections, 169
• affray (verb), 238
• afore, 214
• afore me, 236
• against (of time), 236
• agate, 186
• airy tongue, 203
• all (intensive), 170
• alligator, 263
• amazed, 224
• ambling, 183
• ambuscadoes, 187
• amerce, 225
• anatomy, 234
• ancient, 168, 206
• and there an end, 236
• antic, 191
• apace, 215
• ape, 198
• apt to, 219, 235
• as (= as if), 216
• as (= namely), 254
• as (omitted), 170
• as (redundant), 272
• associate me, 265
• aspire (transitive), 223
• atomies, 186
• attach (= arrest), 271
• attending (= attentive), 203
• ay, 229
• ay me! 197, 262
• baked meats, 256
• Balthasar (accent), 262
• bandying, 216, 222
• bankrupt (spelling), 229
• banquet (= dessert), 195
• bate (in falconry), 227
• bear a brain, to, 179
• beetle-brows, 183
• behoveful, 253
• bent (= inclination), 202
• be-rhyme, 209
• bescreened, 199
• beshrew, 216, 244, 265
• betossed, 267
• better tempered, 234
• bills (weapons), 167
• bite by the ear, to, 211
• bite the thumb, to, 167
• blaze, 235
• blazon, 218
• bons, 209
• bosom's lord, my, 262
• both our remedies, 206
• bound (play upon) 174, 183
• bow of lath, 182
• boy (contemptuous), 221
• brace, 273
• bride (masculine), 243
• broad (goose), 212
• broken music, 220
• burn daylight, to, 185
• button, 208
• butt-shaft, 207
• by and by (= presently), 224, 236, 273
• candles (night's), 237
• canker (= worm), 205
• cankered, 168
• Capel's, 262, 270
• captain of compliments, 207
• carries it away, 221
• carry coals, to, 166
• carry no crotchets, 261
• case (play upon), 183, 259
• cat, nine lives of, 221
• catched, 258
• catling, 261
• charge, 265
• cheerly, 190
• cheveril, 212
• chinks, 194
• choler (play upon), 166
• chop-logic, 243
• Chorus, 165
• circle (magician's), 198
• circumstance, 216, 271
• civil (= grave), 227
• closed (= enclosed), 188
• closet (= chamber), 253
• clout, 207
• clubs, 167
• cock-a-hoop, 192
• coil (= ado), 216
• colliers, 166
• come near, 190
• comfortable (active), 271
• commission, 248
• compare (noun), 216, 246
• compliment, 200
• concealed, 234
• conceit, 218
• conclude (transitive), 225
• conduct (= conductor), 223, 270
• conduit, 242
• confessor (accent), 218, 233
• confidence (= conference), 212
• confound (= destroy), 217
• confusions, 258
• conjurations, 267
• conjure (accent), 197
• consort (noun), 219
• consort (transitive), 223
• consort with, 219
• content thee, 192
• contract (accent), 201
• contrary (accent), 229
• contrary (verb), 193
• convert (intransitive), 193
• cot-quean, 257
• county(= count), 181, 241
• court-cupboard, 189
• courtship, 233
• cousin (= kinsman), 223
• cousin (= uncle), 190
• cover (play upon), 180
• cross (= perverse), 253
• cross (= thwart), 267
• crow-keeper, 182
• crush a cup, 176
• crystal scales, 176
• cure (intransitive), 174
• curfew-bell, 256
• Cynthia, 238
• damnation (concrete), 245
• dare (play upon), 207
• dark heaven, 173
• date (= duration), 188
• dateless, 269
• dear, 232, 265, 267
• dear hap, 204
• dear mercy, 232
• death (concrete), 268
• death-darting eye, 229
• defy (= refuse), 267
• deny (= refuse), 190
• depart (= part), 220
• depend (impend), 223
• desperate, 236
• determine of, 229
• detestable (accent), 258
• devotion (quadrisyllable), 248
• Dian's wit, 171
• digressing, 235
• discover (= reveal), 201, 224
• dislike (= displease), 200
• displant, 233
• dispute (= reason), 233
• dissemblers (metre), 230
• distemperature, 206
• distraught, 255
• division (in music), 238
• do danger, 265
• do disparagement, 192
• do hate, 234
• doctrine (= instruction), 172
• doom thee death, 223
• doth (plural), 165
• doubt (= distrust), 267
• drawn, 167
• drift (= scheme), 252
• dry-beat, 222, 261
• dump, 260
• Dun in the mire, 184
• dun's the mouse, 184
• earth, 173, 196
• elf-locks, 187
• empty (= hungry), 267
• encamp them, 205
• encounter, 218
• endart, 181
• enforce (= force), 267
• engrossing, 269
• enpierced, 183
• entrance (trisyllable), 182
• envious (= malicious), 224, 228
• Ethiope, 191
• evening mass, 247
• exile (accent), 225, 232
• expire (transitive), 188
• extremes, 248
• extremities, 196
• faintly, 182
• fairies' midwife, 186
• familiar (metre), 232
• fantasticoes, 208
• fashion-mongers, 209
• fay (= faith), 195
• fearful (= afraid), 232
• feeling (= heartfelt), 240
• festering, 254
• fettle, 243
• fine (= penance), 193
• fire drives out fire, 174
• five wits, 185, 211
• flattering (= illusive), 261
• flecked, 204
• fleer, 191
• flirt-gills, 213
• flowered (pump), 211
• fond (= foolish), 233, 259
• fool, 179
• foolish, 195
• fool's paradise, 214
• for (repeated), 196
• form (play upon), 209
• forth, 169
• fortune's fool, 224
• frank (= bountiful), 201
• Freetown, 169
• fret, 237
• friend (= lover), 239
• from forth, 204
• gapes, 196
• garish, 228
• gear (= matter), 212, 264
• ghostly, 204
• give leave awhile, 178
• give me, 252
• give me leave, 216
• gleek, 260
• glooming, 273
• God save the mark! 229
• God shall mend my soul! 192
• God shield, 248
• God ye good morrow! 212
• good-den (or god-den), 170, 175, 219, 243
• good goose, bite not, 211
• good hap, 235
• good morrow, 170, 205
• good thou, 189
• gore-blood, 229
• gossamer, 217
• grandsire, 209
• grave (play upon), 223
• grave beseeming, 168
• green (eyes), 245
• green (= fresh), 254
• grey-eyed, 204, 209
• haggard (noun), 203
• hap, 204
• harlotry, 253
• have at thee, 167, 261
• haviour, 200
• hay (in fencing), 208
• he (= him), 240
• he (= man), 264
• healthsome, 254
• heartless (= cowardly), 167
• Heart's-ease, 260
• heavy (play upon), 170
• held him carelessly, 236
• highmost, 216
• high-top-gallant, 214
• hilding, 209, 243
• his (= its), 259, 270
• hoar (= mouldy), 213
• hold the candle, to, 184
• holp, 174
• homely in thy drift, 206
• honey (adjective), 216
• hood, 227
• hour (dissyllable), 216, 225
• house (= sheath), 270
• humorous, 198
• humours, 197
• hunts-up, 238
• I (repeated), 220
• idle worms, 186
• ill-beseeming, 234
• importuned (accent), 170
• in (= into), 262, 267
• in extremity, 181
• in happy time, 241
• in his view, 170
• in post, 273
• in spite, 168, 192
• inconstant, 252
• indite (= invite), 213
• infection (quadrisyllable), 265
• inherit (= possess), 173
• it fits, 192
• Jack, 213, 219, 261
• jealous (= suspicious), 267
• jealous-hood, 257
• joint-stools, 188
• keep ado, 236
• kindly, 211, 271
• king of cats, 221
• knife (worn by ladies), 248, 254
• label, 248
• labour (of time), 258
• lace, 210, 237
• Lady, lady, lady, 213
• lady-bird, 177
• lamentation (metre), 235
• Lammas-tide, 178
• languish (noun), 174
• lantern, 267
• lay (= wager), 178
• lay along, 266
• learn (= teach), 227, 253
• leaves, 218
• let (noun), 200
• level (= aim), 234
• lieve, 215
• light (play upon), 183
• lightning before death, 268
• like (= likely), 254
• like of, 181
• living (noun), 258
• loggerhead, 257
• long sword, 168
• love (= Venus), 215
• loving-jealous, 204
• Mab, 185
• made (= did), 273
• maidenhead, 177
• make and mar, 172
• makes dainty, 190
• mammet, 244
• man of wax, 179
• manage (noun), 224
• mandrake, 254
• manners (number), 272
• many's, 181
• marchpane, 189
• margent, 180
• mark (= appoint), 179
• mark-man, 171
• marriage (trisyllable), 196, 247, 272
• married (figurative), 180
• married and marred, 172
• masks (ladies'), 172
• me (ethical dative), 208, 219
• mean (noun), 233
• measure (= dance), 182
• merchant (contemptuous), 213
• mewed up, 236
• mickle, 205
• minion, 243
• misadventure, 262
• mistempered, 168
• mistress (trisyllable), 214
• modern (= trite), 231
• moody (= angry), 219
• mouse-hunt, 257
• moved, 168
• much upon these years, 179
• muffle, 267
• natural (= fool), 212
• naught, 230
• needly, 231
• needy, 241
• neighbour-stained, 168
• new (adverbial), 170
• news (number), 216, 242
• nice (= petty, trifling), 224, 265
• nightgown, 168
• nor ... not, 238, 241
• nothing (adverb), 169
• nuptial, 191
• O (= grief), 233
• o'er-perch, 200
• of (= on), 167, 216
• of the very first house, 208
• old (= practised), 234
• one is no number, 173
• operation (= effect), 219
• opposition (metre), 253
• orchard (= garden), 197
• osier cage, 204
• outrage (= outcry), 272
• outrage (trisyllable), 222
• overwhelming, 263
• owe (= possess), 199
• pale as a clout, 215
• paly, 249
• pardonnez-mois, 209
• partisan, 167
• parts (= gifts), 232, 244
• passado, 208, 222
• passing (adverbial), 172
• pastry, 256
• patience (trisyllable), 262, 272
• patience perforce, 193
• pay that doctrine, 172
• peace (metre), 243
• perforce (= by force), 272
• peruse (= scan), 267
• pestilent, 261
• Phaethon, 225
• pilcher, 222
• pin (in archery), 207
• pinked, 211
• plantain, 174
• pluck, 204
• portly, 192
• poor my lord, 230
• pothecary, 273
• pout'st upon, 235
• powerful grace, 205
• predominant, 205
• presence, 268
• present(= immediate), 264
• presently, 262
• pretty, 261
• prevails (= avails), 233
• prick of noon, 212
• prick-song, 208
• prince of cats, 207
• princox, 193
• procure, 239
• prodigious, 196
• proof (= experience), 171
• proof (of armour), 171
• properer, 215
• prorogued, 200, 248
• proverbed, 184
• pump (= shoe), 211
• punto reverso, 208
• purchase out, 225
• question (= conversation), 172
• quit (= requite), 214
• quote (= note), 183
• quoth, 179
• R, the dog's letter, 215
• rearward, 231
• reason coldly, 220
• rebeck, 261
• receipt, 241
• receptacle (accent), 254
• reckoning, 172
• reeky, 249
• remember (reflexive), 178
• respective, 223
• rest you merry! 175
• retort (= throw back), 224
• riddling, 206
• roe (play upon), 209
• rood (= cross), 179
• ropery, 213
• rosemary, 259
• round (= whisper), 195
• runaways' eyes, 225
• rushed aside the law, 232
• rushes, 183
• sadly (= seriously), 171
• sadness, 171
• savage wild, 267
• scales (singular), 176
• scant, 176
• scape, 219
• scathe, 192
• scorn at, 192
• season, 206
• set abroach, 169
• set up my rest, 269
• sick and green, 199
• siege (figurative), 171, 272
• silver-sweet, 203
• simpleness, 216, 233
• simples (= herbs), 216, 263
• single-soled, 211
• sir-reverence, 185
• skains-mates, 213
• slip (= counterfeit), 210
• slops, 210
• slow (verb), 247
• smooth (verb), 231
• so (omitted), 241
• so brief to part, 235
• so ho! 213
• solemnity, 192
• some minute, 273
• some other where, 171
• something (adverb), 266
• sometime, 187
• soon-speeding, 264
• sorrow drinks our blood, 239
• sort (= select), 253
• sorted out, 241
• soul (play upon), 183, 211
• sound (= utter), 231
• sour, 232, 267
• sped, 222
• speed, be my, 270
• spinners, 186
• spite, 198, 247
• spleen, 224
• spoke him fair, 224
• stand on sudden haste, 206
• star-crossed, 165
• starved, 171
• starveth, 264
• stay (= wait for), 261
• stay the circumstance, 216
• steads, 206
• still (= always), 269, 273
• strained, 205
• strange, 200, 227
• strucken, 172
• stumbling at graves, 270
• substantial (quadrisyllable), 202
• surcease, 249
• swashing blow, 167
• sweet my mother, 244
• sweet water, 266
• sweet-heart (accent), 257
• sweeting, 211
• sweetmeats, 187
• swounded, 229
• sycamore, 169
• tables (turned up), 190
• tackled stair, 214
• take me with you, 242
• take the wall, 166
• take truce, 224
• tassel-gentle, 203
• teen, 178
• temper (= mix), 241
• tender (noun), 244
• tender (= regard), 221
• tetchy, 179
• thank me no thankings, 243
• that (affix), 233
• therewithal, 273
• this three hours, 265
• thorough (= through), 207
• thought(= hoped), 258
• thou's, 178
• thumb, rings for, 186
• tidings (number), 241
• timeless, 271
• 't is an ill cook, etc., 252
• Titan, 204
• toes, 190
• to-night (= last night), 185, 207
• torch-bearer, 182, 237
• towards (= ready), 195
• toy (= caprice), 252
• trencher, 188
• tried (= proved), 254
• truckle-bed, 198
• tutor me from, 219
• two and forty hours, 249
• two hours (of a play), 166
• two may keep counsel, 214
• Tybalt, 207
• unattainted, 176
• uncomfortable, 259
• uneven (= indirect), 247
• unfirm, 266
• unkind (accent, etc.), 270
• unmanned, 227
• unsavoury, 270
• unstuffed, 205
• untimely (adverb), 223, 273
• up (transposed), 253
• use (tense), 196
• utters (= sells), 264
• validity, 233
• vanished, 232
• vanity, 218
• vaulty (heaven), 238
• Verona, 165
• versal, 215
• very (adjective), 222
• view (= appearance), 170
• volume (figurative), 180
• volume (figurative), 180
• wanton (masculine), 203
• ware (= aware), 169, 200
• was I with you? 211
• weeds (= garments), 263
• well (of the dead), 258, 262
• well said (= well done), 193
• what (= how, why), 191
• what (= who), 194
• wherefore (accent), 200
• who (= which), 169, 188, 233, 242
• wild-goose chase, 211
• will none, 242
• wit, 235, 240
• with (= by), 170, 267
• withal, 169
• wits, five, 185
• worm (in fingers), 186
• wormwood, 178
• worser, 205, 221
• worshipped sun, 169
• worth (= wealth), 218
• wot, 232
• wrought (= effected), 242
• yet not, 199
• zounds, 220