Shakespeare Portal

Act 1, Scene 3

Room in Capulet's House.

  1. [Enter Lady Capulet, and Nurse.]
  2. Lady Capulet
  3. 356 Nurse, where's my daughter? call her forth to me.
  4. Nurse
  5. 357 Now, by my maidenhea,—at twelve year old,—
  6. 358 I bade her come.—What, lamb! what ladybird!—
  7. 359 God forbid!—where's this girl?—what, Juliet!
  8. [Enter Juliet.]
  9. Juliet
  10. 360 How now, who calls?
  11. Nurse
  12. 361 Your mother.
  13. Juliet
  14. 362 Madam, I am here. What is your will?
  15. Lady Capulet
  16. 363 This is the matter,—Nurse, give leave awhile,
  17. 364 We must talk in secret: nurse, come back again;
  18. 365 I have remember'd me, thou's hear our counsel.
  19. 366 Thou knowest my daughter's of a pretty age.
  20. Nurse
  21. 367 Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.
  22. Lady Capulet
  23. 368 She's not fourteen.
  24. Nurse
  25. 369 I'll lay fourteen of my teeth,—
  26. 370 And yet, to my teen be it spoken, I have but four,—
  27. 371 She is not fourteen. How long is it now
  28. 372 To Lammas-tide?
  29. Lady Capulet
  30. 373 A fortnight and odd days.
  31. Nurse
  32. 374 Even or odd, of all days in the year,
  33. 375 Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen.
  34. 376 Susan and she,—God rest all Christian souls!—
  35. 377 Were of an age: well, Susan is with God;
  36. 378 She was too good for me:—but, as I said,
  37. 379 On Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen;
  38. 380 That shall she, marry; I remember it well.
  39. 381 'Tis since the earthquake now eleven years;
  40. 382 And she was wean'd,—I never shall forget it—,
  41. 383 Of all the days of the year, upon that day:
  42. 384 For I had then laid wormwood to my dug,
  43. 385 Sitting in the sun under the dove-house wall;
  44. 386 My lord and you were then at Mantua:
  45. 387 Nay, I do bear a brain:—but, as I said,
  46. 388 When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple
  47. 389 Of my dug and felt it bitter, pretty fool,
  48. 390 To see it tetchy, and fall out with the dug!
  49. 391 Shake, quoth the dove-house: 'twas no need, I trow,
  50. 392 To bid me trudge.
  51. 393 And since that time it is eleven years;
  52. 394 For then she could stand alone; nay, by the rood
  53. 395 She could have run and waddled all about;
  54. 396 For even the day before, she broke her brow:
  55. 397 And then my husband,—God be with his soul!
  56. 398 'A was a merry man,—took up the child:
  57. 399 'Yea,' quoth he, 'dost thou fall upon thy face?
  58. 400 Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit;
  59. 401 Wilt thou not, Jule?' and, by my holidame,
  60. 402 The pretty wretch left crying, and said 'Ay:'
  61. 403 To see now how a jest shall come about!
  62. 404 I warrant, an I should live a thousand yeas,
  63. 405 I never should forget it; 'Wilt thou not, Jule?' quoth he;
  64. 406 And, pretty fool, it stinted, and said 'Ay.'
  65. Lady Capulet
  66. 407 Enough of this; I pray thee hold thy peace.
  67. Nurse
  68. 408 Yes, madam;—yet I cannot choose but laugh,
  69. 409 To think it should leave crying, and say 'Ay:'
  70. 410 And yet, I warrant, it had upon its brow
  71. 411 A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone;
  72. 412 A parlous knock; and it cried bitterly.
  73. 413 'Yea,' quoth my husband, 'fall'st upon thy face?
  74. 414 Thou wilt fall backward when thou com'st to age;
  75. 415 Wilt thou not, Jule?' it stinted, and said 'Ay.'
  76. Juliet
  77. 416 And stint thou too, I pray thee, nurse, say I.
  78. Nurse
  79. 417 Peace, I have done. God mark thee to his grace!
  80. 418 Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nurs'd:
  81. 419 An I might live to see thee married once, I have my wish.
  82. Lady Capulet
  83. 420 Marry, that marry is the very theme
  84. 421 I came to talk of.—Tell me, daughter Juliet,
  85. 422 How stands your disposition to be married?
  86. Juliet
  87. 423 It is an honour that I dream not of.
  88. Nurse
  89. 424 An honour!—were not I thine only nurse,
  90. 425 I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat.
  91. Lady Capulet
  92. 426 Well, think of marriage now: younger than you,
  93. 427 Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
  94. 428 Are made already mothers: by my count
  95. 429 I was your mother much upon these years
  96. 430 That you are now a maid. Thus, then, in brief;—
  97. 431 The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.
  98. Nurse
  99. 432 A man, young lady! lady, such a man
  100. 433 As all the world—why he's a man of wax.
  101. Lady Capulet
  102. 434 Verona's summer hath not such a flower.
  103. Nurse
  104. 435 Nay, he's a flower, in faith, a very flower.
  105. Lady Capulet
  106. 436 What say you? can you love the gentleman?
  107. 437 This night you shall behold him at our feast;
  108. 438 Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
  109. 439 And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;
  110. 440 Examine every married lineament,
  111. 441 And see how one another lends content;
  112. 442 And what obscur'd in this fair volume lies
  113. 443 Find written in the margent of his eyes.
  114. 444 This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
  115. 445 To beautify him, only lacks a cover:
  116. 446 The fish lives in the sea; and 'tis much pride
  117. 447 For fair without the fair within to hide:
  118. 448 That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,
  119. 449 That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;
  120. 450 So shall you share all that he doth possess,
  121. 451 By having him, making yourself no less.
  122. Nurse
  123. 452 No less! nay, bigger; women grow by men
  124. Lady Capulet
  125. 453 Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?
  126. Juliet
  127. 454 I'll look to like, if looking liking move:
  128. 455 But no more deep will I endart mine eye
  129. 456 Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.
  130. [Enter a Servant.]
  131. Servant
  132. 457 Madam, the guests are come, supper served up, you
  133. 458 called, my young lady asked for, the nurse cursed
  134. 459 in the pantry, and everything in extremity. I must
  135. 460 hence to wait; I beseech you, follow straight.
  136. Lady Capulet
  137. 461 We follow thee.
  138. [Exit Servant.]
  139. Lady Capulet
  140. 462 —
  141. 463 Juliet, the county stays.
  142. Nurse
  143. 464 Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.
  144. [Exeunt.]