Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 3
A room in Capulet's house.
The Original
Plain Modern English
Enter Lady Capulet and Nurse.
Lady Capulet
Nurse, where's my daughter? call her forth to me.
Lady Capulet
Nurse, where's my daughter? Go and call her.
Nurse
Now, by my maidenhead, at twelve year old,
I bade her come. What, lamb! what, ladybird!
God forbid! Where's this girl? What, Juliet!
Nurse
Well, I swear on my virginity — lost at twelve —
I already told her to come. Lamb! Ladybird!
Good heavens, where is the girl? Juliet!
Enter Juliet.
Juliet
How now! who calls?
Juliet
What is it? Who's calling?
Nurse
Your mother.
Nurse
Your mother.
Juliet
Madam, I am here.
What is your will?
Juliet
Madam, I'm here.
What do you want?
Lady Capulet
This is the matter:—Nurse, give leave awhile,
We must talk in secret:—nurse, come back again;
I have remember'd me, thou's hear our counsel.
Thou know'st my daughter's of a pretty age.
Lady Capulet
Here's the thing. — Nurse, leave us for a moment,
we need to talk privately. — Nurse, come back;
on second thought, you should hear this too.
You know my daughter's at a good age.
Nurse
Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.
Nurse
Honestly, I can tell you her age to the hour.
Lady Capulet
She's not fourteen.
Lady Capulet
She's not fourteen.
Nurse
I'll lay fourteen of my teeth,—
And yet, to my teeth be it spoken, I have but four—
She is not fourteen. How long is it now
To Lammas-tide?
Nurse
I'd bet fourteen of my teeth —
though I've only got four, sad to say —
that she's not fourteen. How long is it now
until Lammas Day?
Lady Capulet
A fortnight and odd days.
Lady Capulet
Two weeks and a bit.
Nurse
Even or odd, of all days in the year,
Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen.
Susan and she—God rest all Christian souls!—
Were of an age: well, Susan is with God;
She was too good for me: but, as I said,
On Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen;
That shall she, marry; I remember it well.
'Tis since the earthquake now eleven years;
And she was wean'd,—I never shall forget it,—
Of all the days of the year, upon that day:
For I had then laid wormwood to my dug,
Sitting in the sun under the dove-house wall;
My lord and you were then at Mantua:—
Nay, I do bear a brain:—but, as I said,
When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple
Of my dug and felt it bitter, pretty fool,
To see it tetchy and fall out with the dug!
Shake quoth the dove-house: 'twas no need, I trow,
To bid me trudge:
And since that time it is eleven years;
For then she could stand alone; nay, by the rood,
She could have run and waddled all about;
For even the day before, she broke her brow:
And then my husband—God be with his soul!
A' was a merry man—took up the child:
'Yea,' quoth he, 'dost thou fall upon thy face?
Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit;
Wilt thou not, Jule?' and, by my holidame,
The pretty wretch left crying and said 'Ay.'
To see, now, how a jest shall come about!
I warrant, an I should live a thousand years,
I never should forget it: 'Wilt thou not, Jule?' quoth he;
And, pretty fool, it stinted and said 'Ay.'
Nurse
Odd days or even, of all the days in the year,
she turns fourteen on Lammas Eve at night.
Susan and she — God rest all Christian souls —
were the same age. Well, Susan's with God now;
she was too good for me. But like I said,
she'll be fourteen on Lammas Eve at night.
She will, I'm certain — I remember it clearly.
It's been eleven years since the earthquake,
and she was weaned — I'll never forget it —
on that very day of all days.
I'd put bitter wormwood on my nipple,
sitting in the sun by the dovecote wall.
You and my lord were away in Mantua then. —
See, I've got a good memory. — Anyway, as I was saying,
when she tasted that wormwood
and found it bitter — the poor little thing! —
you should have seen her get cross and shove it away!
Then the dovecote shook — nobody needed
to tell me to run.
And that was eleven years ago;
she could stand by herself then. No, by the cross,
she could run and waddle around everywhere —
in fact, the day before, she cut her forehead open.
And then my husband — God rest his soul,
he was a funny man — picked her up and said:
'Well now, are you falling on your face?
You'll be falling on your back when you're older and wiser —
won't you, Jule?' And I swear,
the little thing stopped crying and said 'Yes.'
And look how that joke's coming true now!
I promise you, if I lived a thousand years
I'd never forget it. 'Won't you, Jule?' he said —
and the little darling stopped and said 'Yes.'
Lady Capulet
Enough of this; I pray thee, hold thy peace.
Lady Capulet
Enough of this. Please, be quiet.
Nurse
Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh,
To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.'
And yet, I warrant, it had upon its brow
A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone;
A parlous knock; and it cried bitterly:
'Yea,' quoth my husband,'fall'st upon thy face?
Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age;
Wilt thou not, Jule?' it stinted and said 'Ay.'
Nurse
Yes, madam — but I can't help laughing
to think of her stopping her crying to say 'Yes.'
And I promise you, she had a bump on her forehead
the size of a young rooster's testicle.
A nasty knock, and she cried her heart out.
'Well,' said my husband, 'falling on your face?
You'll fall on your back when you're grown —
won't you, Jule?' And she stopped and said 'Yes.'
Juliet
And stint thou too, I pray thee, nurse, say I.
Juliet
And you stop too, Nurse — please. I say so.
Nurse
Peace, I have done. God mark thee to his grace!
Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nursed:
An I might live to see thee married once,
I have my wish.
Nurse
All right, I'm finished. God bless you!
You were the prettiest baby I ever nursed.
If I live to see you married one day,
I'll have everything I want.
Lady Capulet
Marry, that 'marry' is the very theme
I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet,
How stands your disposition to be married?
Lady Capulet
Well — 'married' is exactly the subject
I came to discuss. Tell me, Juliet:
how do you feel about getting married?
Juliet
It is an honour that I dream not of.
Juliet
It's an honour I haven't even dreamed about.
Nurse
An honour! were not I thine only nurse,
I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat.
Nurse
An honour! If I weren't your only nurse,
I'd say you got that wisdom from your nursemaid's milk.
Lady Capulet
Well, think of marriage now; younger than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
Are made already mothers: by my count,
I was your mother much upon these years
That you are now a maid. Thus then in brief:
The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.
Lady Capulet
Well, start thinking about marriage now. Girls younger than you,
right here in Verona, respectable ladies,
are already mothers. By my count,
I was your mother at about the age
you are now, still unmarried. So, briefly:
the noble Paris wants you as his wife.
Nurse
A man, young lady! lady, such a man
As all the world—why, he's a man of wax.
Nurse
What a man, young lady! Such a man
as the whole world — he's flawless, like a wax model!
Lady Capulet
Verona's summer hath not such a flower.
Lady Capulet
Verona's summer has no flower to match him.
Nurse
Nay, he's a flower; in faith, a very flower.
Nurse
No — he IS a flower. Truly, a perfect flower.
Lady Capulet
What say you? can you love the gentleman?
This night you shall behold him at our feast;
Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;
Examine every married lineament,
And see how one another lends content
And what obscured in this fair volume lies
Find written in the margent of his eyes.
This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
To beautify him, only lacks a cover:
The fish lives in the sea, and 'tis much pride
For fair without the fair within to hide:
That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,
That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;
So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.
Lady Capulet
What do you say? Could you love the man?
You'll see him at our party tonight.
Read young Paris's face like a book,
and find delight written there in beauty's handwriting.
Study how all his features match,
and see how each one adds to the others'
And anything hidden in this handsome book,
you'll find noted in the margins of his eyes.
This precious book of love, this unbound bachelor,
only needs a cover to complete him.
Fish live in the sea, and it's a fine thing
for a beautiful outside to hold a beautiful inside.
A book is admired all the more
when gold clasps lock in a golden story.
So you'll share in everything he has,
and having him won't make you any less.
Nurse
No less! nay, bigger; women grow by men.
Nurse
Less? No — bigger! Women grow bigger from men. (She means pregnancy. Of course she does.)
Lady Capulet
Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?
Lady Capulet
Answer quickly — can you accept Paris's love?
Juliet
I'll look to like, if looking liking move:
But no more deep will I endart mine eye
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.
Juliet
I'll look at him and try to like him, if looking can make liking happen.
But I won't aim my eyes at him any deeper
than your permission gives them power to fly. (A perfectly obedient answer that commits to absolutely nothing.)
Enter a Servant.
Servant
Madam, the guests are come, supper served up, you
called, my young lady asked for, the nurse cursed in
the pantry, and every thing in extremity. I must
hence to wait; I beseech you, follow straight.
Servant
Madam, the guests have arrived, dinner is served, you're
being asked for, the young lady's wanted, the nurse is being cursed at
in the pantry, and everything's in chaos. I have to
go and serve. Please come at once.
Lady Capulet
We follow thee.
Juliet, the county stays.
Lady Capulet
We're right behind you.
Juliet — the Count is waiting.
Nurse
Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.
Nurse
Go on, girl. Go find happy nights to match happy days.
Exeunt.