Romeo and Juliet / Ромео и Джульетта. Уильям Шекспир

atal 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, nought 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.

      [Exit.]

      Act I

      Scene I

      A public place. Enter Sampson and Gregory armed with swords and bucklers.

Sampson

      Gregory, on my word, we’ll not carry coals.

Gregory

      No, for then we should be colliers.

Sampson

      I mean, if we be in choler, we’ll draw.

Gregory

      Ay, while you live, draw your neck out o’ the collar.

Sampson

      I strike quickly, being moved.

Gregory

      But thou art not quickly moved to strike.

Sampson

      A dog of the house of Montague moves me.

Gregory

      To move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand: therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn’st away.

Sampson

      A dog of that house shall move me to stand.

      I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague’s.

Gregory

      That shows thee a weak slave, for the weakest goes to the wall.

Sampson

      True, and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall.

Gregory

      The quarrel is between our masters and us their men.

Sampson

      ’Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men I will be civil with the maids, I will cut off their heads.

Gregory

      The heads of the maids?

Sampson

      Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt.

Gregory

      They must take it in sense that feel it.

Sampson

      Me they shall feel while I am able to stand: and ’tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh.

Gregory

      ’Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool; here comes of the house of Montagues.

      Enter Abram and Balthasar.

Sampson

      My naked weapon is out: quarrel, I will back thee.

Gregory

      How? Turn thy back and run?

Sampson

      Fear me not.

Gregory

      No, marry; I fear thee!

Sampson

      Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin.

Gregory

      I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list.

Sampson

      Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it.

Abram

      Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?

Sampson

      I do bite my thumb, sir.

Abram

      Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?

Sampson

      Is the law of our side if I say ay?

Gregory

      No.

Sampson

      No sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir.

Gregory

      Do you quarrel, sir?

Abram

      Quarrel, sir? No, sir.

Sampson

      But if you do, sir, I am for you. I serve as good a man as you.

Abram

      No better.

Sampson

      Well, sir.

      Enter Benvolio.

Gregory

      Say better; here comes one of my master’s kinsmen.

Sampson

      Yes, better, sir.

Abram

      You lie.

Sampson

      Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy washing blow.

      [They fight.]

Benvolio

      Part, fools! put up your swords, you know not what you do.

      [Beats down their swords.]

      Enter Tybalt.

Tybalt

      What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?

      Turn thee Benvolio, look upon thy death.

Benvolio

      I do but keep the peace, put up thy sword,

      Or manage it to part these men with me.

Tybalt

      What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word

      As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:

      Have at thee, coward.

      [They fight.]

      Enter three or four Citizens with clubs.

First citizen

      Clubs, bills and partisans! Strike! Beat them down!

      Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues!

      Enter Capulet in his gown, and Lady Capulet.

Capulet

      What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!

Lady Capulet

      A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?

Capulet

      My sword, I say! Old Montague is come,

      And flourishes his blade in spite of me.

      Enter Montague and his Lady Montague.

Montague

      Thou villain Capulet! Hold me not, let me go.

Lady Montague

      Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.

      Enter Prince Escalus, with Attendants.

Prince

      Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,

      Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel,-

      Will they not hear? What, ho! You men, you beasts,

      That quench the fire of your pernicious rage

      With purple fountains issuing from your veins,

      On pain of torture, from those bloody hands

      Throw your mistemper’d weapons to the ground

      And hear the sentence of your moved prince.

      Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,

      By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,

      Have thrice disturb’d the quiet of our streets,

      And made Verona’s ancient citizens

      Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments,

      To wield old partisans, in hands as old,

      Canker’d with peace, to part your canker’d hate.

      If