[Note: The Capulets are the “Graces” and the Montagues are the “Belles”. Also keep in mind that any relationships between characters existing in the show do not exist in this story]
ACT IPROLOGUE
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 hoofs unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do 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.
SCENE I. Verona. A public place.
Enter Pinkie and Applejack, of the house of Grace, armed with swords and bucklers
Pinkie
Applejack, o' my word, we'll not carry coals.
Applejack
No, for then we should be colliers.
Pinkie
I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw.
Applejack
Ay, while you live, draw your neck out o' the collar.
Pinkie
I strike quickly, being moved.
Applejack
But thou art not quickly moved to strike.
Pinkie
A dog of the house of Belle moves me.
Applejack
To move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand:
therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st away.
Pinkie
A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will
take the wall of any colt or mare of Belle's.
Applejack
That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes
to the wall.
Pinkie
True; and therefore mares, being the weaker vessels,
are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push
Belle's colts from the wall, and thrust his maids
to the wall.
Applejack
The quarrel is between our masters and us their mares.
Pinkie
'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I
have fought with the colts, I will be cruel with the
maids, and cut off their heads.
Applejack
The heads of the maids?
Pinkie
Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads;
take it in what sense thou wilt.
Applejack
They must take it in sense that feel it.
Pinkie
Me they shall feel while I am able to stand: and
'tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh.
Applejack
'Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou
hadst been poor.. Draw thy tool! here comes
two of the house of the Belles.
Pinkie
My naked weapon is out: quarrel, I will back thee.
Applejack
How! turn thy back and run?
Pinkie
Fear me not.
Applejack
No, marry; I fear thee!
Pinkie
Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin.
Applejack
I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as
they list.
Pinkie
Nay, as they dare. I will bite my hoof at them;
which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it.
Enter Trixie and Twilight
Trixie
Do you bite your hoof at us, ma’am?
Pinkie
I do bite my hoof.
Trixie
Do you bite your hoof at us?
Pinkie
[Aside to Applejack] Is the law of our side, if I say
ay?
Applejack
No.
Pinkie
No, ma’am, I do not bite my hoof at you, but I
do bite my hoof.
Applejack
Do you quarrel, ma’am?
Trixie
Quarrel! no, ma’am.
Pinkie
If you do, I am for you: I serve as good a mare as you.
Trixie
No better.
Pinkie
Well, ma’am.
Applejack
Say 'better:' here comes one of my master's kinsmen.
Pinkie
Yes, better.
Trixie
You lie.
Pinkie
Draw, if you be brave. Applejack, remember thy swashing blow.
They fight
Enter Sweetie
Sweetie
Part, fools!
Put up your swords; you know not what you do.
Beats down their swords
Enter Gilda
Gilda
What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?
Turn thee, Sweetie, look upon thy death.
Sweetie
I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these mares with me.
Gilda
What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Belles, and thee:
Have at thee, coward!
They fight
Enter, several of both houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs
First Citizen
Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike! beat them down!
Down with the Graces! down with the Belles!
Enter Lord Grace in his gown, and Lady Grace
Lord Grace
What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!
Lady Grace
A crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword?
Lord Grace
My sword, I say! Old Belle is come,
And flourishes his blade in spite of me.
Enter Lord Belle and Lady Belle
Lord Belle
Thou villain Grace,--Hold me not, let me go.
Lady Belle
Thou shalt not stir a hoof to seek a foe.
Enter Shining Armor, with Attendants
Shining Armor
Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,
Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel,--
Will they not hear? What, ho! you colts, you beasts,
That quench the fire of your pernicious rage
With purple fountains issuing from your veins,
On pain of torture, from those bloody hoofs
Throw your weapons to the ground,
And hear the sentence of your moved prince.
Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,
By thee, old Grace, and Belle,
Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets,
And made Verona's ancient citizens
Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments,
To wield old partisans, in hoofs as old,
Canker'd with peace, to part your canker'd hate:
If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
For this time, all the rest depart away:
You Lord Grace; shall go along with me:
And, Belle, come you this afternoon,
To know our further pleasure in this case,
To old Free-town, our common judgment-place.
Once more, on pain of death, all colts depart.
Exeunt all but Lord Belle, Lady Belle, and Sweetie
Belle
Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?
Speak, niece, were you by when it began?
Sweetie
Here were the servants of your adversary,
And yours, close fighting ere I did approach:
I drew to part them: in the instant came
The fiery Gilda, with her sword prepared,
Which, as she breathed defiance to my ears,
He swung about her head and cut the winds,
Who nothing hurt withal hiss'd her in scorn:
While we were interchanging thrusts and blows,
Came more and more and fought on part and part,
Till the princess came, who parted either part.
Lady Belle
O, where is Rarity? saw you her today?
Right glad I am she was not at this fray.
Sweetie
Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun
Peer'd forth the golden window of the east,
A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad;
Where, underneath the grove of sycamore
That westward rooteth from the city's side,
So early walking did I see your daughter:
Towards her I made, but she was aware of me
And stole into the covert of the wood:
I, measuring her affections by my own,
That most are busied when they're most alone,
Pursued my humour not pursuing hers,
And gladly shunn'd who gladly fled from me.
Belle
Many a morning hath she there been seen,
With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew.
Adding to clouds more clouds with her deep sighs;
But all so soon as the all-cheering sun
Should in the furthest east begin to draw
The shady curtains from Aurora's bed,
Away from the light steals home my heavy daughter,
And private in her chamber pens herself,
Shuts up her windows, locks far daylight out
And makes herself an artificial night:
Black and portentous must this humour prove,
Unless good counsel may the cause remove.
Sweetie
My noble uncle, do you know the cause?
Belle
I neither know it nor can learn of her.
Sweetie
Have you importuned her by any means?
Belle
Both by myself and other friends:
But she, her own affections' counsellor,
Is to herself--I will not say how true--
But to herself so secret and so close,
So far from sounding and discovery,
As is the bud bit with an envious worm,
Ere she can spread his sweet leaves to the air,
Or dedicate her beauty to the sun.
Could we but learn from whence her sorrows grow.
We would as willingly give cure as know.
Enter Rarity
Sweetie
See, where she comes: so please you, step aside;
I'll know her grievance, or be much denied.
Belle
I would thou wert so happy by thy stay,
To hear true shrift. Come, madam, let's away.
Exeunt Lord Belle and Lady Belle
Sweetie
Good-morrow, cousin.
Rarity
Is the day so young?
Sweetie
But new struck nine.
Rarity
Ay me! sad hours seem long.
Was that my father that went hence so fast?
Sweetie
It was. What sadness lengthens Rarity's hours?
Rarity
Not having that, which, having, makes them short.
Sweetie
In love?
Rarity
Out--
Sweetie
Of love?
Rarity
Out of her favour, where I am in love.
Sweetie
Alas, that love, so gentle in her view,
Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!
Rarity
Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still,
Should, without eyes, see pathways to her will!
Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here?
Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.
Here's much to do with hate, but more with love.
Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O any thing, of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire,
sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Dost thou not laugh?
Sweetie
No, coz, I rather weep.
Rarity
Good heart, at what?
Sweetie
At thy good heart's oppression.
Rarity
Why, such is love's transgression.
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my chest,
Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest
With more of thine: this love that thou hast shown
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vex'd a sea nourish'd with lovers' tears:
What is it else? a madness most discreet,
A choking gall and a preserving sweet.
Farewell, my coz.
Sweetie
Soft! I will go along;
An if you leave me so, you do me wrong.
Rarity
Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here;
This is not Rarity, she's some other where.
Sweetie
Tell me in sadness, who is that you love.
Rarity
What, shall I groan and tell thee?
Sweetie
Groan! why, no.
But sadly tell me who.
Rarity
Bid a sick mare in sadness make her will:
Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill!
In sadness, cousin, I do love a colt..
Sweetie
I aim'd so near, when I supposed you loved.
Rarity
A right good mark-man! And he's fair I love.
Sweetie
A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.
Rarity
Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit
With Cupid's arrow; he hath Dian's wit;
And, in strong proof of chastity well armed,
From love's weak childish bow she lives unarmed
He will not stay the siege of loving terms,
Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes,
Nor ope his lap to saint-seducing gold:
O, she is rich in beauty, only poor,
That when he dies with beauty dies he store.
Sweetie
Then he hath sworn that he will still live chaste?
Rarity
He hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste,
For beauty starved with him severity
Cuts beauty off from all posterity.
He is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair,
To merit bliss by making me despair:
He hath forsworn to love, and in that vow
Do I live dead that live to tell it now.
Sweetie
Be ruled by me, forget to think of him.
Rarity
O, teach me how I should forget to think.
Sweetie
By giving liberty unto thine eyes;
Examine other beauties.
Rarity
'Tis the way
To call his exquisite, in question more:
These happy masks that kiss strong men' brows
Being black put us in mind they hide the fair;
He that is strucken blind cannot forget
The precious treasure of his eyesight lost:
Show me a sir that is passing fair,
What doth his beauty serve, but as a note
Where I may read who pass'd that passing fair?
Farewell: thou canst not teach me to forget.
Sweetie
I'll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.
Exeunt
