Romeo and Juliet: No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student Edition by Sparknotes

Author:Sparknotes [Sparknotes]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781411479715
Google: ikwszQEACAAJ
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated
Published: 2020-06-02T23:58:36.569235+00:00

ACT THREE, Scene 3

Enter FRIAR LAWRENCE

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Romeo, come forth. Come forth, thou fearful man.

Affliction is enamoured of thy parts,

And thou art wedded to calamity.

Enter ROMEO

ROMEO

Father, what news? What is the Prince’s doom?

5

What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand

That I yet know not?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Too familiar

Is my dear son with such sour company.

I bring thee tidings of the Prince’s doom.

ROMEO

What less than doomsday is the Prince’s doom?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

10

A gentler judgment vanished from his lips:

Not body’s death, but body’s banishment.

ROMEO

Ha, banishment! Be merciful, say “death,”

For exile hath more terror in his look,

Much more than death. Do not say “banishment.”

FRIAR LAWRENCE

15

Hence from Verona art thou banishèd.

Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.

ROMEO

There is no world without Verona walls

But purgatory, torture, hell itself.

Hence “banishèd” is banished from the world,

20

And world’s exile is death. Then “banishèd,”

Is death mistermed. Calling death “banishment,”

Thou cutt’st my head off with a golden ax

And smilest upon the stroke that murders me.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness!

25

Thy fault our law calls death, but the kind Prince,

Taking thy part, hath rushed aside the law,

And turned that black word “death” to “banishment.”

This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not.

ROMEO

‘Tis torture and not mercy. Heaven is here,

30

Where Juliet lives, and every cat and dog

And little mouse, every unworthy thing,

Live here in heaven and may look on her,

But Romeo may not. More validity,

More honorable state, more courtship lives

35

In carrion flies than Romeo. They may seize

On the white wonder of dear Juliet’s hand

And steal immortal blessing from her lips,

Who even in pure and vestal modesty,

Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin.

40

But Romeo may not. He is banishèd.

Flies may do this, but I from this must fly.

They are free men, but I am banishèd.

And sayst thou yet that exile is not death?

Hadst thou no poison mixed, no sharp-ground knife,

45

No sudden mean of death, though ne’er so mean,

But “banishèd” to kill me?—“Banishèd”!

O Friar, the damnèd use that word in hell.

Howling attends it. How hast thou the heart,

Being a divine, a ghostly confessor,

50

A sin-absolver, and my friend professed,

To mangle me with that word “banishèd”?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Thou fond mad man, hear me a little speak.

ROMEO

Oh, thou wilt speak again of banishment.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

I’ll give thee armor to keep off that word—

55

Adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy—

To comfort thee though thou art banishèd.

ROMEO

Yet “banishèd”? Hang up philosophy!

Unless philosophy can make a Juliet,

Displant a town, reverse a prince’s doom,

60

It helps not, it prevails not. Talk no more.

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