AcT 5, ScEnE 3 220


PrInCe Seal up the mouth of outrage for a while,73 Till we can clear these ambiguities, And know their spring, their head, their true descent.74 And then will I be general of your woes,75 And lead you even to death. Meantime forbear, And let mischance be slave to patience.76 Bring forth the parties of suspicion.


FrIaR LaUrEnCe I am the greatest, able to do least, Yet most suspected, as the time and place Doth make against me of this direful murder. And here I stand, both to impeach and purge,77 Myself condemned and myself excused.


PrInCe Then say at once what thou dost know in this.


230


FrIaR LaUrEnCe I will be brief, for my short date of breath Is not so long as is a tedious tale. Romeo, there dead, was husband to that Juliet – And she, there dead, that Romeo’s faithful wife. I married them. And their stol’n78


marriage day


Was Tybalt’s doomsday, whose untimely death Banished the new-made bridegroom from the city – For whom, and not for Tybalt, Juliet pined.79 You, to remove that siege of grief80 Betrothed81


from her, and would have married her perforce82 240


To County Paris. Then comes she to me, And, with wild looks, bid me devise some mean To rid her from this second marriage – Or in my cell there would she kill herself. Then gave I her, so tutored by my art,83 A sleeping potion, which so took effect As I intended, for it wrought on her The form of death. Meantime I writ to Romeo That he should hither come as this dire night, To help to take her from her borrowed84


grave, 250


Being the time the potion’s force should cease.85 But he which bore my letter, Friar John, Was stayed by accident, and yesternight Returned my letter back. Then all alone At the prefixed86


hour of her waking, 260


Came I to take her from her kindred’s vault – Meaning to keep her closely at my cell, Till I conveniently could send to Romeo. But when I came, some minute ere the time Of her awaking, here untimely lay The noble Paris and true Romeo dead. She wakes, and I entreated87


73


Seal up…while: Put off your grieving for a while


74


spring…descent: source, cause and what really occurred


75 76


general of your woes: lead you in your mourning


let mischance…patience: allow misfortune to be kept in check by patience


77


impeach and purge: charge and exonerate


78 stol’n: secret


79 pined: grieved over


80 siege of grief: paralysing grief 81


Betrothed: promised in marriage


82 perforce: by force


83


tutored by my art: learned from skill (with herbs)


84 borrowed: temporary 85


force should cease: effects should have worn off


86 prefixed: prearranged


her come forth,


And bear this work of heaven with patience. But then a noise did scare me from the tomb, And she, too desperate, would not go with me – But, as it seems, did violence on herself.


87 entreated: pleaded with


197


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