ACT III, Scene III. Friar Laurence's cell.
Enter Friar [Laurence].
Friar
Romeo, come forth; come forth, thou fearful man.
Affliction is enanmour'd of thy parts,
And thou art wedded to calamity.
Enter Romeo.
Rom
Father, what news? What is the Prince's doom
What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand
That I yet know not?
Friar
Too familiar
Is my dear son with such sour company.
I bring thee tidings of the Prince's doom.
Rom
What less than doomsday is the Prince's doom?
Friar
A gentler judgment vanish'd from his lips-
Not body's death, but body's banishment.
Rom
Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say 'death';
For exile hath more terror in his look,
Much more than death. Do not say 'banishment.'
Friar
Hence from Verona art thou banished.
Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.
Rom
There is no world without Verona walls,
But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
Hence banished is banish'd from the world,
And world's exile is death. Then 'banishment'
Is death misterm'd. Calling death 'banishment,'
Thou cut'st my head off with a golden axe
And smilest upon the stroke that murders me.
Friar
O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness!
Thy fault our law calls death; but the kind Prince,
Taking thy part, hath rush'd aside the law,
And turn'd that black word death to banishment.
This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not.
Rom
'Tis torture, and not mercy. Heaven is here,
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 honourable state, more courtship lives
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;
But Romeo may not- he is banished.
This may flies do, when I from this must fly;
They are free men, but I am banished.
And sayest thou yet that exile is not death?
Hadst thou no poison mix'd, no sharp-ground knife,
No sudden mean of death, though ne'er so mean,
But 'banished' to kill me- 'banished'?
O friar, the damned use that word in hell;
Howling attends it! How hast thou the heart,
Being a divine, a ghostly confessor,
A sin-absolver, and my friend profess'd,
To mangle me with that word 'banished'?
Friar
Thou fond mad man, hear me a little speak.
Rom
O, thou wilt speak again of banishment.
Friar
I'll give thee armour to keep off that word;
Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy,
To comfort thee, though thou art banished.
Rom
Yet 'banished'? Hang up philosophy!
Unless philosophy can make a Juliet,
Displant a town, reverse a prince's doom,
It helps not, it prevails not. Talk no more.
Friar
O, then I see that madmen have no ears.
Rom
How should they, when that wise men have no eyes?
Friar
Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.
Rom
Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel.
Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love,
An hour but married, Tybalt murdered,
Doting like me, and like me banished,
Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair,
And fall upon the ground, as I do now,
Taking the measure of an unmade grave.
Knock [within].
Friar
Arise; one knocks. Good Romeo, hide thyself.
Rom
Not I; unless the breath of heartsick groans,
Mist-like infold me from the search of eyes.
Knock.
Friar
Hark, how they knock! Who's there? Romeo, arise;
Thou wilt be taken.- Stay awhile!- Stand up;
Knock.
Run to my study.- By-and-by!- God's will,
What simpleness is this.- I come, I come!
Knock.
Who knocks so hard? Whence come you? What's your will
Nurse
[within] Let me come in, and you shall know my errand.
I come from Lady Juliet.
Friar
Welcome then.
Enter Nurse.
Nurse
O holy friar, O, tell me, holy friar
Where is my lady's lord, where's Romeo?
Friar
There on the ground, with his own tears made drunk.
Nurse
O, he is even in my mistress' case,
Just in her case!
Friar
O woeful sympathy!
Piteous predicament!
Nurse
Even so lies she,
Blubb'ring and weeping, weeping and blubbering.
Stand up, stand up! Stand, an you be a man.
For Juliet's sake, for her sake, rise and stand!
Why should you fall into so deep an O?
Rom
(rises) Nurse-
Nurse
Ah sir! ah sir! Well, death's the end of all.
Rom
Spakest thou of Juliet? How is it with her?
Doth not she think me an old murtherer,
Now I have stain'd the childhood of our joy
With blood remov'd but little from her own?
Where is she? and how doth she! and what says
My conceal'd lady to our cancell'd love?
Nurse
O, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps;