No Fear Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 1, Scene 1, Page 6
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Modern Text |
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Enter PRINCE ESCALUS, with his train |
PRINCE ESCALUS enters with his
escort. |
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75 80 85 90 |
PRINCE
Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,
Profaners of this neighbor-stainèd 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 mistempered weapons to the ground,
And hear the sentence of your movèd prince.
Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,
By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,
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 hands as old,
Cankered with peace, to part your cankered 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, Capulet, shall go along with me,
And, Montague, come you this afternoon
To know our farther pleasure in this case,
To old Free-town, our common judgment-place.
Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.
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PRINCE
(shouting at the rioters) You
rebels! Enemies of the peace! Men who turn their weapons against
their own neighbors—They won’t listen to
me?—You there! You men, you beasts, who satisfy your
anger with fountains of each others' blood! I’ll
have you tortured if you don’t put down your swords and
listen to your angry prince.
(MONTAGUE,
CAPULET, and their followers throw down their
weapons)
Three times now riots have broken out in this city, all because of a
casual word from you, old Capulet and Montague. Three times the
peace has been disturbed in our streets, and Verona’s old
citizens have had to take off their dress clothes and pick up rusty
old spears to part you. If you ever cause a disturbance on our
streets again, you’ll pay for it with your lives. Everyone
else, go away for now. (to CAPULET)
You, Capulet, come with me. (to
MONTAGUE) Montague, this afternoon come to old Free-town, the court
where I deliver judgments, and I’ll tell you what else I
want from you. As for the rest of you, I’ll say this once
more: go away or be put to death.
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Exeunt all but MONTAGUE,
LADY MONTAGUE, and BENVOLIO
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Everyone exits except MONTAGUE,
LADY MONTAGUE, and
BENVOLIO. |
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95 |
MONTAGUE
Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?
Speak, nephew. Were you by when it began?
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MONTAGUE
Who started this old fight up again? Speak, nephew. Were you here
when it started?
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