PARIS moves away from the tomb Enter
ROMEO and BALTHASAR
PARIS hides in the darkness.
ROMEO and BALTHASAR enter with a
torch, a pickax, and an iron crowbar.
ROMEO
Give me that mattock and the wrenching iron.
(takes them from
BALTHASAR)
25
Hold, take this letter. Early in the morning
See thou deliver it to my lord and father.
(gives letter to
BALTHASAR)
Give me the light.
(takes torch from
BALTHASAR)
Upon thy life I charge thee,
30
Whate'er thou hear'st or seest, stand all aloof,
And do not interrupt me in my course.
Why I descend into this bed of death
Is partly to behold my lady's face,
But chiefly to take thence from her dead finger
35
A precious ring, a ring that I must use
In dear employment. Therefore hence, be gone.
But if thou, jealous, dost return to pry
In what I farther shall intend to do,
By heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint
40
And strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs.
The time and my intents are savage, wild,
More fierce and more inexorable far
Than empty tigers or the roaring sea.
ROMEO
Give me that pickax and the crowbar.
(he
takes them from
BALTHASAR) Here, take this letter.
Early in the morning deliver it to my father.
(he gives the letter to
BALTHASAR) Give me the light.
(he takes the torch from
BALTHASAR) Swear on your life, I
command you, whatever you hear or see, stay away from me and do not
interrupt me in my plan. I'm going down into this tomb of
the dead, partly to behold my wife's face. But my main
reason is to take a precious ring from her dead finger. I must use
that ring for an important purpose. So go on your way. But if you
get curious and return to spy on me, I swear I'll tear you
apart limb by limb and spread your body parts around to feed the
hungry animals in the graveyard. My plan is wild and savage. I am
more fierce in this endeavor than a hungry tiger or the raging
sea.
BALTHASAR
45
I will be gone, sir, and not trouble you.
BALTHASAR
I'll go, sir, and I won't bother you.
ROMEO
So shalt thou show me friendship. Take thou that.
(gives BALTHASAR
money)
Live and be prosperous, and farewell, good fellow.
ROMEO
That's the way to show me friendship. Take this.
(he gives BALTHASAR
money) Live and be prosperous.
Farewell, good fellow.
