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No Fear Shakespheare

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare

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Act 1, Scene 4, Page 2

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MERCUTIO
And to sink in it, should you burthen love—
Too great oppression for a tender thing.
 MERCUTIO
If you sink, you’re dragging love down. It’s not right to drag down something as tender as love.

25
 ROMEO
Is love a tender thing? It is too rough,
Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn.
 ROMEO
Is love really tender? I think it’s too rough, too rude, too rowdy, and it pricks like a thorn.




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 MERCUTIO
If love be rough with you, be rough with love.
Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.—
Give me a case to put my visage in!
A visor for a visor.—What care I
What curious eye doth cote deformities?
Here are the beetle brows shall blush for me.
 MERCUTIO
If love plays rough with you, play rough with love. If you prick love when it pricks you, you’ll beat love down. Give me a mask to put my face in. A mask to put over my other mask. What do I care if some curious person sees my flaws? Let this mask, with its black eyebrows, blush for me. (they put on masks)


BENVOLIO
Come, knock and enter. And no sooner in
But every man betake him to his legs.
 BENVOLIO
Come on, let’s knock and go in. The minute we get in let’s all start dancing.

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 ROMEO
A torch for me. Let wantons light of heart
Tickle the senseless rushes with their heels.
For I am proverbed with a grandsire phrase,
I’ll be a candle holder, and look on.
The game was ne'er so fair, and I am done.
 ROMEO
I’ll take a torch. Let playful people with light hearts dance. There’s an old saying that applies to me: you can’t lose if you don’t play the game. I’ll just hold a torch and watch you guys. It looks like a lot of fun, but I’ll sit this one out.

40


 MERCUTIO
Tut, dun’s the mouse, the constable’s own word.
If thou art dun, we’ll draw thee from the mire,
Or—save your reverence—love, wherein thou stick’st
Up to the ears. Come, we burn daylight, ho!
 MERCUTIO
Hey, you’re being a stick in the mud, as cautious as a policemen on night patrol. If you’re a stick in the mud, we’ll pull you out of the mud—I mean out of love, if you’ll excuse me for being so rude—where you’re stuck up to your ears. Come on, we’re wasting precious daylight. Let’s go!

ROMEO
Nay, that’s not so.
 ROMEO
No we’re not—it’s night.


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 MERCUTIO
   I mean, sir, in delay.
We waste our lights in vain, like lights by day.
Take our good meaning, for our judgment sits
Five times in that ere once in our fine wits.
 MERCUTIO
I mean, we’re wasting the light of our torches by delaying, which is like wasting the sunshine during the day. Use your common sense to figure out what I mean, instead of trying to be clever or trusting your five senses.
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