The World's Greatest Books [Volumes 1-15, 17-20]

The fairy king and queen, who now saw the happy ending of the lovers' history, brought about through the good offices of Oberon, received so much pleasure, that these kind spirits resolved to celebrate the approaching nuptials with sports and revels throughout their fairy kingdom.

Romeo and Juliet

The two chief families in Verona were the rich Capulets and the Montagues. There had been an old quarrel between these families, which was grown to such a height, and so deadly was the enmity between them, that it extended to the remotest kindred, to the followers and retainers of both sides.

Old lord Capulet made a great supper, to which many fair ladies and many noble guests were invited. All the admired beauties of Verona were present, and all comers were made welcome if they were not of the house of Montague. At this feast of Capulets, Rosaline, beloved of

The precise date of " Romeo and Juliet" is not known, but we may perhaps accept the opinion of Professor Dowden that it was begun as early as 1591, and that it assumed its final form about 1597. A pirated edition of it was published in 1597, the authentic edition appearing two years later. The story is founded on an old Italian romance which Arthur Booke made popular in England in 1562 under the title of " Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet," upon which version Shakespeare probably based his play. Apart from its intrinsic beauty " Romeo and Juliet" is of deep interest when viewed as the poet's first tragedy. " It is," says Professor Dowden, " a young man's tragedy, in which youth and love were brought face to face with hatred and death."

203

Romeo, son to the old Lord Montague, was present; and though it was dangerous for a Montague to be seen in this assembly, yet Benvolio, a friend of Romeo, persuaded the young lord to go to this assembly in the disguise of a mask, that he might see his Rosaline, and seeing her, compare her with some choice beauties of Verona, who (he said) would make him think his swan a crow.

To this feast of Capulets then young Romeo with Benvolio and their friend Mercutio went masked. Old Capulet bid them welcome, and told them that ladies who had their toes unplagued with corns would dance with them.

And they fell to dancing, and Romeo was suddenly struck with the exceeding beauty of a lady who danced there, who seemed to him to teach the torches to burn bright, and her beauty to show by night like a rich jewel worn by a blackamoor. While he uttered these praises, he was overhead by Tybalt, a nephew of lord Capulet, who knew him by his voice to be Romeo. And he stormed and raged exceedingly, and would have struck young Romeo dead. But his uncle, the old lord Capulet, would not suffer him to do any injury at that time, both out of respect to his guests, and because all tongues in Verona bragged of Romeo to be a virtuous and wellgoverned youth.

The dancing being done, Romeo watched the place where the lady stood; and under favour of his masking habit, he presumed in the gentlest manner to take her by the hand, calling it a shrine which, if he profaned by touching it, he was a blushing pilgrim, and would kiss it for atonement. In such like allusions and loving conceits they were engaged, when the lady was called away to her mother. And Romeo inquiring who her mother was, discovered that the lady whose peerless beauty he was so much struck with, was young Juliet, daughter and heir to the lord Capulet. This troubled him, but it could

204

not dissuade him from loving. As little rest had Juliet, when she found that the gentleman that she had been talking with was Romeo and a Montague, for she had been suddenly smit with the same hasty and inconsiderate passion for Romeo which he had conceived for her. It being midnight, Romeo with his companions departed ; but they soon missed him, for, unable to stay away from the house where he had left his heart, he leaped the wall of an orchard which was at the back of Juliet's house. Here he had not been long, when Juliet appeared above at a window. She all this while thinking herself alone, fetched a deep sigh, and exclaimed, " Ah, me!" Unconscious of being overheard, and full of the new passion which that night's adventure had given birth to, she called upon her lover by name (whom she supposed absent): " O Romeo, Romeo! " said she, " wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name, for my sake; or if thou wilt not, be but my sworn love, and I no longer will be a Capulet." At this loving word Romeo could no longer refrain, but taking up the dialogue as if her words had been addressed to him personally, and not merely in fancy, he bade her call him Love, or by whatever other name she pleased, for he was no longer Romeo, if that name was displeasing to her. Juliet did not at first know who it was, that had thus stumbled upon the discovery of her secret; but when he spoke again, she immediately knew him to be young Romeo, and she expostulated with him on the danger to which he had exposed himself by climbing the orchard walls. " Alack," said Romeo, " there is more peril in your eye, than in twenty of their swords. Do you but Jook kind upon me, lady, and I am proof against their enmity." " How came you into this place," said Juliet, "and by whose direction?"—"Love directed me," said Romeo: " I am no pilot, yet wert thou as far apart from me, as that vast shore which is washed with the farthest sea, I should venture for such merchandise." A crimson