Romeo and Juliet: Act 1, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Sampson and Gregory, with swords and bucklers, of the house of Capulet. SAMPSON Gregory, on my word we’ll not carry coals. GREGORY No, for then we should be colliers. SAMPSON I mean, an we be in choler, we’ll draw. GREGORY Ay, while you live, draw your neck out of collar. 5 SAMPSON I strike quickly, being moved. GREGORY But thou art not quickly moved to strike. SAMPSON A dog of the house of Montague moves me. GREGORY To move is to stir, and to be valiant is to stand. Therefore if thou art moved thou runn’st 10 away. SAMPSON A dog of that house shall move me to stand. I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague’s. GREGORY That shows thee a weak slave, for the weakest goes to the wall. 15	On the streets of Verona, two young Capulet servants, Sampson and Gregory, are hanging out and trash-talking the Montagues. Sampson says he won't take any sass from the Montagues. In fact, if he passes any Montagues on the street, he'll walk on the side closer to the wall so they have to walk in the gutter.
SAMPSON ’Tis true, and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall. Therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall and thrust his maids to the wall. GREGORY The quarrel is between our masters and us 20 their men.	When Gregory says the weaker people always walk near the wall, Sampson says fine. He'll push the men toward the gutter and "thrust" the women toward the wall. Hey—it wouldn't be Shakespeare without a sex joke...
SAMPSON ’Tis all one. I will show myself a tyrant. When I have fought with the men, I will be civil with the maids; I will cut off their heads. GREGORY The heads of the maids? 25 SAMPSON Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads. Take it in what sense thou wilt. GREGORY They must take it in sense that feel it.	...or two. Sampson says after he's fought with the men, he'll be friendly with the ladies. Maidenhead = virginity. And yes, he plans to be "civil" by taking their virginity. But the sexcapades don't end there.
SAMPSON Me they shall feel while I am able to stand, and ’tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh. 30 GREGORY ’Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor-john. Draw thy tool. Here comes of the house of Montagues.	Sampson rounds out his gutter-banter with a reference to his erect penis. Gregory insults him by comparing his man-goods to a small piece of whitefish, dried and salted (poor-john). Then some Montagues enter, and the servants get serious.
Enter Abram with another Servingman. SAMPSON My naked weapon is out. Quarrel, I will back thee. 35 GREGORY How? Turn thy back and run? SAMPSON Fear me not. GREGORY No, marry. I fear thee! SAMPSON Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin. 40	Sampson and Gregory want to put their money where their mouths are, i.e., kick some Montague butt—but the Prince of Verona has laid out strict laws against starting fights.
GREGORY I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list. SAMPSON Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it.	So, instead, they try to get the Montagues to start the fight.
He bites his thumb. ABRAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? 45 SAMPSON I do bite my thumb, sir. ABRAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? SAMPSON, aside to Gregory Is the law of our side if I say “Ay”? GREGORY, aside to Sampson No. 50 SAMPSON No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir. GREGORY Do you quarrel, sir? ABRAM Quarrel, sir? No, sir. SAMPSON But if you do, sir, I am for you. I serve as 55 good a man as you. ABRAM No better. SAMPSON Well, sir.	Sampson gives the Montagues the Elizabethan finger—he bites his thumb at them. Then the men banter back and forth, both sides trying to provoke the other without technically being the ones to start the fight.
Enter Benvolio. GREGORY, aside to Sampson Say “better”; here comes one of my master’s kinsmen. 60 SAMPSON Yes, better, sir. ABRAM You lie. SAMPSON Draw if you be men.—Gregory, remember thy washing blow. They fight.	Gregory sees a fellow Capulet approaching and tells Sampson to go ahead and tell the Montague servants that the Capulets rule. He does, and 0.5 seconds later, they're fighting.
BENVOLIO Part, fools! Drawing his sword. 65 Put up your swords. You know not what you do.	Benvolio, the resident nice guy, shows up with a, "Why can't we all just get along?" He draws his sword, but only to keep the peace.
Enter Tybalt, drawing his sword. TYBALT What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio; look upon thy death. BENVOLIO I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me. 70 TYBALT What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward! They fight.	But Tybalt, resident Capulet mean-guy, dashes in and says something like, "I'm going to get medieval on your…personage."
Enter three or four Citizens with clubs or partisans. CITIZENS Clubs, bills, and partisans! Strike! Beat them down! Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues! 75	All hell, which has been bursting at the seams up until now, breaks loose.
Enter old Capulet in his gown, and his Wife. CAPULET What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho! LADY CAPULET A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword? Enter old Montague and his Wife. CAPULET My sword, I say. Old Montague is come And flourishes his blade in spite of me. 80 MONTAGUE Thou villain Capulet!—Hold me not; let me go. LADY MONTAGUE Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.	Adding fuel to the fire, the remaining members of each of the families come out to join the fight, or "fray," as they called it back then. And the old dudes won't be deterred, even when Capulet's wife tells him a crutch would be more useful to him than a sword. Ouch.
Enter Prince Escalus with his train. PRINCE Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, Profaners of this neighbor-stainèd steel— Will they not hear?—What ho! You men, you beasts, 85 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. 90 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 95 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. 100 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. 105	Like any good schoolyard brawl, some authority figure shows up and puts an end to the fun. In this case, it is the Prince of Verona. And he's m-a-d. Apparently, this is the third time a full-scale riot has broken out because of the Capulet-Montague feud. The Prince orders everyone to cease and desist. (Except it takes him a lot longer to say it, and he adds that anyone breaking his no-fighting rule will be put to death.)
All but Montague, Lady Montague, and Benvolio exit. MONTAGUE, to Benvolio Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach? Speak, nephew, were you by when it began? BENVOLIO Here were the servants of your adversary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach. I drew to part them. In the instant came 110 The fiery Tybalt with his sword prepared, Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears, He swung about his head and cut the winds, Who, nothing hurt withal, hissed him in scorn. While we were interchanging thrusts and blows 115 Came more and more and fought on part and part, Till the Prince came, who parted either part. LADY MONTAGUE O, where is Romeo? Saw you him today? Right glad I am he was not at this fray.	The Prince leaves, taking Capulet with him for a talking to. (Montague has been ordered to visit the Prince for a knuckle-rapping later that day.) With just Lord & Lady Montague and Benvolio left on stage, Benvolio explains how this latest fight started, and Lady M asks if anyone has seen her son, Romeo.
BENVOLIO Madam, an hour before the worshiped sun 120 Peered forth the golden window of the east, A troubled mind drove me to walk abroad, Where underneath the grove of sycamore That westward rooteth from this city side, So early walking did I see your son. 125 Towards him I made, but he was ’ware of me And stole into the covert of the wood. I, measuring his affections by my own (Which then most sought where most might not be found, 130 Being one too many by my weary self), Pursued my humor, not pursuing his, And gladly shunned who gladly fled from me.	Romeo, we find out, has been moping around in a "grove of sycamore," which, by the way, is Shakespeare's way of hinting that Romeo is lovesick or "sick amour." (Get it? Syc-a-more?) Not only that, says Benvolio, but Romeo never wants to hang out anymore.
MONTAGUE Many a morning hath he there been seen, With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew, 135 Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs. But all so soon as the all-cheering sun Should in the farthest east begin to draw The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed, Away from light steals home my heavy son 140 And private in his chamber pens himself, Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, And makes himself an artificial night. Black and portentous must this humor prove, Unless good counsel may the cause remove. 145 BENVOLIO My noble uncle, do you know the cause? MONTAGUE I neither know it nor can learn of him. BENVOLIO Have you importuned him by any means? MONTAGUE Both by myself and many other friends. But he, his own affections’ counselor, 150 Is to himself—I will not say how true, But to himself so secret and so close, So far from sounding and discovery, As is the bud bit with an envious worm Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air 155 Or dedicate his beauty to the same. Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow, We would as willingly give cure as know.	Montague chimes in, complaining that all Romeo ever does (when he's not skulking around in sycamore groves) is lock himself up in his dark bedroom. They've tried to figure out what's going on with him, but Romeo won't talk. Yep, sounds like a lovesick teenager to us.
Enter Romeo. BENVOLIO See where he comes. So please you, step aside. I’ll know his grievance or be much denied. 160 MONTAGUE I would thou wert so happy by thy stay To hear true shrift.—Come, madam, let’s away. Montague and Lady Montague exit.	Benvolio, like any good friend, decides to spy for Romeo's parents. When he sees Romeo coming, he tells them to skedaddle. He'll find out what's got Romeo so down and let them know.
BENVOLIO Good morrow, cousin. ROMEO Is the day so young? BENVOLIO But new struck nine. 165 ROMEO Ay me, sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast? BENVOLIO It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours? ROMEO Not having that which, having, makes them short. BENVOLIO In love? 170 ROMEO Out— BENVOLIO Of love? ROMEO Out of her favor where I am in love.	Romeo wanders in and willingly tells Benvolio that he's in love with a girl who doesn't love him back.
BENVOLIO Alas that love, so gentle in his view, Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof! 175 ROMEO Alas that love, whose view is muffled still, Should without eyes see pathways to his will! Where shall we dine?—O me! What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love. 180 Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate, O anything of nothing first create! O heavy lightness, serious vanity, Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms, Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, 185 Still-waking sleep that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh? BENVOLIO No, coz, I rather weep. ROMEO Good heart, at what? 190 BENVOLIO At thy good heart’s oppression. ROMEO Why, such is love’s transgression. Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, Which thou wilt propagate to have it pressed With more of thine. This love that thou hast shown 195 Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes; Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet, 200 A choking gall, and a preserving sweet. Farewell, my coz.	Cue Romeo's sighing, lamenting, and poetic musings. For a moment, it seems like he'll be fine when he asks Benvolio where they should grab lunch. But then he sees blood in the street (from the brawl) and goes into a downward spiral about how complex love is, so complex that it can inspire hate and grief. And, of course, lovesickness, which Romeo's clearly got bad. He says a bunch of depressing stuff and then tries to leave.
BENVOLIO Soft, I will go along. An if you leave me so, you do me wrong. ROMEO Tut, I have lost myself. I am not here. 205 This is not Romeo. He’s some other where. BENVOLIO Tell me in sadness, who is that you love? ROMEO What, shall I groan and tell thee? BENVOLIO Groan? Why, no. But sadly tell me who. ROMEO A sick man in sadness makes his will— 210 A word ill urged to one that is so ill. In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman. BENVOLIO I aimed so near when I supposed you loved. ROMEO A right good markman! And she’s fair I love. BENVOLIO A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit. 215	Benvolio tells Romeo to wait up—he'll walk with him. When Benvolio asks who it is that Romeo's so in love with, Romeo reveals that it is...a woman. Seeing as how this is heteronormative 16th century Verona, Benvolio pretty much had that part figured out. Romeo narrows it down by adding that she's pretty.
ROMEO Well in that hit you miss. She’ll not be hit With Cupid’s arrow. She hath Dian’s wit, And, in strong proof of chastity well armed, From love’s weak childish bow she lives uncharmed. She will not stay the siege of loving terms, 220 Nor bide th’ encounter of assailing eyes, Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold. O, she is rich in beauty, only poor That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store. BENVOLIO Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste? 225 ROMEO She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste; For beauty, starved with her severity, Cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair, To merit bliss by making me despair. 230 She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow Do I live dead, that live to tell it now.	Romeo reveals that his unavailable crush has taken a vow of chastity and he boo-hoos about the fact that the still unnamed beautiful girl will never have any beautiful children. (It also means that Romeo will never get to make out with her in the back seat of his car, if you know what we mean.) Brain Snack: Romeo has been acting like a typical "Petrarchan lover" in this scene. Petrarch was a fourteenth-century Italian poet whose sonnets were all the rage in Renaissance England. In fact, Shakespeare's own collection of Sonnets is, in part, inspired by Petrarch's love poetry, which was written about "Laura," a figure who was as unavailable and unattainable as Romeo's current crush.
BENVOLIO Be ruled by me. Forget to think of her. ROMEO O, teach me how I should forget to think! BENVOLIO By giving liberty unto thine eyes. 235 Examine other beauties. ROMEO ’Tis the way To call hers, exquisite, in question more. These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows, Being black, puts us in mind they hide the fair. 240 He that is strucken blind cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight lost. Show me a mistress that is passing fair; What doth her beauty serve but as a note Where I may read who passed that passing fair? 245 Farewell. Thou canst not teach me to forget. BENVOLIO I’ll pay that doctrine or else die in debt. They exit.	Benvolio tells his friend to get over it already, ugh. He says Romeo should look at other girls, but Romeo is skeptical. No one will compare. Benvolio disagrees and says he'll make Romeo forget his crush or die trying.

Romeo and Juliet: Act 1, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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