No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

Act 4 (Completed Scene 1-5)

Act 4 Scene 1

FRIAR LAWRENCE and PARIS enter.

FRIAR LAWRENCE
On Thursday, sir? That's very soon.

PARIS
That's how my future father-in-law Capulet wants it, and I'm not dragging my feet.

FRIAR LAWRENCE
You say you don't know what the girl thinks. That's a rocky road to be riding. I don't like it.

PARIS
She's grieving too much over the death of Tybalt. So I haven't had the chance to talk to her about love. Romantic love doesn't happen when people are in mourning. Now, sir, her father thinks it's dangerous that she allows herself to become so sad. He's being smart by rushing our marriage to stop her from crying. She cries too much by herself. If she had someone to be with her, she would stop crying. Now you know the reason for the rush.

FRIAR LAWRENCE
(to himself) I wish I didn't know the reason why the marriage should be slowed down.
Look, sir, here comes the lady walking toward my cell.

JULIET enters.

PARIS
I'm happy to meet you, my lady and my wife.

JULIET
That might be the case sir, after I'm married.

PARIS
That "may be" must be, love, on Thursday.

JULIET
What must be will be.

FRIAR LAWRENCE
That is a certain truth.

PARIS
Have you come to make confession to this father?

JULIET
If I answered that question, I'd be making confession to you.

PARIS
Don't deny to him that you love me.

JULIET
I'll confess to you that I love him.

PARIS
You will also confess, I'm sure, that you love me.

JULIET
If I do so, it will mean more if I say it behind your back than if I say it to your face.

PARIS
You poor soul, your face has suffered many tears.

JULIET
The tears haven't done much because my face looked bad enough before I started to cry.

PARIS
You're treating your face even worse by saying that.

JULIET
What I say isn't slander, sir. It's the truth. And what I said, I said to my face.

PARIS
Your face is mine, and you have slandered it.

JULIET
That may be the case, because my face doesn't belong to me.—Do you have time for me now, Father, or should I come to you at evening mass?

FRIAR LAWRENCE
I have time for you now, my sad daughter. (to PARIS) My lord, we must ask you to leave us alone.

PARIS
God forbid that I should prevent sacred devotion! Juliet, I will wake you early on Thursday. (kissing her) Until then, good-bye, and keep this holy kiss.

PARIS exits.

JULIET
Oh, shut the door, and after you shut it, come over here and weep with me. This mess is beyond hope, beyond cure, beyond help!

FRIAR LAWRENCE
Oh, Juliet, I already know about your sad situation. It's a problem too hard for me to solve. I hear that you must marry this count on Thursday, and that nothing can delay it.

JULIET
Don't tell me that you've heard about this marriage, Friar, unless you can tell me how to prevent it. If you who are so wise can't help, please be kind enough to call my solution wise. (she shows him a knife) And I'll solve the problem now with this knife. God joined my heart to Romeo's. You joined our hands. And before I—who was married to Romeo by you—am married to another man, I'll kill myself. You are wise and you have so much experience. Give me some advice about the current situation. Or watch. Caught between these two difficulties, I'll act like a judge with my bloody knife. I will truly and honorably resolve the situation that you can't fix, despite your experience and education. Don't wait long to speak. I want to die if what you say isn't another solution.