Bertie's Paraphrases of Famous Scenes from Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2 (The Balcony Scene)

These paraphrases are Shakespeare re-written to make him more easily readable. Of course, this process destroys much of the poetry; and so I have divided the dialogue into sentences rather than lines of verse.

The characters in this scene are Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. They met for the first time earlier in the evening at a party given by Juliet's father and fell in love at first sight, though both were masked. Unfortunately, their families are enemies. After leaving the party Romeo ran from his friends when they began mocking him for, as they saw it, imagining himself to be in love. The first line in this scene is Romeo's comment on their mocking. He has just climbed over a wall into the garden below Juliet's bedroom window.

[Enter Romeo]

ROMEO: He jests at scars who never felt a wound.

[Enter Juliet onto the balcony]

: But hush!
: What light is breaking through yonder window?
: It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!
: Rise fair sun, and kill the envious moon, that's already
sick and pale with grief, that you, her maid, are far more fair than
she.
[Note: the goddess of the moon, Diana, was also the goddess of virginity. By calling Juliet the moon's maid he means she is a virgin.]

: Don't be her maid, since she's envious; her virgin dress is
merely sick and silly, and none except fools wear it; throw it off.

: It is my lady; oh, it is my love!
: Oh, I wish that she knew she were!
: She is speaking [to herself], yet she is saying nothing; what of
that?
: Her look's conversing, I'll answer it.
: I'm too bold; it's not to me she's speaking.
: Two of the fairest stars in all the heavens, having some business
elsewhere, beg her eyes to twinkle in their places 'til they return.
: What if her eyes were there, and they were in her head?
: The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, as daylight
does a lamp.
: Her face in heaven would shine through the airy region so brightly,
that birds would sing and think it were not night.
: See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
: Oh I wish I were a glove upon that hand, so that I might touch that
cheek!

JULIET [sighing] Ah me!

ROMEO: She's speaking.
: Oh speak again, bright angel, for you are as glorious to this night,
being over my head, as is a winged messenger of heaven to the white-
upturned wondering eyes of mortals, who fall back to gaze on him
when he strides the lazy-paced clouds that sail upon the bosom of
the air.

JULIET: Oh Romeo, Romeo!
: Why are you called 'Romeo'?
: Deny your father, and reject your name; or, if you won't, just be my
sworn love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.

ROMEO [aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

JULIET: It's only your name that's my enemy.
: You are yourself though, not a Montague.
: What's 'Montague'?
: It isn't hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
belonging to a man.
: Oh, be some other name!
: What's in a name?
: That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet;
so would Romeo, were he not called Romeo, retain that dear
perfection that he owns, without that title.
: Romeo, drop your name, and [in exchange] for your name, which is no
part of you, take all of myself!

ROMEO [aloud] I take you at your word.
: Just call me 'love', and I'll be newly baptised; from then I'll never
be Romeo.

JULIET [realising someone is there]: What man are you, who, screened off like
that by the night, has stumbled on my thoughts?

ROMEO: By name I don't know how to tell you who I am.
: My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, because it's an enemy to
you.
: If I had it written, I'd tear the word.

JULIET: My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's utterance,
yet I know the sound.
: Aren't you Romeo, and a Montague?

ROMEO: Neither, fair maid, if you dislike either.

JULIET: How did you come here, tell me, and why?
: The orchard walls are high and hard to climb; and the place is deadly,
considering who you are, if any of my kinsmen find you here.

ROMEO: With love's light wings I overflew those walls; for stony limits cannot
keep love out; and what love can do, love dares attempt; therefore your
kinsmen are no stop to me.

JULIET: If they see you, they'll murder you.

ROMEO: Alas, there's more peril in your eyes than in twenty of their swords.
: Just you look sweetly at me, and it'll protect me against their enmity.

JULIET: I'd not have them see you here for the world.

ROMEO: I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes; and, if only you'll
love me, let them find me here: it would be better my life were ended
by their hate than my death postponed and life lacking your love.

JULIET: From whose directions did you find this place?

ROMEO: From Love, who first prompted me to inquire; he lent me advice, and I
lent him eyes.
[Note: by "I lent him eyes" he is referring to the myth that Love (Cupid) wears a blindfold.]

: I'm no navigator; yet, if you were as far away as that vast shore
washed by the farthest sea, I'd venture for such merchandise.

JULIET: You know the mask of night is on my face, else a maiden's blush would
paint my cheek because of that which you've heard me speak tonight.
: I should dwell on formality, should, should deny what I've spoken; but
farewell conformity!
: Do you love me?
: I know you'll say 'yes'; and I'll take your word; yet if you swear,
you may prove false.
: They say Jove laughs at lovers' lies.
: Oh gentle Romeo, if you do love, pronounce it faithfully; or if you
think that I'm too quickly won, I'll frown, and be contrary, and say
no to you, so you'll woo; but, otherwise, not for the world.
: In truth, fair Montague, I'm too smitten; and therefore you may think
my behaviour frivolous: but trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true
than those who have more cunning to be cool.
: I would have been more cool, I must confess, were it not that you
overheard me before I was aware.
: Pardon me, therefore, for my true love's passion; and don't put this
yielding, which the darkness of night has revealed, down to lightness
of love.

ROMEO: Lady, by yonder blessed moon, that tips with silver all these fruit-
tree tops, I swear.

JULIET: Oh don't swear by the moon, the inconstant moon, that changes monthly
in her circled orbit, in case your love proves likewise variable.

ROMEO: What shall I swear by?

JULIET: Don't swear at all; or, if you will, swear by your gracious self,
which is the god of my idol-worship, and I'll believe you.

ROMEO: If my heart's dear love...

JULIET: Wait, don't swear.
: Although I have joy in you, I have no joy in this contract tonight;
it's too rash, too ill-advised, too sudden; too like the lightning,
which ceases to be before one can say it lightens.
: Sweet, good night!
: This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, may prove a beautiful
flower when next we meet.
: Good night, good night; may as sweet relaxation and rest come to your
heart as that within my breast!

ROMEO: Oh, will you leave me so unsatisfied?

JULIET: What satisfaction can you have tonight?

ROMEO: The exchange of your love's faithful vow for mine.

JULIET: I gave you mine before you requested it; and yet I wish it were to be
given again.

ROMEO: Do you want to withdraw it?
: For what purpose, love?

JULIET: Only to be emphatic and give it to you again.
: And yet I wish only for the thing I already have.
: My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give
to you, the more I have, for both are infinite.

[Hearing her nursemaid call]: I hear some noise inside.
: Dear love, adieu!
: Coming, good nurse!
: Sweet Montague, be true.
: Wait just a little; I'll come back again.

[Exit Juliet]

ROMEO: Oh blessed, blessed night!
: I'm afraid, being in night, that all this is merely a dream, too
flattering-sweet to be real.

[Re-enter Juliet]

JULIET: Three words, dear Romeo, and then good night indeed.
: If your course of love is honourable, your purpose marriage, send me
word tomorrow via someone I'll get to come to you, where, and what
time, you will perform the rite [of marriage]; and all my fortunes
I'll lay at your foot, and follow you my lord throughout the world.

NURSEMAID [Calling from inside] Madam!

JULIET: I'm coming soon.
: But if you don't mean well, I do beg you...

NURSEMAID: Madam!

JULIET: Presently; I'm coming.
:...To cease your suit, and leave me to my grief.
: Tomorrow I'll send to you.

ROMEO: So thrives my soul...

JULIET: A thousand times, good night!

[Exit Juliet]

ROMEO: A thousand times the worse, to lack your light.
: Love goes toward love like schoolboys go from their books; but love
goes from love toward learning sad looks.

[Exit Romeo, then re-enter Juliet]

JULIET: Hiss!
: Romeo, hiss!
: Oh for a falcon-tamer's voice, to lure this tasselled gentleman back
again!
[Note: trained falcons were decorated with identifying tassels.]

: Bondage is hoarse and may not speak aloud, otherwise I'd rip [with
my yell] the cave where Echo lies, and make her airy tongue more
hoarse than mine from repetition of my Romeo's name.
: Romeo!
[Note: by 'bondage' she means the strict care with which her family watches over her]

[Re-enter Romeo]

ROMEO: It's my soul [= my lover] that calls out my name.
: How silver-sweet sound lover's tongues at night, like softest music to
listening ears!

JULIET: Romeo!

ROMEO: My chick?

JULIET: What time tomorrow shall I send to you?

ROMEO: By the hour of nine.

JULIET: I won't fail.
: It's twenty years 'til then.
: I've forgotten why I called you back.

ROMEO: Let me stand here, 'til you remember it.

JULIET: I'll forget, having you standing there, from remembering how I love
your company.

ROMEO: And I'll still stay, to have you still forget, forgetting any home but
this.

JULIET: It's almost morning.
: I'd have you gone; and yet no farther than a girl's pet bird, who lets
it hop a little from her hand, like a poor prisoner in his twisted
shackles, and with a silk thread plucks it back agian, so lovingly
jealous of its liberty.

ROMEO: I wish I were your bird.

JULIET: Sweet, so do I.
: Yet I'd kill you with too much cherishing.
: Good night, good night; parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall
say good night 'til it be morrow.

[Exit Juliet]

ROMEO: May sleep dwell on your eyes, and peace in your breast!
: I wish I were sleep and peace, so sweetly to rest!

: The grey-eyed morning is smiling on the frowning night, patterning the
eastern clouds with streaks of light; and flecked darkness is
staggering home like a drunkard, out of day's way, and of Titan's fiery
wheels.
[Note: in Greek mythology, the titan Helios, the sun god, was said to appear in a fiery chariot each morning.]

: Away I'll go now to my spiritual father's [father confessor's] cell, to
beg his help, and to tell my dear news.

[Exit Romeo]
[End of scene]