Romeo and Juliet. Othello / Ромео и Джульетта. Отелло

The Prince demanded to know what had happened. Benvolio stepped forward and, while Lady Capulet loudly lamented over the body of her nephew Tybalt, told the Prince how Tybalt had first slain Mercutio and afterwards fallen before Romeo’s attack.

Then the Prince ordered Romeo to leave Verona immediately and never return. And Romeo will be banished! This hateful quarrel destroyed one of his own kin, and he showed no mercy.

It was now early evening. Juliet sat in her bedroom, watching the sun moving so slowly towards the west, and waiting impatiently for night and her beloved Romeo. Her thoughts of love were interrupted by the nurse, who came into the room wringing her hands and lamenting.

Juliet’s first question was to ask whether she had brought the ladder of cords. The nurse laid them down, but kept on weeping and moaning. Juliet asked her what was wrong.

“Ah,” she cried, “he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead! He’s gone, he’s killed, he’s dead!”

Juliet’s first thought was that Romeo had killed himself, and especially as the old woman went on, “O Romeo, Romeo, poor Romeo!”

Juliet demanded,

“If he is slain, say so; if not, say no.”

“I saw the wound,” lamented the nurse, “I saw it with my own eyes, here on his breast. O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had.”

This made Juliet more bewildered to know who was dead, whether Romeo or Tybalt. At last the nurse said clearly,

“Tybalt is gone and Romeo banished; Romeo that killed him.”

“O God!” cried Juliet in horror, for she loved her hot-tempered cousin dearly. “Did Romeo kill Tybalt?”

“He did, he did,” moaned the nurse.

Tybalt’s death was bitter to Juliet, but Romeo’s banishment bitterer. The old nurse was touched by Juliet’s grief.

“You go to your chamber,” she said, “I’ll find your Romeo to comfort you. I know where he is; he is hidden at Friar Laurence’s cell. He’ll be with you tonight.”

At these words Juliet dried her eyes and gave the nurse a ring to give Romeo.

Meanwhile Romeo was hiding in the friar’s cell. The friar went into the city and there learned the Prince’s sentence^[15]. When Romeo heard that he was banished, he flung himself on the ground in wild, unrestrained grief. The friar tried to comfort him. He listened to no reasons but continued to sob and groan, and he was still in this state when the nurse arrived at the cell.

She urged him to go to Juliet. At the sound of her name he rose and asked where she was.

Then the friar bade him go to Juliet secretly, as had been planned, but to steal away from Verona in the morning before it was too late. Thence he must fly to Mantua until his friends could publish the marriage and win his pardon from the Prince. Meanwhile the nurse must go back to the house and persuade all to go to bed. So the nurse gave Romeo Juliet’s ring and hurried away. After a while Romeo bade farewell to the friar, made his way into Verona, and climbed into Capulet’s orchard. The ladder of cords was ready for him. He mounted silently.

It was now very late; but neither old Capulet nor his wife was in bed. The old man was greatly grieved at the events of the day, not only for himself but for Juliet’s sake. He knew that she loved her cousin Tybalt dearly, and he tried to distract her sorrow. He sent for Count Paris. He knew that a young nobleman Paris wanted to marry Juliet. And if they marry, Juliet will forget the death of her cousin and find happiness again. Though there was no time for Paris to talk to Juliet. Therefore, he explained, he wanted to wed them as soon as possible: Wednesday maybe, or, if that was too soon, let it be Thursday. So they agreed. Capulet asked his wife to tell Juliet to be ready for her wedding. He called for lights and went up to bed.

Juliet did not know about her father’s plans. When Romeo visited her secretly that night in her room, they spoke only of their love and of Romeo’s departure.

There was a gentle knock at the door. It was the old nurse come to warn the lovers that Lady Capulet was on the way. Juliet opened the window. Romeo gave her one kiss and then began to climb down; and so sadly they parted.

When Lady Capulet came into the room she found Juliet in tears. She supposed the tears were caused by Tybalt’s death, and that Romeo, his murderer, escaped. Then Lady Capulet said that she came to bring good news.

“Well, child,” said Lady Capulet, “your careful father prepared an unexpected day of joy for you.”

“What day is that?” asked Juliet.

“Next Thursday,” went on her mother, “the gallant young nobleman Count Paris at St. Peter’s Church will make you his bride.”

Juliet jumped up in horror and anger.

“No! I wonder at this haste. Please tell my father that I will not marry yet; and when I do, it will be Romeo, rather than Paris.”

Lady Capulet was disgusted.

“Here comes your father,” she said. “Tell him everything.”

Old Capulet came into the room, expecting to find Juliet happy and excited; but he saw her new tears. Turning to Lady Capulet, he asked,

“Did you tell her our decision?”

“Yes,” answered Lady Capulet peevishly, “and she refuses.”

“What!” said Capulet. “What! She refuses! She will not marry! Does she not thank us? Is she not proud? We have persuaded so worthy a gentleman to be her bridegroom!”

When Juliet tried to talk to her father, he entirely lost his temper and shouted at her. She must get herself ready to be married on Thursday or he will drag her to church on a hurdle. He was very violent in his rage. If she does not marry he will throw her out of his house and let her starve! And he will never acknowledge her as his daughter! With that he flung out of the room. Lady Capulet was disgusted that after all their trouble her daughter rejected Paris so lightly.

Juliet begged nurse for comfort and advice. But the nurse had little to give her. Romeo was banished and never dared come back. Juliet must marry the count – he was a lovely gentleman, that was her nurse’s advice. So Juliet saw that no one wanted to help her. Maybe the friar? She asked the nurse to tell her mother that she was going to Friar Laurence.

When Juliet reached the friar’s cell, Count Paris was there. He came to summon Friar Laurence to make the marriage between Juliet and himself. The friar was greatly troubled at this hasty decision, yet he dared not refuse Paris. Paris made her gallant speeches, but she put him off and went in to make her confession to the friar. The friar thought for a while and told her a desperate plan.

He asked Juliet if she could face death to be with Romeo. Of course she will do anything, however violent or horrible! So the friar gave her a little bottle and said:

“Go home. Consent to marry Paris. Tomorrow is Wednesday. Tomorrow night, when you are in bed, take this phial and drink off the contents, and at once a coldness will run through your limbs. Your pulse will cease; your cheek will grow pale; and in this state you will remain for forty-two hours; and then you will awake as from a pleasant sleep. Now, when the bridegroom comes to rouse you in the morning, they will think that you are dead. Then, after the custom, you will be dressed in your best robes and carried to burial in the ancient family tomb. In the meantime, my letter to Romeo will tell him what happened. He will rush to the tomb and when you awake from your sleep, the two of you can escape to Mantua^[16].”

With the friar’s blessing and a prayer, Juliet left him. When she reached home, old Capulet was bustling the servants to get ready for the wedding feast.

“Where were you?” asked her father.

“I met Friar Laurence, and I changed my mind. I’ll do what you suggest”, answered Juliet. And she knelt for her father’s blessing.

Capulet was pleased by this change. He prepared the wedding for the next morning. Off he went himself to tell Count Paris.

Juliet meanwhile went up to her chamber with the nurse to prepare her best dress for the wedding. Then she told the nurse to leave her.

As soon as she was alone she took out the phial and looked at it. She was afraid. Was it poison? Will she really die? No! The friar is a holy man and can not deceive her.

“Romeo, Romeo,” she cried, “I drink to thee!”

So she drank the potion, and almost at once she fell senseless upon her bed.

The next morning Capulet told the nurse to go in and wake Juliet. The nurse went up to the chamber and drew the curtains. Then she went towards Juliet and saw that she was lying on the bed, dressed in all her clothes. But Juliet did not answer. The nurse shook Juliet; she was stiff and cold. The nurse ran out. She was screaming that Juliet was dead.

Capulet and his wife rushed to the bedroom. They looked at her, and felt that she was indeed cold. Their rejoicing was turned in a moment to lamentation, and the wedding guests went sadly home, to prepare for the funeral.

That time Romeo was in Mantua and was waiting anxiously for a letter from Friar Laurence; but it did not come. At last his man rode up to Romeo’s lodgings from Verona. Romeo eagerly asked him for news of Juliet. The man heard of Juliet’s death on her wedding-day. They were carrying her to the tomb.

Unfortunately Romeo heard this tragic news before the friar’s letter. Romeo at once asked the man to ride back to Verona that night. Then he went to a poor apothecary. He knocked at the door. The man came out timidly. Romeo demanded a poison, very swift in its effects. The apothecary was frightened at his request, but Romeo insisted. And at the sight of gold, forty ducats in gold, the apothecary brought out his powder, thrust it hurriedly into Romeo’s hands, and shut the door upon him.