Romeo and Juliet — Act 3, Scene 3in modern English, side by side
Friar Lawrence’s cell · Friar Lawrence, Romeo, Nurse
Friar Lawrence tells Romeo that the Prince has banished him rather than executed him for killing Tybalt, but Romeo considers exile from Verona — and from Juliet — worse than death and nearly kills himself in despair. The Nurse arrives with news that Juliet is equally distraught, and the Friar sends Romeo to spend the night with Juliet before fleeing to Mantua at dawn.
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Enter Friar Lawrence
Friar Lawrence
Romeo, come forth; come forth, thou fearful man.
Romeo, come out. Come out, you frightened man.
Affliction is enanmour’d of thy parts
And thou art wedded to calamity.
Trouble has fallen in love with your good qualities, and you're married to disaster.
Enter Romeo
Romeo
Father, what news?
Father, what news?
What is the Prince’s doom?
What has the Prince decided?
What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand,5
That I yet know not?
What new sorrow is waiting to meet me that I don't know about yet?
Friar Lawrence
Too familiar
Is my dear son with such sour company.
My dear son is far too familiar with such bitter company.
I bring thee tidings of the Prince’s doom.
I bring you news of the Prince's ruling.
Romeo
What less than doomsday is the Prince’s doom?10
What could the Prince's ruling be, short of the end of the world?
Friar Lawrence
A gentler judgment vanish’d from his lips,
Not body’s death, but body’s banishment.
A gentler judgment came from his lips than that — not death of the body, but banishment of the body.
Romeo
Ha, banishment?
Ha, banishment?
Be merciful, say death;
Be merciful — say death instead.
For exile hath more terror in his look,
Much more than death.15
Exile looks far more terrifying than death, much more.
Do not say banishment.15
Don't say banishment.
Friar Lawrence
Hence from Verona art thou banished.
You're banished from Verona from now on.
Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.
Be patient — the world is wide and open.
Romeo
There is no world without Verona walls,
But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
There's no world outside Verona's walls, only purgatory, torture, hell itself.
Hence banished is banish’d from the world,20
And world’s exile is death.
To be banished from here is to be banished from the world, and exile from the world is death.
Then banished
Is death misterm’d.
So 'banished' is just death by another name.
Calling death banished,
Thou cutt’st my head off with a golden axe,
And smilest upon the stroke that murders me.
By calling death 'banishment,' you're cutting off my head with a golden axe and smiling at the blow that kills me.
Friar Lawrence
O deadly sin, O rude unthankfulness!25
Oh, what a deadly sin, what rude ingratitude!
Thy fault our law calls death, but the kind Prince,
Taking thy part, hath brush’d aside the law,
And turn’d that black word death to banishment.
Our law calls your crime death, but the kind Prince, taking your side, brushed the law aside and turned that grim word 'death' into 'banishment.'
This is dear mercy, and thou see’st it not.
This is genuine mercy, and you don't even see it.
Romeo
’Tis torture, and not mercy.30
It's torture, not mercy.
Heaven is here30
Where Juliet lives, and every cat and dog,
And little mouse, every unworthy thing,
Live here in heaven and may look on her,
But Romeo may not.
Heaven is here, wherever Juliet lives, and every cat and dog and little mouse, every worthless creature, lives here in heaven and gets to look at her — but Romeo may not.
More validity,
More honourable state, more courtship lives35
In carrion flies than Romeo.
Carrion flies have more worth, more honor, more standing than Romeo does.
They may seize
On the white wonder of dear Juliet’s hand,
And steal immortal blessing from her lips,
Who, even in pure and vestal modesty
Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin.40
They can land on the pure wonder of dear Juliet's hand and steal an immortal blessing from her lips — lips that, even in pure, virgin modesty, still blush as though thinking their own kisses were sinful.
But Romeo may not, he is banished.
But Romeo may not; he's banished.
This may flies do, when I from this must fly.
Flies are allowed to do this while I must flee from it.
They are free men but I am banished.
They are free, but I am banished.
And say’st thou yet that exile is not death?
And you still say that exile isn't death?
Hadst thou no poison mix’d, no sharp-ground knife,45
No sudden mean of death, though ne’er so mean,
But banished to kill me?
Didn't you have some poison mixed, some sharp knife, some quick means of death, however low, rather than killing me with 'banished'?
Banished?
Banished?
O Friar, the damned use that word in hell.
Howling attends it.
Oh, Friar, the damned use that word in hell — it's followed by howling.
How hast thou the heart,
Being a divine, a ghostly confessor,50
A sin-absolver, and my friend profess’d,
To mangle me with that word banished?
How can you have the heart, being a man of God, a spiritual confessor, one who absolves sins, and my professed friend, to tear me apart with that word 'banished'?
Friar Lawrence
Thou fond mad man, hear me speak a little,
You foolish, distraught man — listen to me for a moment.
Romeo
O, thou wilt speak again of banishment.
Oh, you're going to talk about banishment again.
Friar Lawrence
I’ll give thee armour to keep off that word,55
Adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy,
To comfort thee, though thou art banished.
I'll give you armor to defend against that word — philosophy, the sweet nourishment that comes from hardship — to comfort you even though you're banished.
Romeo
Yet banished?
Still banished?
Hang up philosophy.
Forget philosophy.
Unless philosophy can make a Juliet,
Displant a town, reverse a Prince’s doom,60
It helps not, it prevails not, talk no more.
Unless philosophy can conjure up a Juliet, move a whole town, or reverse a Prince's ruling, it's useless — it accomplishes nothing. Say no more.
Friar Lawrence
O, then I see that mad men have no ears.
Oh, now I see that madmen have no ears.
Romeo
How should they, when that wise men have no eyes?
How could they, when wise men have no eyes?
Friar Lawrence
Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.
Let me reason with you about your situation.
Romeo
Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel.65
You can't speak about something you don't feel.
Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love,
An hour but married, Tybalt murdered,
Doting like me, and like me banished,
Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair,
And fall upon the ground as I do now,70
Taking the measure of an unmade grave.
If you were as young as I am, with Juliet as your love, married only an hour, having just killed Tybalt, in love the way I am, and banished the way I am, then you might be able to speak — then you might tear your hair out and fall to the ground the way I'm doing now, measuring out the length of your own unmade grave.
_Knocking within._
Friar Lawrence
Arise; one knocks.
Get up, someone's knocking.
Good Romeo, hide thyself.
Good Romeo, hide yourself.
Romeo
Not I, unless the breath of heartsick groans
Mist-like infold me from the search of eyes.
Not I — unless the breath of my heartsick groans wraps me in mist and hides me from anyone's eyes.
_Knocking._
Friar Lawrence
Hark, how they knock!75
Listen how hard they're knocking!
—Who’s there?75
Who's there?
—Romeo, arise,75
Thou wilt be taken.
Romeo, get up, you'll be caught.
—Stay awhile.
Wait a moment.
—Stand up.
Stand up.
_Knocking._
Friar Lawrence
Run to my study.
Run to my study.
—By-and-by.
Just a moment!
—God’s will,
What simpleness is this.
Good Lord, what foolishness is this.
—I come, I come.
I'm coming, I'm coming.
_Knocking._
Friar Lawrence
Who knocks so hard?
Who's knocking so hard?
Whence come you, what’s your will?
Where have you come from, and what do you want?
Within.
Nurse
Let me come in, and you shall know my errand80
Let me in, and you'll hear my errand.
I come from Lady Juliet.
I come from Lady Juliet.
Friar Lawrence
Welcome then.
Welcome, then.
Enter Nurse
Nurse
O holy Friar, O, tell me, holy Friar,
Where is my lady’s lord, where’s Romeo?
Oh holy Friar, oh, tell me, holy Friar, where is my lady's husband? Where's Romeo?
Friar Lawrence
There on the ground, with his own tears made drunk.85
There on the ground, drunk on his own tears.
Nurse
O, he is even in my mistress’ case.
Just in her case!
Oh, he's in exactly the same state as my mistress — exactly the same!
O woeful sympathy!
Oh, what a sad match of feeling!
Piteous predicament.
A pitiful situation.
Even so lies she,
Blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubbering.
She lies just the same, sobbing and weeping, weeping and sobbing.
Stand up, stand up; stand, and you be a man.90
Stand up, stand up — stand, if you're a man!
For Juliet’s sake, for her sake, rise and stand.
For Juliet's sake, for her sake, rise and stand.
Why should you fall into so deep an O?
Why should you collapse into such deep despair?
Romeo
Nurse.
Nurse.
Nurse
Ah sir, ah sir, death’s the end of all.
Ah, sir, ah sir — death comes to us all in the end.
Romeo
Spakest thou of Juliet?95
Were you speaking of Juliet?
How is it with her?95
How is she?
Doth not she think me an old murderer,
Now I have stain’d the childhood of our joy
With blood remov’d but little from her own?
Doesn't she think me a hardened murderer now, having stained the innocence of our joy with blood that's barely different from her own?
Where is she?
Where is she?
And how doth she?
How is she doing?
And what says
My conceal’d lady to our cancell’d love?100
And what does my secret wife say about our ruined love?
Nurse
O, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps;
Oh, she says nothing, sir, just weeps and weeps.
And now falls on her bed, and then starts up,
And Tybalt calls, and then on Romeo cries,
And then down falls again.
Then she falls on her bed, then jumps up again, cries out for Tybalt, then cries out for Romeo, and then falls down again.
Romeo
As if that name,105
Shot from the deadly level of a gun,
Did murder her, as that name’s cursed hand
Murder’d her kinsman.
As if that name, fired from the deadly barrel of a gun, murdered her — the same way that name's cursed hand murdered her kinsman.
O, tell me, Friar, tell me,
In what vile part of this anatomy
Doth my name lodge?110
Oh, tell me, Friar, tell me, in what vile part of this body does my name live?
Tell me, that I may sack110
The hateful mansion.
Tell me, so I can tear out that hateful place.
_Drawing his sword._
Friar Lawrence
Hold thy desperate hand.
Stop that reckless hand.
Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art.
Thy tears are womanish, thy wild acts denote
The unreasonable fury of a beast.115
Are you a man? Your shape says you are, but your tears are womanish, and your wild behavior shows the senseless fury of an animal.
Unseemly woman in a seeming man,
And ill-beseeming beast in seeming both!
An unbecoming woman in the shape of a man, and an ugly beast wearing the form of both!
Thou hast amaz’d me.
You've astonished me.
By my holy order,
I thought thy disposition better temper’d.
By my holy vows, I thought your character was better balanced than this.
Hast thou slain Tybalt?120
Have you killed Tybalt?
Wilt thou slay thyself?120
And slay thy lady, that in thy life lives,
By doing damned hate upon thyself?
Now will you kill yourself, and kill your wife too — who lives only through you — by committing this damned violence against yourself?
Why rail’st thou on thy birth, the heaven and earth?
Since birth, and heaven and earth, all three do meet
In thee at once; which thou at once wouldst lose.125
Why do you curse your birth, and heaven, and earth, when birth and heaven and earth all meet together in you at once, and you'd throw all three away at once?
Fie, fie, thou sham’st thy shape, thy love, thy wit,
Shame, shame — you disgrace your good looks, your love, and your intelligence.
Which, like a usurer, abound’st in all,
And usest none in that true use indeed
Which should bedeck thy shape, thy love, thy wit.
Like a miser, you have plenty of all three, yet you use none of them for their true purpose, the purpose that should decorate your looks, your love, your intelligence.
Thy noble shape is but a form of wax,130
Digressing from the valour of a man;
Your fine appearance is nothing but a wax figure if it lacks a man's courage.
Thy dear love sworn but hollow perjury,
Killing that love which thou hast vow’d to cherish;
Your deeply sworn love is nothing but hollow perjury if it kills the very love you vowed to cherish.
Thy wit, that ornament to shape and love,
Misshapen in the conduct of them both,135
Like powder in a skilless soldier’s flask,
Is set afire by thine own ignorance,
And thou dismember’d with thine own defence.
Your intelligence, which should adorn both your looks and your love, is twisted in how you use it — like gunpowder in a careless soldier's flask, set off by his own carelessness, and you're blown apart by the very weapon meant to defend you.
What, rouse thee, man.
Come now, snap out of it, man.
Thy Juliet is alive,
For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead.140
Your Juliet is alive — the very woman for whose sake you were ready to die just moments ago.
There art thou happy.
There you are lucky.
Tybalt would kill thee,
But thou slew’st Tybalt; there art thou happy.
Tybalt would have killed you, but you killed Tybalt instead — there you are lucky.
The law that threaten’d death becomes thy friend,
And turns it to exile; there art thou happy.
The law that threatened you with death has become your friend and turned that sentence into exile — there you are lucky.
A pack of blessings light upon thy back;145
Happiness courts thee in her best array;
A whole stack of blessings has landed on your shoulders; happiness is courting you in her finest clothes.
But like a misshaped and sullen wench,
Thou putt’st up thy Fortune and thy love.
But like a spoiled, sullen girl, you're turning away your own good fortune and your love.
Take heed, take heed, for such die miserable.
Be careful, be careful — people who do that die miserable.
Go, get thee to thy love as was decreed,150
Go, get to your love as was planned.
Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her.
Climb up to her room, go comfort her.
But look thou stay not till the watch be set,
For then thou canst not pass to Mantua;
Where thou shalt live till we can find a time
To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends,155
Beg pardon of the Prince, and call thee back
With twenty hundred thousand times more joy
Than thou went’st forth in lamentation.
But make sure you don't linger until the night watch is set, because then you won't be able to get through to Mantua, where you'll live until we can find the right time to announce your marriage, reconcile your families, beg the Prince's pardon, and call you back with twenty hundred thousand times more joy than you left with in grief.
Go before, Nurse.
Go ahead, Nurse.
Commend me to thy lady,
And bid her hasten all the house to bed,160
Which heavy sorrow makes them apt unto.
Give my regards to your lady, and tell her to hurry the whole household to bed, which their heavy sorrow makes them ready to do anyway.
Romeo is coming.
Romeo is coming.
Nurse
O Lord, I could have stay’d here all the night
To hear good counsel.
Oh Lord, I could have stayed here all night listening to such good advice.
O, what learning is!
Oh, what a wonderful thing wisdom is!
My lord, I’ll tell my lady you will come.165
My lord, I'll tell my lady that you're coming.
Romeo
Do so, and bid my sweet prepare to chide.
Do that, and tell my love to get ready to scold me.
Nurse
Here sir, a ring she bid me give you, sir.
Here, sir — a ring she asked me to give you, sir.
Hie you, make haste, for it grows very late.
Hurry, make haste, it's getting very late.
_Exit._
Romeo
How well my comfort is reviv’d by this.
How much better I feel now, thanks to this.
Friar Lawrence
Go hence, good night, and here stands all your state:170
Either be gone before the watch be set,
Or by the break of day disguis’d from hence.
Go on now, good night — and here is your whole situation in short: either leave before the night watch is set, or slip away in disguise at dawn.
Sojourn in Mantua.
Stay in Mantua.
I’ll find out your man,
And he shall signify from time to time
Every good hap to you that chances here.175
I'll find your servant, and he'll keep you informed from time to time of every good thing that happens here.
Give me thy hand; ’tis late; farewell; good night.
Give me your hand — it's late. Farewell, good night.
Romeo
But that a joy past joy calls out on me,
It were a grief so brief to part with thee.
If a joy greater than any other weren't calling me away, it would grieve me terribly to leave you so quickly.
Farewell.
Farewell.
_Exeunt._
Famous lines in this scene
“Hence banished is banish’d from the world,” line 20
Romeo argues that being banished from Verona is the same as death, since to him Verona is the whole world — it's the only place Juliet lives. The line shows how completely Romeo's identity now depends on Juliet's presence, and sets up his refusal to accept the Friar's 'mercy.'
“Thou fond mad man, hear me speak a little,” line 53
The Friar tries to calm Romeo's despair with reason, previewing the play's recurring clash between youthful passion and older, more measured counsel. Romeo's refusal to listen ('hang up philosophy') foreshadows how his impulsiveness will keep outrunning good advice until it is too late.
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