Ap. Green earthen pots, bladders, and musty seeds, Here lives a caitiff-wretch 'would sell it him." What, ho! Apothecary! The Apothecary enters. Who calls so loud? Rom. Come hither, man.-I see, that thou art poor; A dram of 'poison; such soon-speeding geara Rom. Art thou so bare, and full of wretchedness, [Exit Apoth. And drink it off; and, if you had the strength Of 'twenty men, it would dispatch you 'straight. Rom. There is thy 'gold; 'worse poison to men's 'souls,Doing more murders in this loathsome world,— Than these poor compounds that thou may'st not sell : Farewell; buy food, and get thyself in flesh.— To Juliet's grave;-for there 'must I use 'thee. [Exeunt. We hasten onwards to the churchyard, where, before the Capulets' monument, we find the bereaved Count Paris lamenting his lost bride, and his Page bearing flowers and a torch. Par. Give me thy torch, boy: Hence, and stand aloof ;Yet put it out, for I would not be seen. a quickly acting stuff. b O. R. starveth in. c O. R. pray. d kill. Under yon yew-trees lay thee all along, ... retires. [The Boy whistles. The boy gives warning some onea doth approach. See thou deliver it to my lord and father. But 'chiefly, to take thence, from her dead finger, In dear employment: therefore hence, be gone: And strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs. purse. [Exit Bal. Bal. I will be gone, sir, and not trouble you. Par. Stop thy unhallowed toil, vile Montague! a O. R. something. b loved, revered. c hungry. Condemned villain, I do 'apprehend thee: Par. I do 'defy thy conjurations,a And apprehend thee for a 'felon here. Rom. Wilt thou provoke me? then, have at thee, boy! The desperate Romeo, thus impelled to defend himself from arrest, fights with Paris: and the young Count is added to the victims of misfortune. In dying, he implores Romeo to grant him one consolation : Par. O, I am slain! [Falls.] If thou be merciful, Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet. Rom. In faith, I will.-Let me peruse this face: . For here lies Juliet! ... 0 my love! my wife! With 'worms that are thy chambermaids; O, here a entreaties (O. R. commiseration). b death by legal deed seizing everything. e conductor. [Dies. last! [Dies. Only a few moments elapse when the Friar, calculating the duration of Juliet's insensibility, hastens to the Monument that he may release her. Fri. Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night Have my old feet 'stumbled at 'graves!-Who's there? ... Romeo? O, dead!-Who else? What, Paris too? Jul. O comfortable Friar! ... Where is my lord? And there I 'am.-Where is my Romeo? The night watchmen from the city, aroused by Balthazar, are audibly approaching: Fri. I hear some noise!-Lady, come from that nest What 's here? a phial in my true love's hand? Yea, noise?-then I 'll be brief.-O happy dagger! stabs herself d Exit Friar. [Snatching Romeo's dagger. This is thy sheath; [] there rest, and let me die! [Dies. Juliet falls lifeless on Romeo's corpse. The Friar, revealing all, is forgiven by the Prince: and Capulet and Montague promise to raise a statue of pure gold to commemorate this tragedy of their children. How truly may we exclaim with the Prince-whether we contemplate the simplicity of the plot-its conduct-its poetry—or its power over the heart "There never was a story of more woe, END OF ROMEO AND JULIET. a the city guard. bO. R. a cup closed. C O. R. left. d O. R. rust. TROILUS AND CRESSIDA. This tragedy of "Troilus and Cressida" is supposed to have been founded on a lost composition, produced in 1599, named the "Tragedy of Agamemnon". In 1603, a play called "Troilus and Cressida (but without the author's name,) was entered in the Stationers' Register "As yt is acted by my Lord Chamberlen's Men;" but no copy is known to exist. In 1609, two publications appeared, both by William Shakespeare: and to one of these there is a curious eulogistic preface; stating that it is "a new play, never staled with the stage, never clapper-clawed with the palms of the vulgar, and yet passing full of the palm comical." It would thus appear that the play was printed before it was performed. The second copy, however, shows that it was acted at Shakespeare's theatre (the "Globe") in the same year, (1609).b It appears to have become the policy of the managers of the "Globe" not to print any of their partner's plays; so, with the exception of "King Lear" and "Troilus and Cressida ". '—no play of Shakespeare's was separately published after 1603. In the folio of 1623, this play is not included in the catalogue of the Tragedies, but it appears to have been hastily inserted (as an after-thought on the part of the Editors) between the last Historical play and the first Tragedy, having no connection with what precedes or follows: it is neither paged, nor signatured, nor divided into Acts and Scenes. The story is connected with that of the Siege of Troy in the twelfth century B. C.; not as eternized in the great Homeric poem, where the mighty combatants appear almost more than mortal; but, on the contrary, degrading them into common men, with their full share of frailties, weaknesses, and vices; while the heroines form marked exceptions to the general purity of Shake a That there was a preceding play, having the same name, is proved by the following extracts from Henslow's Diary: April 7, 1599. Lent unto Thomas Downton to lende unto Mr. Deckers and harey cheatell (Harry Chettle) in earnest of their boocke called Troyeles and Creassedaye, the some of iii lb." It appears, from a later entry, that the name of the Tragedy was changed before it was performed: "Lent unto Mr. Deckers and Mr. Chettel the 26 of maye, 1599, in earnest of a booke called Troylles and Creseda the sum of xx s." But in this entry a line is drawn through the name, and "the tragedie of Agamemnon " written over it. And again: "Paid unto the Master of the Revells man for lycensyng of a boocke called the Tragedie of Agamemnon, the 3 of June 1599, vii s." But these plays, if performed or printed, are no longer in existence. b The following are the rival title-pages to the same version (1609): (1) The Famous Historie of Troylus and Cresseid, excellently expressing the beginning of their loves, with the conceited wooing of Pandarus, Prince of Licia. Written by William Shakespeare." (2) The Historie of Troylus and Cresseida. As it was acted by the Kings Maiesties servants at the Globe Written by William Shakespeare." 130 |