Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 1

Romeo and Juliet
Act II, Scene 1

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Shakespeare
for Scholars: Shakespeare
for Everyone Else:

A lane by the wall of Capulet's orchard.
Enter ROMEO

ROMEO
Can I go forward when my heart is here?
Turn back, dull earth, and find thy centre out.

He climbs the wall,
and leaps down within it.

It is later, the same night.
Hours after the Capulet's party, Romeo runs down a street by a wall, and suddenly begins to climb. He "leaps" and climbs over the wall. He is sneaking into Juliet’s backyard, which is an orchard.

Enter BENVOLIO and MERCUTIO.

BENVOLIO
Romeo! my cousin Romeo!

MERCUTIO
He is wise;
And, on my lie, hath stol'n him home to bed.

BENVOLIO
He ran this way, and leap'd this orchard wall:
Call, good Mercutio.

Romeo’s friends, Mercutio and Benvolio, follow Romeo down the street. Apparently, Romeo has given them the “slip,” and "ditched" them for the evening.
Mercutio and Benvolio are trying to find the young lad, perhaps for some late-night fun.
Mercutio calls for Romeo. So does Benvolio.

MERCUTIO
Nay, I'll conjure too.
Romeo! humours! madman! passion! lover!
Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh:
Speak but one rhyme, and I am satisfied;
Cry but 'Ay me!' pronounce but 'love' and 'dove;'
Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word,
One nick-name for her purblind son and heir,
Young Adam Cupid, he that shot so trim,
When King Cophetua loved the beggar-maid!
He heareth not, he stirreth not, he moveth not;
The ape is dead, and I must conjure him.
I conjure thee by Rosaline's bright eyes,
By her high forehead and her scarlet lip,
By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh
And the demesnes that there adjacent lie,
That in thy likeness thou appear to us!

BENVOLIO
And if he hear thee, thou wilt anger him.

When this does not work, Mercutio pretends to be some sort of psychic, or a medium, or a witch. He pretends to “conjure” Romeo. “I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes, by her high forehead and her scarlet lip...” (lines 19-20). He pokes merciless fun at Romeo.
Mercutio ridicules Romeo, because he thinks that the teen is still in love with Rosaline.
We, of course, know better than this. That was at least two scenes ago.

MERCUTIO
This cannot anger him: 'twould anger him
To raise a spirit in his mistress' circle
Of some strange nature, letting it there stand
Till she had laid it and conjured it down;
That were some spite: my invocation
Is fair and honest, and in his mistress' name
I conjure only but to raise up him.

BENVOLIO
Come, he hath hid himself among these trees,
To be consorted with the humorous night:
Blind is his love and best befits the dark.

MERCUTIO
If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.
Now will he sit under a medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone.
Romeo, that she were, O, that she were
An open et cetera, thou a poperin pear!
Romeo, good night: I'll to my truckle-bed;
This field-bed is too cold for me to sleep:
Come, shall we go?

Mercutio's "jesting" is very crude, as usual. He speaks of Rosalind's "circle" and how he is only trying to "raise up" Romeo. One is certainly glad that today's youth never resort to such vulgar speech.
Benvolio realizes that Romeo is hiding from them again, which he has been doing a lot recently.
Mercutio now compares Rosalind with a type of fruit (a medlar) and Romeo with a pear. Stop snickering guys... This might be very beautiful poetry, for all you know.

BENVOLIO
Go, then; for 'tis in vain
To seek him here that means not to be found.

Exeunt

When there is no answer, at last, Mercutio and Benvolio give up to go home and sleep.

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Shakespeare for Scholars:	Shakespeare for Everyone Else:
A lane by the wall of Capulet's orchard. Enter ROMEO ROMEO Can I go forward when my heart is here? Turn back, dull earth, and find thy centre out. He climbs the wall, and leaps down within it.	It is later, the same night. Hours after the Capulet's party, Romeo runs down a street by a wall, and suddenly begins to climb. He "leaps" and climbs over the wall. He is sneaking into Juliet’s backyard, which is an orchard.
Enter BENVOLIO and MERCUTIO. BENVOLIO Romeo! my cousin Romeo! MERCUTIO He is wise; And, on my lie, hath stol'n him home to bed. BENVOLIO He ran this way, and leap'd this orchard wall: Call, good Mercutio.	Romeo’s friends, Mercutio and Benvolio, follow Romeo down the street. Apparently, Romeo has given them the “slip,” and "ditched" them for the evening. Mercutio and Benvolio are trying to find the young lad, perhaps for some late-night fun. Mercutio calls for Romeo. So does Benvolio.
MERCUTIO Nay, I'll conjure too. Romeo! humours! madman! passion! lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh: Speak but one rhyme, and I am satisfied; Cry but 'Ay me!' pronounce but 'love' and 'dove;' Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word, One nick-name for her purblind son and heir, Young Adam Cupid, he that shot so trim, When King Cophetua loved the beggar-maid! He heareth not, he stirreth not, he moveth not; The ape is dead, and I must conjure him. I conjure thee by Rosaline's bright eyes, By her high forehead and her scarlet lip, By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh And the demesnes that there adjacent lie, That in thy likeness thou appear to us! BENVOLIO And if he hear thee, thou wilt anger him.	When this does not work, Mercutio pretends to be some sort of psychic, or a medium, or a witch. He pretends to “conjure” Romeo. “I conjure thee by Rosaline’s bright eyes, by her high forehead and her scarlet lip...” (lines 19-20). He pokes merciless fun at Romeo. Mercutio ridicules Romeo, because he thinks that the teen is still in love with Rosaline. We, of course, know better than this. That was at least two scenes ago.
MERCUTIO This cannot anger him: 'twould anger him To raise a spirit in his mistress' circle Of some strange nature, letting it there stand Till she had laid it and conjured it down; That were some spite: my invocation Is fair and honest, and in his mistress' name I conjure only but to raise up him. BENVOLIO Come, he hath hid himself among these trees, To be consorted with the humorous night: Blind is his love and best befits the dark. MERCUTIO If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark. Now will he sit under a medlar tree, And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone. Romeo, that she were, O, that she were An open et cetera, thou a poperin pear! Romeo, good night: I'll to my truckle-bed; This field-bed is too cold for me to sleep: Come, shall we go?	Mercutio's "jesting" is very crude, as usual. He speaks of Rosalind's "circle" and how he is only trying to "raise up" Romeo. One is certainly glad that today's youth never resort to such vulgar speech. Benvolio realizes that Romeo is hiding from them again, which he has been doing a lot recently. Mercutio now compares Rosalind with a type of fruit (a medlar) and Romeo with a pear. Stop snickering guys... This might be very beautiful poetry, for all you know.
BENVOLIO Go, then; for 'tis in vain To seek him here that means not to be found. Exeunt	When there is no answer, at last, Mercutio and Benvolio give up to go home and sleep.