Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Adaptations; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stories, plots, etc. -- Juvenile literature
The day was breaking when they parted, and Romeo, who was too
full of thoughts of his mistress and that blessed meeting to
allow him to sleep, instead of going home, bent his course to a
monastery hard by, to find Friar Lawrence. The good friar was
already up at his devotions, but, seeing young Romeo abroad so
early, he conjectured rightly that he had not been abed that
night, but that some distemper of youthful affection had kept him
waking. He was right in imputing the cause of Romeo’s wakefulness
to love, but he made a wrong guess at the object, for he thought
that his love for Rosaline had kept him waking. But when Romeo
revealed his new passion for Juliet, and requested the assistance
of the friar to marry them that day, the holy man lifted up his
eyes and hands in a sort of wonder at the sudden change in
Romeo’s affections, for he had been privy to all Romeo’s love for
Rosaline and his many complaints of her disdain; and he said that
young men’s love lay not truly in their hearts, but in their
eyes. But Romeo replying that he himself had often chidden him
for doting on Rosaline, who could not love him again, whereas
Juliet both loved and was beloved by him, the friar assented in
some measure to his reasons; and thinking that a matrimonial
alliance between young Juliet and Romeo might happily be the
means of making up the long breach between the Capulets and the
Montagues, which no one more lamented than this good friar who
was a friend to both the families and had often interposed his
mediation to make up the quarrel without effect; partly moved by
policy, and partly by his fondness for young Romeo, to whom he
could deny nothing, the old man consented to join their hands in
marriage.
Now was Romeo blessed indeed, and Juliet, who knew his intent
from a messenger which she had despatched according to promise,
did not fail to be early at the cell of Friar Lawrence, where
their hands were joined in holy marriage, the good friar praying
the heavens to smile upon that act, and in the union of this
young Montague and young Capulet, to bury the old strife and long
dissensions of their families.
The ceremony being over, Juliet hastened home, where she stayed,
impatient for the coming of night, at which time Romeo promised
to come and meet her in the orchard, where they had met the night
before; and the time between seemed as tedious to her as the
night before some great festival seems to an impatient child that
has got new finery which it may not put on till the morning.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account