Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Adaptations; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stories, plots, etc. -- Juvenile literature
With this poison he set out for Verona, to have a sight of his dear
lady in her tomb, meaning, when he had satisfied his sight, to swallow
the poison, and be buried by her side. He reached Verona at midnight,
and found the churchyard, in the midst of which was situated the
ancient tomb of the Capulets. He had provided a light, and a spade, and
wrenching iron, and was proceeding to break open the monument, when he
was interrupted by a voice, which by the name of vile Montague, bade
him desist from his unlawful business. It was the young count Paris,
who had come to the tomb of Juliet at that unseasonable time of night,
to strew flowers and to weep over the grave of her that should have
been his bride. He knew not what an interest Romeo had in the dead, but
knowing him to be a Montague, and (as he supposed) a sworn foe to all
the Capulets, he judged that he was come by night to do some villanous
shame to the dead bodies; therefore in an angry tone he bade him
desist; and as a criminal, condemned by the laws of Verona to die if he
were found within the walls of the city, he would have apprehended him.
Romeo urged Paris to leave him, and warned him by the fate of Tybalt,
who lay buried there, not to provoke his anger, or draw down another
sin upon his head, by forcing him to kill him. But the count in scorn
refused his warning, and laid hands on him as a felon, which Romeo
resisting, they fought, and Paris fell. When Romeo, by the help of a
light, came to see who it was that he had slain, that it was Paris, who
(he learned in his way from Mantua) should have married Juliet, he took
the dead youth by the hand, as one whom misfortune had made a
companion, and said that he would bury him in a triumphal grave,
meaning in Juliet's grave, which he now opened: and there lay his lady,
as one whom death had no power upon to change a feature or complexion,
in her matchless beauty; or as if Death were amorous, and the lean
abhorred monster kept her there for his delight; for she lay yet fresh
and blooming, as she had fallen to sleep when she swallowed that
benumbing potion; and near her lay Tybalt in his bloody shroud, whom
Romeo seeing, begged pardon of his lifeless corse, and for Juliet's
sake called him cousin, and said that he was about to do him a favour
by putting his enemy to death. Here Romeo took his last leave of his
lady's lips, kissing them; and here he shook the burden of his cross
stars from his weary body, swallowing that poison which the apothecary
had sold him, whose operation was fatal and real, not like that
dissembling potion which Juliet had swallowed, the effect of which was
now nearly expiring, and she about to awake to complain that Romeo had
not kept his time, or that he had come too soon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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