ESCALUS, prince of Verona. PARIS, a young nobleman, kinsman to the prince. MONTAGUE, } heads of two houses at variance with each other. CAPULET, } An old man, of the Capulet family. ROMEO, son to Montague. MERCUTIO, kinsman to the prince, and friend to Romeo. BENVOLIO, nephew to Montague, and friend to Romeo. TYBALT, nephew to Lady Capulet. FRIAR LAURENCE, a Franciscan. FRIAR JOHN, of the same order. BALTHASAR, Servant to Romeo. SAMPSON, } servants to Capulet. GREGORY, } PETER, servant to Juliet's nurse. ABRAHAM, servant to Montague. An Apothecary. Three Musicians. Page to Paris; another Page; an Officer. LADY MONTAGUE, wife to Montague. LADY CAPULET, wife to Capulet. JULIET, daughter to Capulet. Nurse to Juliet. Citizens of Verona; kinsfolk of both houses; Maskers, Guards, Watchmen, and Attendants. Chorus. SCENE: _Verona: Mantua_. FOOTNOTES: [1] DRAMATIS PERSONÆ. First given, imperfectly, by Rowe. PROLOGUE. _Enter_ CHORUS.[2] _Chor._ Two households, both alike in dignity,[3] In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,[3] From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,[3] Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.[3] From forth the fatal loins of these two foes[3] 5 A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;[3] Whose misadventured piteous overthrows[3] Do with their death bury their parents' strife.[3][4] The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,[3] And the continuance of their parents' rage,[3] 10 Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,[3] Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;[3] The which if you with patient ears attend,[3] What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.[3][5] FOOTNOTES: [2] PROLOGUE. Enter Chorus. Chor.] (Q1). The Prologue. Corus. Q2. The Prologue. Chorus. Q3 Q4 Q5. om. Ff. [3] _Two ... mend._] Omitted in Ff and Rowe. [4] _Do_] Pope. _Doth_ Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5. [5] _here_] _heare_ Q2. ACT I. SCENE I. _Verona. A public place._[6] _Enter_ SAMPSON _and_ GREGORY, _of the house of Capulet, with_ _swords and bucklers._ _Sam._ Gregory, on my word, we'll not carry coals.[7] _Gre._ No, for then we should be colliers. _Sam._ I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw.[8][9] _Gre._ Ay, while you live, draw your neck out o' the[8][10] collar.[8] 5 _Sam._ I strike quickly, being moved. _Gre._ But thou art not quickly moved to strike. _Sam._ A dog of the house of Montague moves me. _Gre._ To move is to stir, and to be valiant is to stand:[11] therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st away.[11] 10