The Most Excellent Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet.

Enter 2. Serving-men of the Capulets, with swords and bucklers.

Gregorie, of my word I’ll carrie no coales. ¹

2. No, for if you doo, you should be a Collier. ²

1. If I be in choler, I’ll draw.³
2. Ever while you live, drawe your necke out of the collar. ⁴

1. I strike quickly being moved.
2. Aye, but you are not quickly moved to strike.

1. A dog of the house of Montague moves me.
2. To move is to stirre, and to bee valiant is to stand to it: therefore (of my word) if thou be moved thou’t runne away.

1. There’s not a man of them I meet, but I’ll take the wall of. ⁵
2. That shows thee a weak slave, for the weakest goes to the wall.

1. Tis true, and therefore women being the weaker vessels are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montagues men from the wall, and thrust his maides to the wall. ⁶
2. The quarrel is between our masters, and us their men.

1. Tis all one I will show myself a tyrant, when I have fought with the men, I will be civill with the maides, I will cut off their heads.
2. The heads of the maids?

1. Aye the heads of their Maids, or the Maidenheads, take it in what sense thou wilt.
2. They must take it sense, that feel it. ⁷

1. Me they shall feel while I am able to stand, and tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh. ⁸
2. Tis well thou art not fish, if thou hadst, thou hadst been Poore John: draw thy tool, here comes of the house of Montague. ⁹

Enter two serving-men of the Montagues.

1. My naked weapon is out, quarrel, I will back thee. ¹⁰
2. How, turn thy back and runne?

1. Feare me not.
2. No marrie, I fear thee.

1. Let us take the Law on our sides, let them begin.
2. I will frown as I pass by, & let them take it as they list.

1. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is a disgrace to them if they bear it.

1. Montague: Do you bite your thumb at us sir?

1. I do bite my thumb sir.

1. Montague: Do you bite your thumb at us sir?

1. Is the Law of our side if I say Aye?
2. No.

1. No sir, I do not bite my thumb at you sire, but I bite my thumb sire.
2. Do you quarrel sir?

1. Montague: Quarrell sir, no sir.

1. But if you do sir, I am for you, I serve as good a man as you.

1. Montague: No better.

1. Very well sir.
2. Say better, here comes one of my Master’s kinsmen.

Enter Benvolio.

1. Yes better sir.

1. Montague: You lie.

1. Draw if you be men, Gregorie remember thy washing blow.

They fight.

Footnotes

1. Carrie no coales – To suffer insults (Holland).
2. Collier – A coal dealer (Holland). This line pokes fun at the phonetics between the two homophones.
3. Choler – Anger (Holland).
4. Collar – “Hangman’s noose” (Holland).
5. Take the wall – To “pass on the inner and cleaner part of the sidewalk (not in the gutter)” (Holland).
6. Thrust…wall – Indicates assaulting the men and sexually assaulting the women (Holland).
7. Sense – Meaning physical (sexual) sensation (at the act of cutting off their heads) (Holland).
8. Stand…piece of flesh – Stand meaning have an erection and flesh meaning penis (Holland).
9. Poor John – “Dried hake, the cheapest fish [available]” (Holland).
10. Naked weapon – Correlates with “tool” used above, as another phallic reference (Holland).

Justification

Nadia Balassone | April 3, 2022

1597 was my original copy text, and I used this publication for half of this published scene, until line 13.  I then switched to the 1609 publication for lines 14-17, and through lines 20-53.  I updated the spelling of both Houses to be more recognizable, as well as small spelling revisions into modern English.  I also changed “I” to be spelled “Aye” when there is an agreement.^[1]

At first, using the 1597 version was more simplistic.  For example, the title in 1597 is more succinct in print, and compared to other versions, it kept Romeo and Juliet’s names on the same line.^[2]  Another example of simplicity is within the first stage direction.  The 1597 stage direction in the opener does not name Gregory or Sampson, and I felt it important only to know that they are of the House of Capulet, rather than providing the extra information of their names, which makes the reader decide if they should remember them or not yet.  The very next line uses Gregory’s name in context, which adds just enough detail where needed.  Otherwise, the lines are numbered by 1’s and 2’s in order to know who’s speaking, which I also found clearer.  Also within this stage direction, I added language from 1609 to include the mentioning of their weapons.  This was important to me because the weapons are noticed even before the men start speaking, indicating the potential for conflict or violence; I lowercased the names of their weapons, unlike the 1609 and 1622 printings, however. 

For the first line, I chose the 1597 version, because it seemed important that the men declare their own opinions of themselves (“I” vs. “we”).  “I” rather than “we” tells us more about the inconsistency of decision-making between the two employees, and could lead to more impulsive decisions when handling conflict.  I kept most of the opening statements from 1597, because the puns move most quickly in that version.  

Another choice was on line 7, where I chose the 1597 informal “you” (rather than “thou” in the next two versions).  This shift shows not only the familiarity with which the men speak to one another, but also an air of disrespect between them.  The speech between the men is supposed to be vulgar, so as their conversation progresses, I made every choice that seemed most improper of the versions.  1609 contained more detailed insults than 1597, especially under the guise of sexual assault.^[3]  In line 14, I kept the 1609 use of the word “slave” rather than “weakling.”  Briefly between lines 17 and 20, I made use of even the question mark published in 1597 before switching back to all of the insults as written in 1609, because Gregorie’s interrogative toward Sampson builds doubt; one of the soldiers isn’t in full agreement with the other, therefore raising tensions even higher.  Other small and important details, (such as: line 20 in 1609 doesn’t capitalize the “maids” that Sampson threatens to assault) added a fuller understanding as to how we are supposed to read this scene and the men speaking.

I thought it was important to include some of the explanatory footnotes given by Peter Holland in the Penguin edition we read for class, to illustrate all of the quick and phallic puns presented.  To fit ten footnotes, I denied explanation of biting one’s thumb.  I thought (and hoped) that the context would indicate that this was insult enough without an explanatory note, unlike all of the early modern English puns made at the beginning. 

Notes

^[1] Oxford English Dictionary (OED), “Aye, adv. and n.,” Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 2022), https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/64181819%3frskey%3dHwvS6O%26result%3d2%26isAdvanced%3dfalse%23eid.

^[2] I realize this formatting choice practically becomes obsolete on an online platform however, because the text is not restricted to printing constraints.  

^[3] 1622 mirrors the 1609 publication.

Bibliography

Hooks, Adam G. “An Excellent Conceited Tragedie of Romeo and Iuliet.” Shakespeare Documented. The British Library, 25 January 2020. https://shakespearedocumented.folger.edu/resource/document/romeo-and-juliet-first-edition.

Holland, Peter. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Penguin Random House, 2016. 

(OED), Oxford English Dictionary. “Aye, adv. and n.” Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2022. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/64181819%3frskey%3dHwvS6O%26result%3d2%26isAdvanced%3dfalse%23eid. 

Shakespeare, William. An Excellent Conceited Tragedie of Romeo and Iuliet as it Hath been often (with Great Applause) Plaid Publiquely, by the Right Honourable the L. of Hunsdon His Seruants. Printed by John Danter and Edward Allde. London, 1597. STC (2^nd ed.) 22322.

Shakespeare, William. The most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie, of Romeo and Iuliet as it Hath Beene Sundrie Times Publiquely Acted, by the Kings Maiesties Seruants at the Globe. Newly Corrected, Augmented, and Amended. Printed by John Windet. London, 1609. STC (2^nd ed.) 22324. 

Shakespeare, William. The most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie, of Romeo and Iuliet as it Hath Beene Sundrie Times Publikely Acted, by the Kings Maiesties Seruants at the Globe. Printed by William Stansby. London, 1622. STC (2^nd ed.) 22325. 

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