Scene III. (A room in Capulet's house)

(A room in Capulet's house)

(Enter Capulet's Wife and Nurse)

LADY CAPULET Nurse, where's my daughter? Call her forth to me.

NURSE I just now told het come. What, lamb! What, ladybird! God forbid where is mat girl? What, Juliet!

(Enter Juliet)

JULIET How now? Who calls?

NURSE Your mother.

JULIET Madam, I am here. What is your will?

LADY CAPULET This is the matter— Nurse, leave us a while, we must talk in secret. No, wait, come back again. You shall hear our counsel. You know my daughter is of a good age.

NURSE I know her age to the hour.

LADY CAPULET She's not fourteen.

NURSE I'd swear by fourteen of my teeth — and yet, to my sorrow, I've only got four — She's not fourteen. How long is it now to Lammastide?

LADY CAPULET A fortnight and a few days.

NURSE Well, come Lammas Eve at night she shall be fourteen. Susan and she were of the same age. Well, Susan is with God; she was too good for me. But as I said, on Lammas Eve at night she shall be fourteen. Eleven years have passed now since the earthquake, and she was weaned, I shall never forget it, of all the days of the year, on that day. For I had put wormwood on my dug, sitting in the sun under the dovehouse wall. My lord and you were both at Mantua. But as I said, she tasted the wormwood on the nipple, and was so tetchy, the pretty fool. And then the dovehouse began to shake, and there was no need to tell me to run for it! And since that time eleven years have passed, for she could walk about by herself. Indeed she fell and cut her head.

LADY CAPULET Enough of this. I pray you be quiet.

NURSE Peace, I've finished. But I swear you were the prettiest baby I ever nursed, and I hope I might live to see you married.

LADY CAPULET Marry, that "marry" is the very theme I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet, are you inclined to be married?

JULIET It is an honour I dream not of.

NURSE An honour? If I hadn't been your only nurse, I'd say you'd sucked wisdom from the breast.

LADY CAPULET Well, think of marriage now. Girls younger than you, here in Verona, have already become mothers. I was a mother myself at your age. In brief, the valiant Paris seeks you for his love.

NURSE A man, young lady! Lady, such a man as all the world — why he's a fine figure of a man.

LADY CAPULET Verona's summer has not a flower more beautiful than he.

NURSE Oh he's a flower, all right, a real flower.

LADY CAPULET What do you say? Can you love the gentleman? This night you will see him at our feast. Look at his face and see delight written there with beauty's pen. Examine every harmonious lineament, and what you cannot read there, read it in the depths of his eyes. This lover needs only a wife to beautify him still more. And you shall share all that he possesses. Speak briefly, can you be favourable to Paris's love?

JULIET I'll look to be favourable, if looking can move my favour, but I will look no deeper than your permission grants.

(Enter Servingman)

SERVINGMAN Madam, the guests have arrived, supper is served, you are called, and my young lady asked for, the nurse cursed in the kitchen and everything is in extremity. I must go and serve, I beseech you to come immediately. (Exit)

LADY CAPULET We're coming. Juliet, the Count is waiting for you.

NURSE Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days. (Exeunt)

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