Ah, What an Unkind Hour

Romeo is at the graveyard. He has just killed Paris, who had tried to stop him seeing Juliet, and is now sitting beside Juliet's seemingly lifeless body.

Act 5 Scene 3: A churchyard, outside the tomb of the Capulets

romeo: O my love, my wife,

Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,

Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.

Thou art not conquered, beauty's ensign¹ yet

Is crimson² in thy lips and in thy cheeks, 5

And Death's pale flag is not advanced there.

(...)

Ah, dear Juliet,

Why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe

That unsubstantial³ Death is amorous,

And that the lean⁴ abhorred monster keeps 10

Thee here in dark to be his paramour⁵?

For fear of that, I still will stay with thee,

And never from this palace of dim⁶ night

Depart⁷ again. Here, here will I remain

With worms that are thy chambermaids⁸; O here 15

Will I set up my everlasting rest⁹,

And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars,

From this world-wearied flesh¹⁰. Eyes, look your last¹¹!

Arms, take your last embrace¹²! and, lips, O you

The doors of breath, seal¹³ with a righteous¹⁴ kiss 20

A dateless bargain to engrossing Death¹⁵!

Come, bitter conduct¹⁶, come, unsavoury¹⁷ guide!

Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on

The dashing¹⁸ rocks thy seasick weary bark¹⁹!

Here's to my love [Drinks] 0 true apothecary²⁰! 25

Thy drugs are quick. Thus²¹ with a kiss I die. [Dies]

(...)

[ Enter friar lawrence]

friar lawrence: Romeo!

[friar stoops²² and looks on the blood and weapons ]

Alack²³! Alack! What blood is that which stains²⁴

The stony entrance of the sepulchre?

What mean these masterless²⁵ and gory²⁶ swords 30

To lie discoloured by this place of peace?

[ Enters the tomb ]

Romeo! O, pale²⁷! Who else? What, Paris too?

And steeped²⁸ in blood? Ah, what an unkind hour

Is guilty of this lamentable chance²⁹!

[juliet rises ]

The lady stirs³⁰. 35

juliet: O comfortable³¹ Friar, where is my lord?

I do remember well where I should be;

And there I am. Where is my Romeo?

[ Noise within ]

friar lawrence: I hear some noise, lady. Come from that nest

Of death, contagion, and unnatural sleep. 40

A greater power than we can contradict

Hath thwarted our intents³², Come, come away.

Thy husband in thy bosom³³ there lies dead;

And Paris too. Come, I'll dispose of³⁴ thee

Among a sisterhood³⁵ of holy nuns. 45

Stay not to question, for the Watch³⁶ is coming.

Come go³⁷, good Juliet, I dare no longer stay.

juliet: Go get thee hence³⁸, for I will not away. [friar leaves ]

What's here? A cup closed in my lover's hand?

Poison I see hath been his timeless³⁹ end. 50

O churl⁴⁰, drunk all, and left no friendly drop

To help me after? I will kiss thy lips,

Haply⁴¹ some poison yet doth hang on them,

To make me die with a restorative⁴².

[ Kisses him ] Thy lips are warm. 55

captain of the watch: [ Within ] Lead, boy, which way?

juliet: Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. [ Takes romeo's dagger⁴³ ]O happy dagger,

This is thy sheath⁴⁴; [Stabs herself ]

there rust⁴⁵ and let me die.

[ Falls on romeo's body and dies ]

'Thou are not conquered, beauty's ensign yet is crimson in thy lips...' A scene from Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968).

GLOSSARY

1. ensign: flag

2. crimson: deep red

3. unsubstantial: not a part of this world

4. lean: thin, hungry

5. paramour: lover

6. dim: dark

7. Depart: leave

8. chambermaids: female servants

9. Will I set up my everlasting rest: Will I join you in death

10. And shake...flesh: and throw this heavy weight of bad luck off my tire body

11. look your last: take a last look

12. embrace: hug

13.seal: authenticate

14. righteous: virtuous

15.dateless... Death: timeless contract with all absorbing death

16. conduct: poison

17. unsavoury: unpleasant

18. dashing: throwing violently (Romeo is like a ship that is thrown against the rocks)

19. weary bark: tired boat

20. apothecary: chemist (It refers to the chemist who had given Romeo some poison)

21.Thus: in this way

22. stoops: bends over

23. Alack: expression of regret or surprise (arch.)

24. stains: leaves a mark

25.masterless: belonging to no one

26. gory: covered with blood

27. pale: dead

28. steeped: soaked, bathed

29.Ah, what... chance: How unkind was the moment when these horrible deeds were done!

30. stirs: moves

31. comfortable: supportive, consoling

32. thwarted our intents: frustrated our plans

33. Thy husband in thy bosom (heart): Romeo

34. dispose of: send

35. Among a sisterhood: in an order

36. Watch: guards

37. Come go: hurry up and go

38. Go get thee hence: go away

39. timeless: untimely, at the wrong time

40. churl: brute

41.Haply: perhaps, maybe

42. restorative: medicine (the kiss will 'cure' her of life and restore her to Romeo)

43. dagger: short knife

44. sheath: cover for the blade of a knife

45. rust: to become covered with rust (the reddish-brown substance that forms on wet metal)

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