Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781780017655
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

Shakespeare's heartbreaking tale of forbidden love, brought to life in a new production co-directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh.

This version of Romeo and Juliet was performed as part of the Plays at the Garrick Season in 2016, starring Derek Jacobi as Mercutio, Meera Syal as the Nurse, and Lily James and Richard Madden as the star-crossed lovers.

This official tie-in edition features the version of Shakespeare's text as edited by Kenneth Branagh, as well as an introduction to the play, interviews with Jacobi, Syal, Madden and James, and original design sketches by Christopher Oram.

ACT ONE

Scene One

Scorching daylight. Verona street scene. Noise. Movement. Chaos.

Two people compete to secure a café table. Everyone and everything stops.

BALTHASAR.

Do you bite your thumb at me?

SAMPSON.

I do bite my thumb.

BALTHASAR.

Do you bite your thumb at me?

SAMPSON.

No, I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

Face-off.

BALTHASAR.

You lie!

The fight kicks off. Chaos. Thrown furniture. Broken glass. Knives. Chains. Everyone caught up. Men, women, old, young.

BENVOLIO (enters).

Part, fools!

You know not what you do!

TYBALT (enters, to BENVOLIO).

What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?

Turn thee, Benvolio. Look upon thy death!

(Draws his sword.)

BENVOLIO.

I do but keep the peace.

TYBALT.

What, here, and talk of peace? I hate the word,

As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee!

Have at thee, coward!

They fight.

Enter PRINCE.

PRINCE.

Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,

Profaners of this neighbour-stainèd steel –

Will they not hear? – What, ho! You men, you beasts,

That quench the fire of your pernicious rage

With purple fountains issuing from your veins!

On pain of torture, from those bloody hands

Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground,

And hear the sentence of your movèd Prince!

Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word

By thee, Sir Capulet, and Montague,

Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets.

If ever you disturb our streets again,

Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace!

For this time, all the rest depart away.

You, Capulet, shall go along with me,

And Montague, come you this afternoon,

Once more, on pain of death, all you depart!

All exit but LORD and LADY MONTAGUE and BENVOLIO.

LADY MONTAGUE.

O, where is Romeo? Saw you him today?

Right glad I am he was not at this fray.

BENVOLIO.

Madam, an hour before the worshipped sun

Peered forth the golden window of the east,

A troubled mind drove me to walk abroad,

Where, underneath the grove of sycamore

That westward rooteth from the city’s side,

So early walking did I see your son.

Towards him I made, but he was ’ware of me

And stole into the covert of the wood.

MONTAGUE.

Many a morning hath he there been seen,

With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew,

Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs.

But all so soon as the all-cheering sun

Should in the furthest east begin to draw

The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed.

LADY MONTAGUE.

Away from light steals home my heavy son,

And private in his chamber pens himself.

MONTAGUE.

Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out,

And makes himself an artificial night.

Black and portentous must this humour prove,

Unless good counsel may the cause remove.

BENVOLIO.

My noble uncle, do you know the cause?

MONTAGUE.

I neither know it nor can learn of him.

BENVOLIO.

Have you importuned him by any means?

MONTAGUE.

Both by myself and many other friends.

But he, his own affections’ counsellor,

Is to himself – I will not say how true –

LADY MONTAGUE.

But to himself so secret and so close.

MONTAGUE.

So far from sounding and discovery,

As is the bud bit with an envious worm

Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air,

Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.

Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow,

We would as willingly give cure as know.

ROMEO enters.

BENVOLIO.

See where he comes. So please you, step aside.

I’ll know his grievance or be much denied.

They exit.

Good morrow, cousin.

ROMEO.

Is the day so young?

BENVOLIO.

But new struck nine.

ROMEO.

Ay me, sad hours seem long.

Was that my father that went hence so fast?

BENVOLIO.

It was. What sadne...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction by Russell Jackson
• Production Details
• Interview with Lily James and Meera Syal
• Interview with Richard Madden and Derek Jacobi
• Prologue
• Romeo and Juliet
• Copyright Information