Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare Summary and Analysis Act II: Scene 4

ROMEO.
Nurse, commend me to thy lady and mistress. I protest unto
thee, —

NURSE.
Good heart, and i' faith I will tell her as much: Lord,
Lord, she will be a joyful woman.

ROMEO.
What wilt thou tell her, nurse? thou dost not mark me.

NURSE.
I will tell her, sir, — that you do protest: which, as I
take it, is a gentlemanlike offer.

ROMEO.
Bid her devise some means to come to shrift
This afternoon;
And there she shall at Friar Lawrence' cell
Be shriv'd and married. Here is for thy pains.

NURSE.
No, truly, sir; not a penny.

ROMEO.
Go to; I say you shall.

NURSE.
This afternoon, sir? well, she shall be there.

ROMEO.
And stay, good nurse, behind the abbey-wall:
Within this hour my man shall be with thee,
And bring thee cords made like a tackled stair;
Which to the high top-gallant of my joy
Must be my convoy in the secret night.
Farewell; be trusty, and I'll quit thy pains:
Farewell; commend me to thy mistress.

NURSE.
Now God in heaven bless thee! — Hark you, sir.

ROMEO.
What say'st thou, my dear nurse?

NURSE.
Is your man secret? Did you ne'er hear say,
Two may keep counsel, putting one away?

ROMEO.
I warrant thee, my man's as true as steel.

NURSE.
Well, sir; my mistress is the sweetest lady. — Lord, Lord!
when 'twas a little prating thing, — O, there's a nobleman in
town, one Paris, that would fain lay knife aboard; but she, good
soul, had as lief see a toad, a very toad, as see him. I anger
her sometimes, and tell her that Paris is the properer man; but
I'll warrant you, when I say so, she looks as pale as any clout
in the versal world. Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with
a letter?

ROMEO.
Ay, nurse; what of that? both with an R.

NURSE.
Ah, mocker! that's the dog's name. R is for the dog: no; I
know it begins with some other letter: — and she hath the
prettiest sententious of it, of you and rosemary, that it would
do you good to hear it.

ROMEO.
Commend me to thy lady.

NURSE.
Ay, a thousand times. [Exit Romeo.] — Peter!

PETER.
Anon?

NURSE.
Peter, take my fan, and go before.

[Exeunt.]

Glossary

answer it accept it.

captain of compliments in dueling, one who has mastered all the rules and moves.

immortal punning on the moves as both famous and fatal.

passado a forward thrust.

the punto reverso a backhanded thrust.

the hay! term used to indicate that your opponent has been hit.

roe fish eggs.

conceive understand.

bow in the hams make a bow.

I'll cry a match I'll claim the victory.

natural fool; idiot.

bauble a jester's baton with an ornament at the end.

here's goodly gear a large clothes horse, refers to the appearance of the Nurse, who is also described in this scene as a sail. Romeo also continues Mercutio's series of bawdy puns in this scene, as gear refers to the reproductive organs.

ropery roguery.

flirt-gills loose women.

skains-mates cutthroat companions.

tackled stair rope ladder.

quit reward you for.

lay knife aboard lay claim to.

clout any piece of cloth, esp. one for cleaning.

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