Lady Capulet and the Nurse call Juliet to enter the scene. Lady Capulet wants to talk to her daughter, Juliet, about the possibility of marriage. They discuss the fact that Juliet still has two weeks left before her fourteenth birthday, but, as Lady Capulet points out, plenty of girls her age are mothers already. Juliet is open to marriage, although she admits she hasn’t thought much about it. Lady Capulet tells her that handsome Paris is interested in taking her as his wife. Juliet says she’ll keep an open mind. In the meantime, the Capulet party has just begun.
Lady Capulet
Nurse, where’s my daughter? Call her to come see me.
Nurse
Now, I swear by the virginity I was still hanging on to when I was 12, I’ve already called that girl! Come, lamb! Come, darling! God forbid! Where’s that girl? What’s up with you girl?
Juliet
Hey, who’s calling me?
Nurse
Your mother.
Juliet
Mother, I’m here. What would you like?
Lady Capulet
Here’s the issue. Nurse, leave us alone for a while, we need to talk in private. Nurse, come back. On second thought, you should hear this discussion. You know my daughter’s becoming a lovely young woman.
Nurse
I know Juliet’s age to the hour.
Lady Capulet
She’s not yet fourteen.
Nurse
I’ll bet fourteen of my teeth — alas for me, I’ve only got four left — that she’s not yet fourteen. How long till the August harvest festival?
Lady Capulet
Two weeks and and a few odd days.
Nurse
I don’t care if they’re even days or odd days, but I know on the evening before the Harvest festival, she’ll be fourteen.
She and my daughter Susan — God rest her soul — were the same age. Well, Susan is with God now, she was too good for me. But, as I said, on July 31, at night, she’ll be fourteen. Indeed, I remember it well. It was eleven years ago on the day of the earthquake — I’ll never forget that! I was weaning her nursing at my breast, and it just so happened that on that day I had put some bitter-tasting wormwood on my nipple so she would reject it, and I was sitting against that wall of the pigeon coop.
You and my lord were in Mantua — what a memory I have. But as I was saying, when Juliet tasted the bitter wormwood on my nipple, she became irritated and had a falling out with my teat. “Shake” sounded the pigeon house, but no one needed to tell me to get the hell away from there. And it’s been eleven years since then. She was starting to stand up; I swear on Christ’s cross that she was running and wobbling around. Just the day before she fell flat on her face and banged her forehead. And then my husband — god rest his soul, he was a witty man — picked up the child.
And he said, “Oh, did you fall on your face? You’ll fall on your back when you’re grown up, won’t you little Julie?” And I swear by the Holy Mary that the pretty thing stopped crying and said “Yep.” You see how a joke starts! I guarantee, if I live to a thousand, I’ll never forget it. “Won’t you little Julie?” said he; and the pretty fool replied, “Yep.”
Lady Capulet
That’s enough of this. Please, stop talking.
Nurse
Yes, madam. But I can’t help laughing. To think she stopped crying and said, “Yep.”
And I swear she had a bump on her forehead the size of a rooster’s ball. A terrible knock and she was crying bitterly. “Well, did you fall on your face?” my husband said. “You’ll fall backwards when you’re grown up, won’t you Julie?” And she stopped and said “Yep!”
Juliet
And you stop, too, please nurse, I mean it.
Nurse
Okay, I’m done. God bestowed his grace on you, you were the prettiest baby I ever nursed. If only I would live to see you married one day, that would grant my wish.
Lady Capulet
Indeed, getting married is exactly what I came to discuss. Tell me, Juliet, what are your feelings about marriage?
Juliet
It’s an honor that I don’t dream of.
Nurse
An honor! If I hadn’t been your only nurse, I’d say you must have sucked some wisdom from a breast from which you nursed.
Lady Capulet
Well, start thinking of marriage now. Here in Verona girls younger than you — and very respectable young ladies at that — are already becoming mothers. By my calculation, I had you when I was about your age, and you’re still a virgin. The crux of the matter is that the honorable Paris has asked for your hand in marriage.
Nurse
Dear young lady what a man! The world hasn’t seen such a man — why, he’s the model of a man.
Lady Capulet
There’s no flower in Verona’s summer that’s as fine as he is.
Nurse
A beautiful flower of a man, indeed.
Lady Capulet
What do you say? Could you love this gentleman? You’ll see him at our dinner party tonight. If you read him like a book I’m sure you’ll find beauty had a major hand in the writing. I’m sure his fine features will make you content. You’ll be able to read what he’s really like on the inside when you read his eyes like notes in the margin.
If all a good book needs is a beautiful cover, all this eligible man needs is a good wife. Birds of a feather flock together, and it’s only common sense that a man of this distinction should be paired with a woman of your quality. You will both reflect well on each other, like a book with a good story inside a lovely cover and vice versa. You won’t lose anything by marrying him, you’ll gain from sharing what he brings to the relationship.
Nurse
No less of a woman indeed. Ha, he’ll make you a bigger woman, in a few months — that’s what men do to us!
Lady Capulet
In short, do you think you can reciprocate Paris’ love?
Juliet
Based on your glowing description of him, I expect that I’ll like him if it’s just a matter of looks. But I won’t get attached to him without your consent.
Servant
Madam, the guests are all here, supper is served, you are called for, Juliet is asked for, they’re cursing the nurse in the pantry, and everything is in chaos. I have to go wait on the guests. Please, come right away.
Lady Capulet
We’ll follow you. Juliet, Count Paris is waiting.
Nurse
Go ahead, girl. You have happy days now, he can give you happy nights.
