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Romeo and Juliet, Lines 33-78
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Act 2,
Scene 2
Lines 33-78

Romeo and Juliet perform an excerpt of Act 2, Scene 2 of myShakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. 

myShakespeare | Romeo and Juliet 2.2 Performance: Romeo and Juliet, Lines 33-78

Juliet

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

Romeo

[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

Juliet

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,                    
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other word would smell as sweet.
So Romeo would — were he not Romeo called —
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.

Romeo

                          [Aloud] I take thee at thy word.
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;                    
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

Juliet

What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night,
So stumblest on my counsel?

Romeo

                                                By a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am.
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee.
Had I it written, I would tear the word.

Juliet

My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words
Of that tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound.
Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?                           

Romeo

Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike.

Juliet

How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
The orchard walls are high and hard to climb,
And the place death, considering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee here.

Romeo

With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls,
For stony limits cannot hold love out;
And what love can do, that dares love attempt.
Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.

Juliet

If they do see thee, they will murder thee.                     

Romeo

Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
Than twenty of their swords. Look thou but sweet,
And I am proof against their enmity.

Juliet

I would not for the world they saw thee here.

Romeo

I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes,
And but thou love me, let them find me here.
My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death proroguèd, wanting of thy love.