Act I Scene ii: Capulet's Guests, Paris' Introduction

Location: Great Dining Hall of Capulet's Country Home

We don't know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don't always appreciate their fragility. -Malcolm Gladwell


{Enter Nurse and Juliet}

Nurse: Stay you here child,
Thou hast run much today
Relax and cool down thy temper
For tis but early summer!
Here now, why dost thou look about?

Juliet: No one is near.
Yet tis almost time to dine
I would for the world have stayed out
With the sun and the trees to keep me company

Nurse: Your sun is now a moon, lamb

Juliet: Ay, but the moon to me is a companion as well
From up in the sky where she doth dwell
She does more than the sun ever could
For none can resist hearing her word
She provides comfort to those who fear the night
On them she chooses to shine her light
Be it meant for lion or be it for lamb,
In her crystaled light I swam
Taking delight in her ev'ry movement
Seeing no need for improvement
I was happy and content
Yet when she spoke, I knew not what she meant
And then did thou call me forth
Why wouldst thou disturb my peace?

Nurse: I pray thee, hold thy tongue girl!
Thou rhymes silly much!
If thou hast as much time as thou hast tongue,
I warrant we should never run out!
I bade thee come for thy father called me forth
To fetch you from your fantasies
And such a child are you still
That thy shall never grow!
Why, does that blush ripen your cheeks
As it did in your days as a babe?
Aww, poor lamb!
I should think Susan ne'er had such sillies about her,
Not with my nursing, rest assured

{Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, Servants, Cassius **Paris' Father**, Odilia **Paris' Mother**, and Paris}

Yet I did ere nurse thee too, pet
But thou would not take lessons from me
Hie forth to your dreamland
Full of garlands and roses
And sweet perfumes clothed with fantasies!
By the hour you would imagine
That you were a fairy
Dancing about with woodland animals about you
There would you prance about
Singing as if without a care in the world!
And then such talks!
Ringing as a broken church bell
Back and forth, thou never didst stop
Ay, me head were aching afore long
And thy did not stop!
A shame it is to possess such a tongue!
A crooked tongue goes on and on and on
Rest ye child, for I have done with thy words
Thy tongue be enough to kill a mockingbird
It's tone well matched
Thy do resemble a mockingbird rather than a nightingale
For the nightingale stops her song at morn!
Run about and then on and on
Thou insists upon harassing the very life out of me!
Be still and silent child!
Thou must not be heard!

Odilia: (laughing) Goodness me!
Is your nurse intent on lecturing the poor child?
Why, she is telling her not to play
And not to converse!
God gave her a tongue, so let her keep it, good Nurse!

Cassius: Ay, and to play is to be young.
Our young Paris did such things at his time
With swords and dragons
And ere an' there a friend or two
Came by and there they did play
Thy daughter does the same!
One ne'er did our nurse lecture our son

Lady Capulet: And so shouldn't she
She is not the girl's mother
Juliet, come hither

Juliet: (bowing) Ma'dam. And welcome to our guests. (bowing to Cassius and Odilia)

Odilia: (kisses Juliet) Ne'er such a sweet child ere I saw!
Husband, think her not a flower?

Cassius: Ay, and a sweet one at that.

Odilia: Why the child does not shrink from us!

Nurse: That proves her of no judgement.

Capulet: Nurse, leave us be. Thou hast done thy duty
A family are we here renowned
And of nobility
Therefore leave us
And lecture the poor child not
I wonder at how she does not cry
For the words thou hast spoken to her
With such a cruel tongue
Were thee not her nurse,
I would have thrown ye out straight
My poor pet!

Nurse: (crying) Oh pardon that I should have lashed at her as I did!
My emotions carry me away sometimes!
I n'ere meant what I said!
Child, thou still loves thy nurse?
Then I pray thee, forgive thy old goat for having mistreated thee!

Juliet: I've nothing to forgive.
Thou hast spoken truly and my ears have need of wisdom
I know well I am but a child,
Yet I step forward not for maidenhood
My lord and lady,
Permit me to show this yon gentleman the grounds
(To Paris) I pray you sir, your name

Paris: All call me Paris
As so I was named
And you, Lady Capulet are of a rare light
I shall go with thee,
But I won't be moved
Should the grounds glow alight
With the one you provide

{Exeunt Juliet and Paris}

Cassius: There they go,
With their light behind them
Our Paris be but of a subtle age of fourteen,
Yet the face of a child has not left him
Wherefore children be as they are?
With good measure do we take precaution
To spoil them their riches whilst in this pretty age

Capulet: I too spoil my daughter well
Thou speaks wisely, Cassius!
A child would understand only lavishing in gifts
And splendor that to them we provide

Cassius: Ah, tis ture
But now to talk, Capulet
Let us converse of better things
How goes it with you and your household?

Capulet: As well as can be expected, considering our freedom
We came here as of late
Montague having left Verona and done the same
Only peace and rest may we have
When our foes have left us
We are glad

Cassius: Still hold you this grudge?
My cousin, the Prince would not have it so
But as of yet, Verona does not know
Of the brawl between thee
Keep it unknown, wise Capulet
Look to happy things;
Things not of sorrow and woe
Hatred itself is thine enemy

Capulet: Ay, and a bitter one to both Montague and I

Lady Capulet: Come, we will dine
Let the children be and Nurse, you watch them distant

Nurse: Anon!

{All Exeunt}


That was Act I Scene ii of our play, only I feel as if I should explain my take on this one a bit more. Firstly, the entire purpose of this scene was to introduce Juliet more and also to bring Paris into the play. In this entire act, Juliet is nine years old and Paris is fourteen (for those who might have missed that).

Now I'll explain what happened. It took the Nurse some time to find Juliet and now she's rather vexed at Juliet for running about so much and then still having energy to talk about it like it was a good thing. She makes a reference to her own dead daughter, Susan, and then continues scolding Juliet.
Juliet is not offended by this though and forgives the Nurse, once she apologizes upon realizing that she may have been a bit harsh on Juliet.

The only characters I'm sure you don't recognize are Cassius and Odilia, but I've mentioned even before that they are Paris' parents (as soon as they entered). Keep in mind once again that this entire first act takes place before Paris ever began to love Juliet and before Romeo met her. Right now, Paris and Juliet are just starting a friendship.

I made Juliet as a rather bold, and dreamlike character because I thought it best that she be sociable to emphasize how childish she actually still was. Paris on the other hand is more mature, but we'll see more of him in the next scene.

The Nurse is a bit more harsh to Juliet in this scene and not as kind as she was in the original play because she is also a very practical woman and although she at this point tries to advise Juliet, she knows that Juliet can't take her seriously. Just because she sounds harsh though, don't doubt that she loves Juliet.

This is also the first act in which the Montagues are mentioned and they too are away somewhere.

That I hope explains most of the scene to you and what was going on and I'll write more as soon as I can.

Please review and tell me your opinion!