HAMLET, ROMEO & JULIET: A Tragedy in Five Acts

PROLOGUE: Of Fates Foretold and Paths Unchosen

Spoken by Horatio

The stage is dark. A single light reveals HORATIO standing between two distant images: the cold battlements of Elsinore and the sunlit towers of Verona. He carries a small, leather-bound book.

HORATIO

There are stories we inherit.

Stories of kings who murder brothers, of sons commanded to avenge their fathers, of lovers divided by names they did not choose.

We have heard them so often that we believe we know where they must end.

A prince must answer blood with blood.

Two young lovers must perish before their families learn the cost of hatred.

And the living must stand beside their graves, discovering wisdom when it is too late to save those they loved.

But I have often wondered whether tragedy is written in the stars, or whether men, mistaking their anger for destiny, write it with their own hands.

I knew a prince named Hamlet.

He was a man of uncommon intelligence, fierce affection, and a sorrow that followed him even into daylight. His father's death had opened a wound that neither time nor the consolations of friends could close.

He believed a terrible wrong had been committed. He feared that justice might demand an equally terrible answer.

And I knew two young lovers, Romeo and Juliet, whose hearts had recognized one another before their families could teach them why they should be enemies.

Their love was not without danger. Their courage was not without foolishness. They were young enough to believe that a promise might change the world, and old enough to discover that the world does not readily surrender its prejudices.

By all the familiar reckonings of tragedy, their paths should never have crossed.

Denmark was far from Verona. The troubles of a royal court seemed to have little kinship with the quarrels of two Italian households.

Yet grief recognizes grief across every border.

And sometimes a stranger sees more clearly the danger that familiarity has taught us to accept.

What happens when a prince who has contemplated revenge encounters a young man about to surrender himself to it?

What happens when a daughter refuses to believe that obedience is the highest expression of love?

What happens when friendship asks more courage of us than vengeance ever could?

These are the questions that brought us together.

I shall not tell you that we were wise from the beginning.

We made mistakes. We misjudged one another. We mistook silence for safety and anger for strength.

There were moments when a single word might have prevented suffering, and moments when no words were sufficient.

I shall tell you what I witnessed, including those things that still trouble my conscience.

For a story faithfully told must make room for human weakness, not merely noble deeds.

And if, as you listen, you begin to recognize the roads these young people might have taken, I ask you to consider another possibility.

Perhaps the deepest tragedy is not that death awaits us all.

Perhaps it is that we sometimes surrender the living to the dead before their lives are finished.

HORATIO opens the book.

HORATIO

Come, then, to Elsinore, where a son hears a command from beyond the grave.

And afterward to Verona, where two young hearts shall discover that love, too, can demand a courage greater than either has imagined.

Our story begins in darkness.

But darkness need not have the final word.

HORATIO closes the book. The light fades, and the distant sound of a castle bell announces the beginning of Act I.

ACT I: Where Two Tragedies Meet

ACT I, SCENE ONE

The Ghost's Command

Setting: The battlements of Elsinore Castle, Denmark.

Time: A winter's night, shortly before dawn.

Characters: HAMLET, HORATIO, MARCELLUS, THE GHOST OF KING HAMLET.

[A bitter wind sweeps across the battlements. Beyond the castle walls, the sea lies dark beneath a moon half-veiled by clouds. A bell tolls the hour. MARCELLUS stands watch with HORATIO.]

MARCELLUS

The night grows old, yet will not yield to morn.
The very stars seem frozen in their courses.

HORATIO

'Tis but the winter's breath upon thy bones.
The heavens heed not how a soldier shivers.

MARCELLUS

Would that the heavens heeded Denmark's grief.
Since our late king was laid beneath the stone,
No cock hath crowed without some fearful sound,
Nor moon arisen free of bloody clouds.

HORATIO

Grief makes strange prophets of us all, good friend.
Yet I confess, these walls have lost their peace.

[HAMLET enters, wrapped in a dark cloak.]

HAMLET

What peace may dwell where truth is buried deep?
Good even, gentlemen. Hath he appeared?

MARCELLUS

Not yet, my lord.

HAMLET

Then must we wait.

HORATIO

My prince, I pray thee, give thyself some rest.
Three nights hast thou pursued this wandering shade,
And three days passed without a wholesome sleep.

HAMLET

Sleep?

When kings are murdered, sleep becomes a thief
That steals the hours appointed unto truth.

HORATIO

Thou knowest not thy father was thus slain.

HAMLET

My heart knows what my reason dare not name.

HORATIO

Then let thy reason question what thy heart
Hath fashioned from the bitterness of loss.

HAMLET

Wouldst thou have me believe my father's death
Was but the common ending of a life?
A serpent's bite, so say the court physicians.
A sudden venom coursing through his blood,
And all the kingdom satisfied with tears.

HORATIO

I would have thee distinguish proof from fear.

HAMLET

And I would have a world wherein the two
Were not so oft mistaken for each other.

[A sudden gust extinguishes one of the torches. MARCELLUS draws back.]

MARCELLUS

My lord!

[At the far end of the battlements, THE GHOST appears, clad in the armor of the late King Hamlet. A pale light surrounds him.]

HORATIO

Heaven defend us!

HAMLET

Father?

[The Ghost raises one hand.]

GHOST

Hamlet.

HAMLET

O voice that death itself could not imprison!
If thou art he whose name I bear in sorrow,
Speak, and thy son shall hear thee.

GHOST

Come apart.
The ears of living men are frail with fear.

HORATIO

My lord, I beg thee, follow not the shade.

HAMLET

If he be false, I shall discover falsehood.
If true, what son could turn from such a call?

[HAMLET approaches the Ghost. HORATIO and MARCELLUS remain at a distance.]

GHOST

My hour is brief. Attend me well, my son.
The tale that Denmark tells concerning me
Is but a garment stitched to hide a wound.

HAMLET

Then speak the wound.

GHOST

'Twas not a serpent
That stole the breath from out my sleeping breast.

HAMLET

Who, then?

GHOST

The serpent wears my crown.

[HAMLET stands motionless.]

HAMLET

Claudius.

GHOST

Thy father's brother.
He came upon me in the orchard's shade,
Where I had laid my weary head to rest.
He poured a poison in mine unguarded ear,
And with that draught did steal my life, my throne,
And all the days that yet were mine to live.

HAMLET

O monstrous deed!

GHOST

A brother's hand
Hath made a widow of thy mother, son,
And placed a murderer upon Denmark's seat.

HAMLET

Then by the stars that witness this dark hour,
His blood shall answer for thy stolen blood!

GHOST

Beware, my son.

HAMLET

Beware? Wouldst thou have mercy
Upon the hand that struck thee into dust?

GHOST

I charge thee, seek the truth and bring it forth.
Let not my murder sleep beneath his crown.

HAMLET

And when the truth is found?

GHOST

Then shall thy soul
Be weighed against the deed that thou dost choose.

HAMLET

I understand thee not.

GHOST

Nor canst thou yet.
For grief speaks loudly in a young man's breast,
And vengeance wears the countenance of justice.

HAMLET

Art thou come back to counsel me in riddles?

GHOST

I come to bid thee wake.

HAMLET

Then give me proof!

GHOST

Beyond the mountains, southward past the Alps,
In Italy, where merchant princes thrive,
There lies a thread that leads unto my grave.

HAMLET

What thread?

GHOST

A payment made in secret.
A physician hired beneath a borrowed name.
A merchant's seal concealed among the books
Of those who trade with Denmark's royal house.

HAMLET

Where shall I seek these men?

GHOST

In fair Verona,
Where ancient households nourish ancient hate,
The path begins.

HAMLET

Verona?

GHOST

There thou shalt meet
A youth whose heart shall mirror thine in fire,
Yet burn for love where thine doth burn for wrong.

HAMLET

What youth is this?

GHOST

His name is Romeo.

HAMLET

And what hath Romeo to do with Denmark?

GHOST

More than thou knowest, more than he suspects.

[The first faint suggestion of dawn touches the eastern sky. The Ghost begins to withdraw.]

HAMLET

Stay, father! Tell me how to find the proof!
Tell me what fate awaits this Romeo!

GHOST

The living write what ghosts cannot foretell.

HAMLET

One word more!

GHOST

When thou dost stand
Between the sword of wrath and one man's life,
Bethink thee what thy father loved in thee
Before the grave made vengeance seem thy birthright.

HAMLET

Father!

GHOST

Farewell.

[The Ghost vanishes. A distant cock crows.]

[HAMLET remains staring into the empty darkness. HORATIO approaches slowly.]

HORATIO

My lord?

HAMLET

He hath spoken.

HORATIO

What hath he told thee?

HAMLET

That Denmark wears a lie upon its brow,
And I must seek the truth beyond its shores.

HORATIO

Where wouldst thou go?

HAMLET

To Italy.

HORATIO

For what?

HAMLET

A merchant's record, and a physician's name.
Perchance the proof of murder.

HORATIO

Then I shall go with thee.

HAMLET

Thou knowest not the peril.

HORATIO

Nor dost thou.
Yet friendship that attends a man in sunlight
And leaves him when the darkness gathers round
Deserves no better name than fair-weather acquaintance.

HAMLET

Thou art a better friend than I deserve.

HORATIO

Then prove me worthy by preserving reason
When anger counsels otherwise.

HAMLET

I fear mine anger hath already crowned itself.

HORATIO

A crown may yet be cast aside.

[HAMLET looks toward the eastern horizon.]

HAMLET

My father bids me seek the hidden truth.
My heart demands the life of Claudius.
Between those voices stands a narrow road,
And I know not whereon my feet shall fall.

HORATIO

Then walk it not alone.

[A long silence.]

HAMLET

Come, Horatio.
We leave for Verona ere another moon
Hath risen o'er these battlements.

[The castle bell sounds again. The first pale light of morning falls across the stone. HAMLET and HORATIO depart together.]

END OF ACT I, SCENE ONE

ACT II: The Bitter Price of Vengeance

ACT II, SCENE ONE

The Balcony and the Shadow

Setting: The Capulet orchard and gardens, Verona.

Time: Shortly after midnight, following the masked ball.

Characters: ROMEO, JULIET, HAMLET, HORATIO, MERCUTIO, THE ROYAL ENVOY, TWO ARMED SERVANTS.

[A moonlit orchard enclosed by high stone walls. Cypress trees rise beyond the garden, and pale roses climb the pillars beneath Juliet's balcony. The distant music of the Capulet feast has faded into silence.]

[ROMEO enters quietly, having climbed the orchard wall. His cloak catches upon a thorn, and he pauses to free it.]

ROMEO

What care I for the thorns that catch my cloak,
When love hath set a thousand in my breast?
These walls were built to keep out enemies,
Yet none can bar a heart that knows its home.

[He looks upward toward Juliet's balcony.]

ROMEO

O gentle night, conceal my foolish steps,
And let thy stars bear witness to my hope.

[A light appears above. JULIET steps onto the balcony, unaware that ROMEO stands below.]

JULIET

O weary heart, why wilt thou not be still?
One evening's dance hath turned my world awry.
Romeo.
A name my father taught me to despise,
Yet on my tongue it tastes of something sweet.

[ROMEO moves forward.]

ROMEO

Then speak it once again, and make me blessed.

JULIET

Who speaks?

ROMEO

A fool who hath returned
To hear his name pronounced by fairest lips.

JULIET

Romeo!
Art thou bereft of reason?
If any kinsman find thee in this garden,
Thy life is worth less than a broken cup.

ROMEO

Then let them break their cups upon the stones.
I came not here to quarrel with thy house.

JULIET

Yet thou hast entered where their swords command.

ROMEO

A sword may wound the flesh, but cannot reach
The place where thou hast made thy dwelling.

JULIET

Thy tongue is bold, but steel is bolder still.

ROMEO

Then teach me caution, if thou wilt.
I am a willing scholar.

JULIET

Would that thy scholarship began
With learning how to leave.

ROMEO

And wouldst thou have me go?

[JULIET hesitates.]

JULIET

I would have thee live.

ROMEO

Then give me cause.

JULIET

Hast thou so little cause already?

ROMEO

Until tonight, I knew not how much life
A single moment might contain.

JULIET

Thou speakest as though we had known each other
Since the first dawn awakened all the earth.

ROMEO

Perhaps our hearts are older than our names.

JULIET

Or perhaps our hearts are young and foolish,
And would persuade us that the world is kind.

ROMEO

Then let us make it kinder.

[JULIET leans upon the balcony rail.]

JULIET

Romeo, I fear not love itself.
I fear the hands that seek to govern it.
My father sees a daughter as a promise
Made long before she learned to speak her mind.
Thy father sees a Capulet and thinks
Of wounds that time hath failed to close.
What hope have we against such ancient pride?

ROMEO

The hope that two may choose another road.

JULIET

And if that road be barred?

ROMEO

We seek another.

JULIET

And if all roads be barred?

ROMEO

Then must we learn to build a bridge.

[She smiles despite herself.]

JULIET

Thou hast an answer for each question.

ROMEO

Save one.

JULIET

And what is that?

ROMEO

Wilt thou permit me to love thee?

[A long silence.]

JULIET

I cannot command what thou dost feel.

ROMEO

Nor would I have thee.

JULIET

Yet I may answer what I feel myself.

[She places her hand upon her heart.]

JULIET

I know thee scarcely, Romeo.
And still, when thou didst leave the hall,
The candles seemed to lose their warmth.

ROMEO

Then I shall count that answer precious.

JULIET

Count it carefully.
I would not have thee spend it recklessly.

ROMEO

I shall keep it near my heart.

JULIET

And keep thy heart within thy breast.
I have no wish to mourn thee.

[They gaze upon one another.]

The Watchers Beyond the Wall

[Outside the orchard wall, HAMLET and HORATIO pass along a narrow lane. HAMLET carries a hooded lantern.]

HORATIO

The merchant's agent hath departed Verona.
His servants say he travels east at dawn.

HAMLET

Then he hath business he would keep concealed.

HORATIO

We must send word to Padua before him.
If Bellandi's books be seized, our proof is lost.

HAMLET

I have written to a scholar there,
A man who once attended Wittenberg.
He knows the merchant's eldest clerk.

HORATIO

Then we may yet obtain a faithful copy.

HAMLET

A copy witnessed by another hand,
That none may call it forgery when we return.

[A faint sound of footsteps comes from the opposite end of the lane. HAMLET extinguishes his lantern.]

HAMLET

Stand close.

[THE ROYAL ENVOY enters with TWO ARMED SERVANTS.]

ROYAL ENVOY

Search every lodging near the western gate.
The paper must be found before the morning.

FIRST SERVANT

And if the thief hath fled?

ROYAL ENVOY

Then follow him.

SECOND SERVANT

We have no warrant from Verona's prince.

ROYAL ENVOY

A warrant?

[He laughs quietly.]

ROYAL ENVOY

The King of Denmark sends his warrant
Wherever Danish gold hath purchased silence.

FIRST SERVANT

And if the stranger resist?

ROYAL ENVOY

Let him resist no more.

[The servants depart. The ENVOY remains beneath a tree, examining a letter.]

HORATIO [whispering]

He seeks the receipt.

HAMLET

Aye.

HORATIO

We must depart.

HAMLET

Not yet.

[HAMLET watches the Envoy carefully.]

ROYAL ENVOY

The apprentice, the ledger, and the missing receipt.
Three loose threads, and each may strangle us.

[He folds the letter and moves away.]

HORATIO

Didst thou hear? The apprentice lives.

HAMLET

And the Envoy fears him more than any sword.

HORATIO

Then let us follow the man.

HAMLET

Nay. We know not where his servants wait.
A rash pursuit may cost us all.

HORATIO

Thou growest cautious.

HAMLET

I grow weary of seeing folly dressed as courage.

[A voice calls softly from above the garden wall.]

ROMEO

Hamlet?

[HAMLET looks upward. ROMEO has climbed to the top of the wall.]

HAMLET

Romeo!
What mischief hath carried thee so high?

ROMEO

The same that brought thee into Verona.
A matter of the heart.

HAMLET

Then thine hath chosen a dangerous lodging.

ROMEO

I have found Juliet.

HAMLET

So I perceive.

HORATIO

Good youth, descend before the watchmen come.

ROMEO

I would, but she hath promised me
Another word before we part.

HAMLET

Then take thy word, and keep thy life.
For both are worth preserving.

[ROMEO drops lightly to the lane beside them.]

ROMEO

Thou art a strange counselor in love.

HAMLET

I have been called far worse.

ROMEO

Thou speakest always of life and danger.
Hast thou never loved beyond all caution?

HAMLET

I have loved a father beyond the grave,
And near forgot the living for his sake.

[ROMEO grows serious.]

ROMEO

Then thy grief is deeper than I knew.

HAMLET

And thy joy more fragile than thou thinkest.

ROMEO

Wouldst thou have me abandon Juliet?

HAMLET

Nay.
I would have thee love her in such fashion
That she may live to bless thee for it.

ROMEO

Thou makest love sound like a duty.

HAMLET

The truest love bears duty in its heart.
'Tis easy to swear death for one beloved.
The harder oath is living faithfully
When all the world commands thee otherwise.

[ROMEO considers this.]

ROMEO

Then I shall live, and love her still.

HAMLET

A better vow than any made upon a tomb.

[A sound of approaching footsteps.]

HORATIO

Someone comes.

[MERCUTIO enters, searching the lane.]

MERCUTIO

Romeo!
By all the saints, I thought thee stolen
By fairies, thieves, or some enchanted maid.

[He notices HAMLET and HORATIO.]

MERCUTIO

Ah! Thou hast found two solemn guardians.
One looks as though he hath buried joy,
The other as though he keeps the graveyard books.

HORATIO

And thou, sir, speakest enough for three.

MERCUTIO

A most economical arrangement.

ROMEO

Peace, Mercutio. These are friends.

MERCUTIO

Then I must ask their pardon.
I have mistaken friendship for a funeral.

HAMLET

And I have mistaken thy tongue for a bell
That knows not when to cease its ringing.

[MERCUTIO bursts into laughter.]

MERCUTIO

A worthy stroke!
Romeo, where hast thou hidden this northern wit?
I would have him at our table every night.

HAMLET

I fear thy table would not survive us both.

MERCUTIO

Then we must dine upon the ruins.

[The men laugh.]

The First Warning

[A distant shout is heard. The ROYAL ENVOY reappears at the far end of the lane with one servant. He stops upon seeing HAMLET.]

ROYAL ENVOY

Good even, gentlemen.

[HAMLET turns slowly.]

HAMLET

And to thee, sir.

ROYAL ENVOY

Thy face is known to me.

HAMLET

Then thy memory serves thee better
Than thy manners.

ROYAL ENVOY

I have seen thee in a northern court.

HAMLET

Many men have traveled north.

ROYAL ENVOY

Few bear themselves like princes.

[HORATIO steps forward.]

HORATIO

My companion is a scholar,
And we have business with the merchants of Padua.

ROYAL ENVOY

Indeed?
Then perhaps he hath found a paper
Belonging to one of my associates.

HAMLET

What paper?

ROYAL ENVOY

A receipt.

HAMLET

Verona is full of receipts.
Her merchants would sell the moon
If they could find a clerk to measure it.

ROYAL ENVOY

Take care, young sir.
Some papers carry dangerous knowledge.

HAMLET

Then their owners should guard them well.

[A tense silence.]

ROYAL ENVOY

We shall meet again.

HAMLET

I doubt it not.

[The Envoy departs with his servant.]

MERCUTIO

A charming fellow.
I should trust him with neither purse nor sister.

HORATIO

Nor with a secret.

ROMEO

Who is he?

HAMLET

A man whose master hath good reason
To fear the truth.

ROMEO

Then thou art in danger.

HAMLET

As art thou, Romeo.
Though our dangers wear different faces.

ROMEO

If thou needest aid, command me.

HAMLET

Thou knowest not what thou offerest.

ROMEO

I offer friendship.
Must friendship first inquire the price?

[HAMLET studies him.]

HAMLET

Nay.
And I thank thee.

The Promise Beneath the Stars

[From the balcony, JULIET appears once more.]

JULIET

Romeo?

[ROMEO turns immediately.]

ROMEO

My lady!

JULIET

The house is quiet now.
Yet I must beg thee leave before the dawn.

ROMEO

I go, though every step shall carry me
Farther from that which gives my journey meaning.

JULIET

Then let tomorrow bring thee safely back.

ROMEO

It shall, if heaven grant me breath.

HAMLET

Heaven favors those who guard the breath
Already granted them.

[JULIET looks down at HAMLET.]

JULIET

Good Hamlet, wilt thou keep him from his folly?

HAMLET

I shall attempt it, lady.
Yet I fear the task may outlive us all.

ROMEO

I stand accused by all my friends.

MERCUTIO

Aye, and by thy beloved.
Thou art thoroughly defeated.

[JULIET laughs softly.]

JULIET

Farewell, Romeo.

ROMEO

Farewell, sweet Juliet.

[She withdraws from the balcony.]

[ROMEO watches until her light is extinguished.]

HORATIO

The hour grows late.

MERCUTIO

Then let us depart before Verona wakes
And discovers all her young men missing.

[MERCUTIO leads ROMEO away. ROMEO turns once to wave to HAMLET.]

ROMEO

Until tomorrow, friend!

HAMLET

Until tomorrow.

[ROMEO and MERCUTIO depart. HAMLET and HORATIO remain beneath the orchard wall.]

HORATIO

Thou hast taken that youth into thy confidence.

HAMLET

Not yet.
But there is honesty within him,
Though folly keeps it company.

HORATIO

And thou?

HAMLET

I have honesty enough to know
That folly walks beside me too.

[He looks toward the darkened balcony.]

HAMLET

He loves a maiden whose family hates his name.
I seek a king whose crown conceals a crime.
Both roads are marked with danger.

HORATIO

Yet neither need be walked in hatred.

HAMLET

So said my father's shade, though not in words
I understood upon that bitter night.

[HAMLET draws the folded receipt from his doublet.]

HAMLET

Tomorrow we must find the merchant's records.
Then seek the apprentice ere the Envoy's men
Can silence him.

HORATIO

And if the proof condemns thy uncle?

[HAMLET looks toward the distant stars.]

HAMLET

Then must I learn whether justice
May be served without becoming vengeance.

[A distant bell tolls.]

[The two men depart along the moonlit lane. Above them, Juliet's balcony remains dark, its roses stirring gently in the night wind.]

CURTAIN.

END OF ACT II, SCENE ONE

ACT II, SCENE TWO

The Price of Honor

Setting: A public square in Verona, near the market fountain.

Time: The following afternoon.

Characters: HAMLET, HORATIO, ROMEO, MERCUTIO, BENVOLIO, TYBALT, FRIAR LAWRENCE, THE ROYAL ENVOY, CITIZENS, and GUARDS.

[The square of Verona. Merchants call beneath striped awnings. A fountain spills clear water into a stone basin. Children run between the stalls. The afternoon sun beats upon the cobblestones.]

[MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO enter, followed by ROMEO.]

MERCUTIO

By heaven, this sun would roast a saint alive!
I swear the very stones have learned to sweat.

BENVOLIO

Then let us seek the shade, good Mercutio.
The streets are full of Capulets today,
And heat hath made men's tempers quick to rise.

MERCUTIO

Thou speakest as though the sun itself
Were sworn unto the house of Capulet.

BENVOLIO

I speak of men whose swords are quicker
Than the wisdom that should govern them.

MERCUTIO

Then wisdom is a sluggish servant indeed.
It never comes when called.

ROMEO

Peace, both of you.
I have no stomach for another quarrel.

MERCUTIO

Thou hast no stomach for aught but love.
Since yesternight, thy feet scarce touch the ground.

ROMEO

And thine scarce leave it without mischief.

MERCUTIO

A most unkind accusation.
I am the very picture of restraint.

BENVOLIO

A picture drawn by a drunken painter.

[They laugh.]

[HAMLET and HORATIO enter from the opposite street, carrying a sealed letter.]

HORATIO

The clerk in Padua hath answered us.
Bellandi's books remain within his keeping,
Yet strangers have demanded their surrender.

HAMLET

And hath he promised us a copy?

HORATIO

He hath. His master's seal and signature
Shall witness every entry that concerns
The Danish treasury.

HAMLET

Then we have gained a little ground.

HORATIO

The clerk writes further of the apprentice.
He was seen in Mantua three days past,
And lodged beneath the name of Matteo.

HAMLET

A borrowed name to save a borrowed life.

HORATIO

We must reach him before the Envoy's men.

[ROMEO notices them.]

ROMEO

Hamlet! Horatio!

HAMLET

Good Romeo.

MERCUTIO

Behold the northern gentlemen!
Come, Denmark, tell us whether all thy countrymen
Are born with winter lodged within their brows.

HAMLET

Nay, sir. Some are born with summer in their tongues
And spend their lives exhausting it.

MERCUTIO

A hit! A most excellent hit!
I begin to think thou art a poet
Who hath mistaken mourning for a profession.

HAMLET

And thou a philosopher
Who hath mistaken noise for wisdom.

MERCUTIO

Then let us exchange professions.
Thou shalt make merry, and I shall brood.

[MERCUTIO attempts a solemn expression.]

MERCUTIO

Alas, poor world! Thy cheese is full of holes,
Thy wine runs dry, thy women love another!

[ROMEO laughs.]

ROMEO

Thou wouldst make a merry ghost.

MERCUTIO

Aye, and haunt the kitchens of the rich.

[HAMLET smiles.]

HAMLET

Would that all spirits bore thy cheerful nature.

[A brief silence passes over HAMLET's face. HORATIO notices but says nothing.]

Tybalt's Challenge

[From a side street, TYBALT enters with two CAPULET KINSMEN. He sees ROMEO.]

TYBALT

Romeo!

[The laughter ceases.]

ROMEO

Good day, Tybalt.

TYBALT

Good day? Thou hast the boldness
To offer courtesy after last night's insult?

ROMEO

I meant no insult to thy house.

TYBALT

Thou camest masked among our guests,
And dared to dance beneath my uncle's roof.

ROMEO

I came in peace.

TYBALT

Then peace hath made thee insolent.

MERCUTIO

Take heed, Tybalt. Peace is a gentle lady.
She may grow weary of thy company.

TYBALT

I speak not unto thee.

MERCUTIO

Yet thou hast found me ready to reply.

BENVOLIO

Good gentlemen, I pray you, end this quarrel.
The square is full of witnesses.

TYBALT

Let them witness.

[TYBALT draws his sword halfway from its sheath.]

TYBALT

Romeo, thou art a villain.

ROMEO

Tybalt, I bear thee no such hatred
As thou dost bear to me.

TYBALT

Then draw, and prove thy courage.

ROMEO

I will not fight thee.

TYBALT

Coward!

ROMEO

Call me what thou wilt.
I have no wish to stain this day with blood.

MERCUTIO

Romeo, wilt thou endure such shame?

ROMEO

There is no shame in refusing needless violence.

TYBALT

Then hide behind thy pretty speeches.

MERCUTIO

If Romeo will not answer thee,
I shall.

[MERCUTIO draws his sword.]

ROMEO

Mercutio, no!

MERCUTIO

Come, Tybalt.
Let us see whether thy blade be sharper
Than thy tongue.

TYBALT

Gladly.

[They draw fully and begin to fight. Citizens retreat from the square.]

The Duel

[TYBALT and MERCUTIO circle one another. Their swords clash.]

MERCUTIO

Come, sir! Thou strikest like a dancing master
Who fears to tear his stockings!

TYBALT

Thy jesting shall not save thee.

MERCUTIO

Nor shall thy frowning make thee handsome.

[They exchange blows. BENVOLIO attempts to intervene but is driven back.]

BENVOLIO

Part them! Part them!

ROMEO

Mercutio, put thy sword away!

MERCUTIO

A moment, Romeo!
I have scarce begun to teach him manners!

[HAMLET steps forward.]

HAMLET

Hold, gentlemen!

[Neither combatant listens.]

HAMLET

I command you, cease!

[MERCUTIO turns briefly at the sound of HAMLET's voice. TYBALT thrusts. The blade strikes MERCUTIO beneath the ribs.]

[MERCUTIO staggers backward.]

MERCUTIO

A scratch.
A most discourteous scratch.

[He looks down at the wound.]

ROMEO

Mercutio!

[ROMEO catches him as he falls.]

MERCUTIO

Why lookest thou so pale, sweet Romeo?
'Tis I who have been wounded.

ROMEO

Fetch a physician!

BENVOLIO

Make way! Make way!

[BENVOLIO runs for help.]

MERCUTIO

I fear this jest hath gone too far.

[He tries to laugh but winces.]

ROMEO

Speak not. Save thy strength.

MERCUTIO

I had meant to grow old, thou knowest.
A gray-bearded fool, still chasing pretty faces
And cheating death at dice.

ROMEO

Thou shalt yet grow old.

MERCUTIO

Nay, friend.
I think death hath won the throw.

[ROMEO presses his hand against the wound.]

ROMEO

Stay with me.

MERCUTIO

I would, if I could.

[MERCUTIO looks toward TYBALT, who stands motionless, his sword lowered.]

MERCUTIO

A plague upon your houses both.
Not for the blood that spills this day alone,
But for the thousand hearts ye teach to hate
Before they learn the reason.

[He turns back to ROMEO.]

MERCUTIO

Promise me one thing.

ROMEO

Anything.

MERCUTIO

When thou dost tell this tale,
Let them remember that I laughed.

[His hand falls. He dies.]

[ROMEO bows his head over MERCUTIO's body. The square falls silent.]

The Sword of Vengeance

[TYBALT takes one step backward.]

TYBALT

I meant not...

[ROMEO rises slowly.]

ROMEO

Thou meantest not?

[He looks at MERCUTIO, then at TYBALT.]

ROMEO

He lies upon the stones,
And thou wouldst mend the world with three poor words?

TYBALT

He drew upon me first.

ROMEO

And thou hast answered with his life!

[ROMEO draws his sword.]

ROMEO

Come, Tybalt!
Let steel pronounce what words cannot!

TYBALT

Then have thy will!

[TYBALT raises his sword. Before they can strike, HAMLET steps between them and draws his own blade.]

HAMLET

Stand back!

ROMEO

Hamlet, leave me!

HAMLET

I will not.

ROMEO

He hath slain my friend!

HAMLET

I have eyes, Romeo.

ROMEO

Then see what justice asks of me!

HAMLET

Justice asks thee first to know thyself.

ROMEO

I know my grief!

HAMLET

And grief would make thee murderer.

ROMEO

He deserves to die!

HAMLET

Perchance.
Yet art thou fit to judge him now,
When rage hath seized the throne of reason?

ROMEO

Wouldst thou spare him?

HAMLET

I would spare thee.

[ROMEO hesitates.]

HAMLET

Look upon thy friend.
Wouldst thou make his dying breath
The first commandment of another war?

ROMEO

He was my brother in all but blood.

HAMLET

Then honor him by being more than wrath.

ROMEO

Thou askest what no man could bear.

HAMLET

I know.

[HAMLET lowers his voice.]

HAMLET

For I have heard the selfsame voice
That bids thee strike.
It speaks within my breast each waking hour,
And calls its hunger justice.
Yet if we feed it all the lives it asks,
What shall remain of those we love?

[ROMEO looks at TYBALT, then at MERCUTIO. His sword trembles.]

ROMEO

I cannot forgive him.

HAMLET

Then do not.
Not this day.
But lay thy sword aside,
And let tomorrow find thee living.

[A long silence. ROMEO slowly lowers his blade.]

ROMEO

For Mercutio's sake,
I shall not make another grave.

[TYBALT retreats, shaken.]

TYBALT

I sought a quarrel, not this end.

HAMLET

Then look well upon the end thou hast made.

[TYBALT cannot meet his gaze.]

The Law Arrives

[GUARDS enter, followed by FRIAR LAWRENCE, who has been summoned by BENVOLIO.]

FIRST GUARD

Who hath drawn steel within the public square?

BENVOLIO

Tybalt of Capulet hath slain Mercutio.

TYBALT

He challenged me.

HAMLET

And thou didst answer him with death.

FIRST GUARD

Lay down thy sword.

[TYBALT obeys. The Guards seize him.]

TYBALT

I shall answer before the Prince.

FIRST GUARD

Aye, and before the law.

[The Guards lead TYBALT away.]

[FRIAR LAWRENCE kneels beside MERCUTIO and examines him.]

FRIAR LAWRENCE

His earthly troubles are at rest.

ROMEO

And ours begin anew.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

My son, what happened here?

ROMEO

Hatred found a sword,
And friendship paid its price.

[The Friar closes MERCUTIO's eyes.]

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Then let the living learn what death hath taught.

[HAMLET turns away, troubled.]

The Envoy's Opportunity

[At the far side of the square, the ROYAL ENVOY has watched the final moments of the confrontation. He approaches one of his servants.]

ROYAL ENVOY

The Danish prince hath made himself
A friend unto the Montagues.

SERVANT

Shall we inform the King?

ROYAL ENVOY

Aye.
And write that Hamlet bears a paper
Taken from our keeping.

SERVANT

What of the merchant's books?

ROYAL ENVOY

Our men depart for Padua tonight.
If Bellandi will not surrender them,
His countinghouse must suffer an accident.

SERVANT

And the apprentice?

ROYAL ENVOY

Find him before Hamlet does.

[The Envoy departs.]

After the Bloodshed

[The square has emptied. MERCUTIO's body has been carried away. ROMEO sits beside the fountain, his hands stained with blood. HAMLET stands nearby.]

ROMEO

I heard his laughter this morning.
He spoke of growing old,
Of wine and women, foolish dreams.
And now...

[He cannot continue.]

HAMLET

Grief hath no language equal to its weight.

ROMEO

I thought love had made me brave.
Yet when my friend lay dying,
I knew no courage but to kill.

HAMLET

Thou didst possess another courage.

ROMEO

I felt none.

HAMLET

Thou laidst down thy sword.

ROMEO

Only at thy command.

HAMLET

Nay, Romeo.
I stood between thee and thy enemy,
Yet thine own hand chose not to strike.

[ROMEO looks at him.]

ROMEO

And what of thee?
If the man who slew thy father
Stood before thee with no sword to guard him,
Wouldst thou spare his life?

[HAMLET is silent.]

ROMEO

Thou canst not answer.

HAMLET

Not yet.

ROMEO

Then we are brothers in our weakness.

HAMLET

Perhaps.
Or brothers in the hope
That weakness need not govern what we do.

[FRIAR LAWRENCE approaches.]

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Romeo, the Prince shall hear this matter.
Thy refusal to fight may spare thee punishment,
Yet the quarrel shall not end so easily.

ROMEO

What becomes of Tybalt?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

The law must judge him.

ROMEO

And if the law should fail?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Then let not thy soul become its substitute.

[The Friar departs.]

ROMEO

Juliet is Tybalt's kin.

HAMLET

I know.

ROMEO

How shall I look upon her now?

HAMLET

As thou didst before:
Not as the daughter of a house,
But as the woman whom thou lovest.

ROMEO

Her family hath taken Mercutio from me.

HAMLET

One man hath taken him.
Do not condemn her for his deed.

[ROMEO bows his head.]

ROMEO

I fear tomorrow.

HAMLET

So do I.

[A distant bell tolls.]

ROMEO

What shall we do?

HAMLET

We shall bury thy friend,
And seek the truth that may yet save the living.

[ROMEO rises.]

ROMEO

Then let us begin with him.

[The two men depart together, walking slowly through the silent square.]

[Above the fountain, the afternoon sun begins to fade.]

CURTAIN.

END OF ACT II, SCENE TWO

ACT II, SCENE THREE

The Weight of Two Houses

Setting: The Capulet residence, a chapel in Verona, and the courtyard of a merchant's lodging.

Time: The evening following Mercutio's death, continuing into the next morning.

Characters: JULIET, ROMEO, HAMLET, HORATIO, OPHELIA, FRIAR LAWRENCE, LORD CAPULET, LADY CAPULET, THE NURSE, LORENZO, A PADUAN CLERK, and SERVANTS.

The House of Mourning

[A chamber within the Capulet residence. Evening shadows stretch across the walls. JULIET stands beside an open window, looking down upon the city. The NURSE enters hurriedly, carrying a folded shawl.]

NURSE

O lady, lady, what a dreadful day!
The streets are full of grief, the bells of sorrow,
And every tongue hath found a tale to tell.

JULIET

What news hath set thee trembling so?

NURSE

Young Mercutio is dead.

JULIET

Mercutio?

NURSE

Romeo's dear companion.
Tybalt struck him in the market square.

JULIET

Tybalt?

NURSE

Aye, thy cousin.

[JULIET grips the windowsill.]

JULIET

O cruel hour!
What madness hath possessed our house?

NURSE

They say the men drew swords,
And Romeo stood between them.

JULIET

Romeo?

NURSE

He lives, sweet lady.

JULIET

Thank heaven.

[She closes her eyes briefly.]

JULIET

And Tybalt?

NURSE

Taken by the city guards.
The Prince must judge his deed.

JULIET

Then one young man lies dead,
Another waits beneath the law,
And every house shall count itself the injured one.

NURSE

Thy father rages like a winter storm.

JULIET

He mourns the shame upon our name,
Yet who shall mourn the mother
Whose son returns no more?

NURSE

Thou speakest strangely of a Montague's friend.

JULIET

Was Mercutio less a man
For loving those my father hates?

[LORD CAPULET enters, followed by LADY CAPULET.]

LORD CAPULET

Juliet, thou hast heard the news?

JULIET

I have, my lord.

LORD CAPULET

Our house is shamed before Verona.
Tybalt hath let his temper master him,
And now the Prince demands an accounting.

LADY CAPULET

The Montagues provoked him.

JULIET

Did they command his sword to strike?

LADY CAPULET

Juliet!

JULIET

Forgive me, mother.
Yet blood once spilled cannot be gathered up
By naming who began the quarrel.

LORD CAPULET

Thou art too young to judge such matters.

JULIET

Then am I old enough to grieve?

[LORD CAPULET looks at her sharply.]

LORD CAPULET

Thou wilt grieve for thine own kin.

JULIET

I grieve for all who suffer.

LORD CAPULET

There speaks the innocence of youth.
The world is not so gentle as thy heart.

JULIET

Then must my heart grow cruel
To prove that I have learned the world?

[A silence.]

LORD CAPULET

Enough.
The Prince may yet show mercy unto Tybalt,
Yet our standing hath been wounded sorely.
We must restore the honor of this house.

LADY CAPULET

Count Paris hath renewed his suit.
A marriage would bring steadiness
Where scandal now hath shaken us.

JULIET

Marriage?

LORD CAPULET

Aye.
We shall speak further when this grief hath passed.

[LORD and LADY CAPULET depart.]

[JULIET remains motionless.]

JULIET

They speak of marriage as men speak of walls,
A thing to raise against approaching danger.

NURSE

My lamb, thy father means to guard thee.

JULIET

Yet what becomes of the bird
Whose cage is fashioned out of love?

[She turns toward the window.]

JULIET

Romeo, where art thou now?

The Chapel of Saint Francis

[A small chapel lit by candles. MERCUTIO's body rests beneath a plain white covering, awaiting burial. FRIAR LAWRENCE stands beside it. ROMEO kneels at the foot of the bier.]

ROMEO

I cannot think him silent.
All my life his tongue outran the morning,
And laughter followed where his footsteps fell.
Now death hath taken both his words and breath,
And left the world too quiet for my heart.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

The Lord receives what earth cannot retain.

ROMEO

Yet earth retains the wound.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Aye, my son.
And those who live must tend it.

[HAMLET enters quietly.]

HAMLET

Romeo.

ROMEO

Thou hast come.

HAMLET

I could not leave thee here alone.

ROMEO

I keep recalling how he laughed
When first he saw thee.
He named thee Denmark's prince of melancholy,
Though he knew not thou wert prince at all.

HAMLET

He had a gift for finding truth
Beneath a jest.

ROMEO

And now his jesting ends.

[HAMLET stands beside the bier.]

HAMLET

Good Mercutio,
Thou didst spend thy laughter freely,
As though the world had endless need of it.
Perchance it did.

[A pause.]

ROMEO

I dreamt this afternoon
That I had slain Tybalt.
In dreams the sword obeys the heart,
And every blow seems righteous.
Yet when I woke, my hands were empty,
And I was glad.
Then came the shame of gladness.

HAMLET

Why shame?

ROMEO

My friend lies dead.
His killer lives.

HAMLET

And would thy friend's return
Be purchased by another death?

ROMEO

Nay.

HAMLET

Then thou hast lost no honor.

ROMEO

The city shall call me coward.

HAMLET

Let it.
A thousand tongues may call a man a fool,
Yet none can make him one
Unless he lends them judgment over his soul.

ROMEO

Thou speakest with certainty.

HAMLET

I speak what I would fain believe.

[FRIAR LAWRENCE approaches.]

FRIAR LAWRENCE

My sons, the Prince hath ordered Tybalt held
Until the witnesses have spoken.
No sentence shall be given this night.

ROMEO

Then may the law prove wiser than our fathers.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Amen.

[The Friar departs to tend the candles.]

ROMEO

I fear for Juliet.

HAMLET

Her house hath suffered shame,
Yet she bears none of Tybalt's guilt.

ROMEO

Her father may forbid our meeting.

HAMLET

Then speak with care, and seek no rash escape.

ROMEO

What wouldst thou have me do?

HAMLET

First, bury thy friend.
Then give thy grief the dignity of time.
Love need not perish for one day's sorrow,
Nor prove itself by courting death.

[ROMEO takes HAMLET's hand.]

ROMEO

Thou hast become a brother to me.

HAMLET

Then let me prove a faithful one.

The Arrival from Denmark

[The following morning. A courtyard outside a merchant's lodging. HORATIO waits beside a fountain, examining a folded letter. A carriage enters. OPHELIA steps down, dressed in pale blue traveling garments.]

HORATIO

Lady Ophelia!

OPHELIA

Good Horatio.

HORATIO

By what strange fortune art thou come to Verona?

OPHELIA

No fortune brought me, but concern.
I heard that Hamlet crossed the Alps
In search of secrets none would name.

HORATIO

The road was long, and full of peril.

OPHELIA

Then I have crossed it nonetheless.

HORATIO

Doth thy father know?

OPHELIA

He knows I sought leave to visit kin in Italy.
He knows not yet how far my purpose reaches.

HORATIO

Polonius will be sore displeased.

OPHELIA

My father finds displeasure
In most things I decide without his counsel.

[HAMLET enters from the lodging. He stops upon seeing her.]

HAMLET

Ophelia?

OPHELIA

My lord.

HAMLET

What star hath guided thee so far from Denmark?

OPHELIA

The same that guides all travelers
Who fear for one they love.

[HAMLET approaches her.]

HAMLET

Thou shouldst not have come.

OPHELIA

And yet I stand before thee.

HAMLET

The road is dangerous.

OPHELIA

I have found it so.

HAMLET

Then why hazard thyself?

OPHELIA

Wouldst thou have me sit at Elsinore,
Count every hour, and wonder
Whether silence meant thy death?

[HAMLET has no immediate answer.]

OPHELIA

I am weary of being told
That love is proven best by waiting.

HAMLET

Thou knowest not the danger here.

OPHELIA

Then tell me.

HAMLET

My father's death was no accident.

[OPHELIA studies him.]

OPHELIA

Thou hast found proof?

HAMLET

The beginning of it.

OPHELIA

Then I would see what thou hast found.

HAMLET

These are affairs of kings and murderers.

OPHELIA

And do kings possess some special right
To truth that women lack?

[HORATIO lowers his eyes to conceal a smile.]

HAMLET

Thou hast brought a sharper tongue
Than when we parted.

OPHELIA

Nay, Hamlet.
I have merely ceased to hide it.

[A silence, then HAMLET smiles faintly.]

HAMLET

Come, then.
There is much to tell.

The Merchant's Evidence

[Inside the lodging. A table bears maps, letters, and the receipt recovered at the Capulet feast. A PADUAN CLERK stands before HAMLET, HORATIO, and OPHELIA.]

PADUAN CLERK

My master Bellandi sends these copies,
Each witnessed by his seal and mine.

[He places a bound packet upon the table.]

HORATIO

And the originals?

PADUAN CLERK

Remain in Padua, hidden from those
Who came demanding their surrender.

HAMLET

What do these entries show?

PADUAN CLERK

A payment made through an intermediary
For certain medicinal preparations
Delivered unto Elsinore.

HAMLET

By whose command?

PADUAN CLERK

The written order bears the treasury's seal.
The name of him who gave it is concealed
Beneath a cipher known to royal clerks.

HORATIO

Then we must find the key.

PADUAN CLERK

There is another matter.

[He turns a page.]

PADUAN CLERK

The physician, Master Pietro Velluti,
Received instructions that no record
Of the preparation should remain.

HAMLET

Who gave those instructions?

PADUAN CLERK

A northern gentleman,
Bearing a silver falcon upon his ring.

HORATIO

The Envoy.

HAMLET

And the apprentice?

PADUAN CLERK

He copied part of the formula
Before his master destroyed the original.
When he learned the preparation was sent
To a royal household, he grew afraid.

OPHELIA

Afraid of what?

PADUAN CLERK

That what he had prepared as medicine
Might have been used as poison.

[HAMLET closes his eyes.]

HAMLET

My father's death.

HORATIO

The suspicion grows stronger,
Yet we need the apprentice's testimony
And proof of who commanded the delivery.

HAMLET

Aye.

[OPHELIA examines the copied ledger.]

OPHELIA

What is this mark beside the payment?

PADUAN CLERK

A merchant's notation.

OPHELIA

It appears upon three separate entries,
Yet each names a different house.

PADUAN CLERK

I had not marked the likeness.

OPHELIA

Here is the same cipher,
Once beside the Danish treasury,
Once beside a Veronese merchant,
And once beside an account in Mantua.

HORATIO

A chain of payments?

OPHELIA

Perchance.
Yet the sums are divided
As though one debt were paid through several hands.

HAMLET

To hide the source.

OPHELIA

Or to hide the purpose.
We must learn which.

[HAMLET regards her with admiration.]

HAMLET

Thou hast seen in moments
What I overlooked through many hours.

OPHELIA

Then let us waste no more.

Juliet and Ophelia

[Later that afternoon. A quiet garden adjoining the Capulet residence. JULIET sits beneath an olive tree, a book unopened in her lap. OPHELIA enters, accompanied by the NURSE.]

NURSE

My lady, a gentlewoman from Denmark
Requests the pleasure of thy company.

JULIET

Then she is welcome.

[The NURSE withdraws.]

OPHELIA

Lady Juliet, I thank thee for receiving me.

JULIET

Thou art far from home.

OPHELIA

Farther than I had meant to travel,
Yet perhaps nearer where I ought to be.

JULIET

Thou speakest like one who hath followed her heart
Against the counsel of wiser heads.

OPHELIA

And thou like one who knows the road.

[They smile.]

JULIET

I hear thou art acquainted with Hamlet.

OPHELIA

Since our youth.

JULIET

Romeo speaks highly of him.

OPHELIA

Then Romeo hath judged him kindly.

JULIET

He stood between Romeo and Tybalt,
And spared my cousin from another death.

OPHELIA

That sounds like Hamlet.

[She pauses.]

OPHELIA

Or like the man he may yet become.

JULIET

Is he not always thus?

OPHELIA

Grief hath divided his heart.
He seeks justice for his father,
Yet fears the anger that accompanies it.

JULIET

Then he and Romeo are not so different.

OPHELIA

Perhaps that is why they have become friends.

[JULIET looks toward the city walls.]

JULIET

My father would have me marry Paris.

OPHELIA

And dost thou love him?

JULIET

Nay.

OPHELIA

Then why consent?

JULIET

I have not.
Yet in this house, a daughter's silence
Is oft mistaken for obedience.

OPHELIA

Then speak.

JULIET

I have spoken.
My words return to me unanswered.

OPHELIA

Then speak again, and find allies
Who will not turn away.

[JULIET studies her.]

JULIET

Thou art bold, Lady Ophelia.

OPHELIA

I have spent too many years
Mistaking quietness for virtue.

JULIET

Then we may have much to learn
From one another.

[They clasp hands.]

OPHELIA

I hope so.

[From the house, a servant calls JULIET's name.]

JULIET

My father summons me.

OPHELIA

Then I shall leave thee to thy duties.

JULIET

Wilt thou come again?

OPHELIA

Gladly.

JULIET

Then let us meet tomorrow.
I have a mind to show thee the old accounts
My father's steward keeps beneath the gallery.

OPHELIA

Accounts?

JULIET

Aye. He complains of them so often
That I have grown curious.

[OPHELIA pauses, recalling the merchant's ledger.]

OPHELIA

Then perhaps thy curiosity
May serve us both.

[They exchange a knowing look.]

The Unfinished Choice

[Evening. HAMLET stands alone in the courtyard of the lodging. The merchant's packet lies upon the table beside him. OPHELIA enters.]

OPHELIA

Thou hast not eaten.

HAMLET

My thoughts have made a poor supper.

OPHELIA

Then let them starve a little.
Thy body hath its claims upon thee.

HAMLET

Thou soundest like Horatio.

OPHELIA

Then he and I possess one wisdom
Thou hast not yet acquired.

[She places bread beside him.]

HAMLET

Ophelia, if these papers prove
My uncle ordered my father's murder,
What wouldst thou have me do?

OPHELIA

Bring the truth before those
Who may judge him openly.

HAMLET

And if the law kneels before his crown?

OPHELIA

Then seek those who will stand.

HAMLET

And if none stand?

[OPHELIA looks directly at him.]

OPHELIA

Then thou must decide
Whether thou wouldst punish a murderer
Or become one.

[HAMLET turns away.]

HAMLET

Thou askest more than I can promise.

OPHELIA

I ask thee not for promises.
I ask thee to keep thy heart alive
Until the hour of choosing comes.

[A long silence.]

HAMLET

My father spoke much the same
Upon the battlements of Elsinore.

OPHELIA

Then perhaps the dead and living
Are agreed upon one thing.

HAMLET

And what is that?

OPHELIA

That thy life is worth more
Than the vengeance thou wouldst purchase with it.

[HAMLET takes her hand.]

HAMLET

Stay near me, Ophelia.

OPHELIA

I came for no other purpose.

[Beyond the courtyard, the bells of Verona begin to toll. HAMLET looks toward the distant towers of the Capulet residence.]

HAMLET

The truth draws nearer.

OPHELIA

Then let us meet it together.

[They remain beneath the fading light as the curtain falls.]

CURTAIN.

END OF ACT II, SCENE THREE

ACT III: The Judgment of Verona

ACT III, SCENE ONE

The Judgment of Verona

Setting: The Prince's Hall of Justice in Verona, followed by the Capulet residence.

Time: Two days after Mercutio's death.

Characters: HAMLET, HORATIO, ROMEO, JULIET, OPHELIA, TYBALT, LORD CAPULET, LADY CAPULET, COUNT PARIS, PRINCE ESCALUS, BENVOLIO, LORENZO, THE ROYAL ENVOY, GUARDS, and CITIZENS.

The Hall of Justice

[A great stone chamber within the palace of Prince Escalus. Tall windows admit the morning light. The banners of Verona hang above a raised judgment seat. Citizens gather in anxious silence.]

[PRINCE ESCALUS enters, followed by GUARDS. TYBALT stands before him, unarmed and under guard. LORD CAPULET and LADY CAPULET sit to one side. ROMEO and BENVOLIO stand opposite them. HAMLET, HORATIO, and OPHELIA observe from the rear of the hall.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

How long must Verona bury sons
Before her fathers learn to bury hatred?
Each quarrel breeds another,
Each insult calls a sword,
And every grave becomes a banner
For the next fool eager to die.
Tybalt of Capulet, thou standest charged
With taking Mercutio's life
Within the peace of this city.
What answer dost thou make?

TYBALT

He drew upon me first, my lord.

PRINCE ESCALUS

And didst thou seek to end the quarrel?

TYBALT

I defended mine honor.

PRINCE ESCALUS

Thine honor?

[The Prince rises.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

Is honor such a fragile thing
That it must drink a young man's blood
To prove itself alive?

TYBALT

I meant not death.

PRINCE ESCALUS

Yet death hath come.

LORD CAPULET

My prince, I beg thee,
Consider that Mercutio challenged him.

PRINCE ESCALUS

I have considered it.
Mercutio bears his portion of the blame,
Yet he lies beyond the reach of earthly law.
The living must answer for the living.

[The Prince turns to ROMEO.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

Romeo Montague, thou wert present.
Speak what thou didst witness.

ROMEO

My lord, Tybalt sought a quarrel with me.
I refused his challenge.
Mercutio drew his sword,
And Tybalt answered.
I sought to part them,
Yet before my hand could reach their blades,
Mercutio fell.

PRINCE ESCALUS

And what didst thou then?

ROMEO

I drew upon Tybalt.

PRINCE ESCALUS

Yet no second death followed.

ROMEO

Hamlet of Denmark stood between us.

[The Prince looks toward HAMLET.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

Come forward, stranger.

[HAMLET approaches the judgment seat.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

Art thou Hamlet, son of Denmark's late king?

HAMLET

I am, my lord.

PRINCE ESCALUS

Then Verona owes thee thanks
For preventing further bloodshed.

HAMLET

I did but stand where another sword
Would have made two sorrows out of one.

PRINCE ESCALUS

And what moved thee to intervene?

HAMLET

I have known grief, my lord.
And grief, when given steel,
May strike before the heart hath learned
What cannot afterward be mended.

[The Prince considers him.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

Thy words are wisely spoken.

[He turns to TYBALT.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

Tybalt, thou hast slain a man
Within the bounds of Verona's peace.
Yet the witnesses agree
That Mercutio first drew upon thee,
And that thy deed was not contrived
As murder in cold blood.
I therefore spare thee death.

[LADY CAPULET exhales in relief.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

But mercy is no pardon for thy pride.
Thou art banished from Verona
For the space of three years.
Shouldst thou return before that term,
Thy life lies forfeit to the law.

TYBALT

Three years?

PRINCE ESCALUS

Three years to learn
What one moment of anger hath cost thee.

LORD CAPULET

My prince, the sentence is severe.

PRINCE ESCALUS

Less severe than Mercutio's grave.

[TYBALT bows his head.]

TYBALT

I submit.

PRINCE ESCALUS

Then depart before tomorrow's sunset.
And hear me, all of Verona:
The next man who draws steel
To satisfy this ancient feud
Shall find no shelter in his family name.

[The Prince strikes the arm of his judgment seat.]

PRINCE ESCALUS

This court is ended.

[The GUARDS escort TYBALT away. The citizens begin to disperse.]

The Cousin and the Enemy

[Outside the Hall of Justice. TYBALT stands beneath an arch, awaiting his escort. JULIET approaches him.]

JULIET

Cousin.

TYBALT

Juliet.

JULIET

I came to bid thee farewell.

TYBALT

Then bid it quickly.
I have brought enough sorrow upon this house.

JULIET

Thou hast brought sorrow upon more than one.

TYBALT

Thou speakest of Mercutio.

JULIET

Aye.

TYBALT

He challenged me.

JULIET

And thou acceptedst.

[TYBALT turns away.]

TYBALT

Thou soundest like the Prince.

JULIET

Then perhaps the Prince hath spoken truth.

TYBALT

Wouldst thou condemn thine own blood?

JULIET

I would have mine own blood learn
That kinship cannot make a wrong deed right.

[TYBALT looks at her, wounded by her words.]

TYBALT

I thought to defend our house.

JULIET

Then defend it now
By becoming better than the hatred
That hath ruled it.

[A long silence.]

TYBALT

Thou hast grown strange to me, Juliet.

JULIET

Perchance I have begun to grow.

[TYBALT looks toward the departing citizens.]

TYBALT

When Mercutio fell,
I saw his face.
I had struck men before,
Yet never watched the light depart their eyes.

[He struggles to continue.]

TYBALT

I hear his voice when all grows quiet.

JULIET

Then do not silence it.
Let it teach thee what his death hath cost.

[The escort calls for TYBALT.]

TYBALT

Farewell, cousin.

JULIET

Farewell.
And return one day
With gentler hands than those that leave us now.

[TYBALT departs. JULIET watches him go.]

The Marriage Command

[A chamber within the Capulet residence. LORD CAPULET stands beside a table covered with letters. LADY CAPULET and COUNT PARIS are present. JULIET enters.]

LORD CAPULET

Come hither, daughter.

JULIET

My lord.

LORD CAPULET

Our house hath endured a grievous shame.
Tybalt's banishment hath stirred the city,
And tongues that once praised our family
Now delight in speaking ill of it.
Yet good fortune offers us a remedy.

[He gestures toward PARIS.]

LORD CAPULET

Count Paris hath renewed his honorable suit.

PARIS

Fair Juliet, I have long admired thee,
And would account myself most fortunate
To join my house with thine.

JULIET

My lord, I thank thee for thy courtesy.

LORD CAPULET

Then let us speak no further of delay.
The marriage shall be celebrated
Before another week hath passed.

[JULIET stiffens.]

JULIET

Before another week?

LORD CAPULET

Aye.

JULIET

My father, I am not prepared.

LORD CAPULET

Preparation is a luxury
That fortune seldom grants.

JULIET

Yet marriage binds two lives,
And should not be commanded
As one commands a servant to the market.

LORD CAPULET

Take heed, Juliet.

JULIET

I mean no disrespect.

LORD CAPULET

Then show obedience.

JULIET

Wouldst thou have obedience
Where love should dwell?

LORD CAPULET

Love may follow duty.

JULIET

And if it never comes?

LORD CAPULET

Then duty remains.

[PARIS steps forward.]

PARIS

My lord, I would not have the lady distressed.
If time would ease her heart,
I am content to wait.

LORD CAPULET

Thou art generous, Count,
Yet my daughter mistakes kindness for weakness.

[He turns to JULIET.]

LORD CAPULET

The wedding shall proceed.

[JULIET looks toward her mother.]

JULIET

Mother?

LADY CAPULET

Thy father hath chosen wisely.
Thou wilt thank him in years to come.

JULIET

Then I must pray those years
Teach me what this hour cannot.

[She exits.]

[PARIS watches her departure with concern.]

PARIS

I would rather win her willing heart
Than take her hand against her wish.

LORD CAPULET

A young heart is a restless thing.
It learns contentment when the world grows steady.

[The scene darkens.]

The Women and the Ledger

[A small gallery adjoining the Capulet library. OPHELIA and JULIET sit at a table where several household account books have been laid open. Afternoon light filters through narrow windows.]

OPHELIA

Thy father's steward hath kept these records
With uncommon care.

JULIET

Master Lorenzo loves his ledgers
More faithfully than most husbands love their wives.

OPHELIA

Then let us hope his devotion
Hath preserved what others sought to hide.

[She examines a page.]

OPHELIA

Here is the same mark
I found upon Bellandi's copies.

JULIET

The little falcon?

OPHELIA

Aye.
And beside it, a payment
Entered through a merchant in Mantua.

JULIET

What hath Mantua to do with Denmark?

OPHELIA

That is what we must discover.

[JULIET turns another page.]

JULIET

Here is a second payment,
Entered three days after the first.

OPHELIA

And a third, concealed beneath
The purchase of imported oils.

JULIET

The sums are divided.

OPHELIA

Yet their total answers exactly
To the amount in Bellandi's ledger.

JULIET

Then the same debt appears
In three separate accounts.

OPHELIA

A debt disguised to conceal its master.

[They exchange a glance.]

JULIET

Could these payments concern Hamlet's father?

OPHELIA

They may.
Yet we must find what was purchased,
And who commanded the purchase.

JULIET

Then we must speak with Lorenzo.

OPHELIA

Carefully.
He may be innocent,
Or he may know more than he hath told.

[Footsteps sound beyond the gallery. The women close the books. LORENZO enters.]

LORENZO

My lady Juliet, I had not known
Thou wert interested in household accounts.

JULIET

I seek to learn the business of our house.

LORENZO

A commendable pursuit.

[He notices the open ledger.]

LORENZO

Yet some entries concern matters
Better left to those who manage them.

OPHELIA

Master Lorenzo, what merchant
Uses the mark of a silver falcon?

[LORENZO grows pale.]

LORENZO

Where hast thou seen that sign?

OPHELIA

In these books.

LORENZO

Then close them.

JULIET

Why?

LORENZO

For thy safety, lady.

OPHELIA

Whose safety is threatened by a ledger?

LORENZO

Those who know too much.

[He moves toward the door and listens.]

LORENZO

The man who bears that falcon
Hath visited this house in secret.
He demanded the destruction
Of certain records.

JULIET

And didst thou obey?

LORENZO

I preserved copies.

OPHELIA

Where?

LORENZO

Hidden beyond his reach.

[He looks directly at OPHELIA.]

LORENZO

If thou seekest the truth,
Come tomorrow to the old chapel
Beside the eastern gate.
Bring no servant, and speak of this to none
Save those whose loyalty thou knowest.

JULIET

Why not give us the papers now?

LORENZO

The Envoy hath men within this house.
I dare not carry the records openly.

[He departs.]

[JULIET turns to OPHELIA.]

JULIET

Dost thou trust him?

OPHELIA

I trust his fear.
Whether I may trust his courage
Remains to be seen.

The Warning

[Evening. A private chamber at the merchant's lodging. HAMLET and HORATIO examine a map of northern Italy. OPHELIA enters with JULIET.]

HAMLET

Juliet?

JULIET

I come upon a matter
That concerns thy search for justice.

[OPHELIA places a copied page upon the table.]

OPHELIA

We have found the falcon's mark
Within the Capulet accounts.

HORATIO

Then the payments passed through Verona.

HAMLET

And Lorenzo?

JULIET

He hath promised further papers
At the old chapel tomorrow.

HAMLET

A dangerous meeting.

OPHELIA

A necessary one.

HAMLET

Thou must not go alone.

OPHELIA

I had not intended to.

[HAMLET studies the page.]

HAMLET

These entries match the sums
Recorded by Bellandi's clerk.

HORATIO

Then we have two independent accounts
Of the same concealed transaction.

HAMLET

Yet still no witness to the poison.

OPHELIA

Then the apprentice remains our hope.

HORATIO

Our messenger hath gone to Mantua.
If the young man be found,
He may reach us within three days.

[HAMLET looks at JULIET.]

HAMLET

Thou hast risked much in helping us.

JULIET

I have done what any honest soul
Should do when truth lies buried.

HAMLET

Not every soul possesses such courage.

JULIET

Then perhaps courage grows
When one ceases to wait for permission.

[OPHELIA smiles.]

OPHELIA

We have found that lesson useful.

[A sudden knock at the door. HORATIO opens it. A SERVANT enters, carrying a sealed message.]

SERVANT

For Prince Hamlet of Denmark.

[HAMLET breaks the seal and reads.]

HORATIO

What news?

HAMLET

A warning.

[He reads aloud.]

HAMLET

"Seek no further in the affairs of Denmark.
The dead are beyond thy reach,
And the living may soon follow."

[A silence.]

JULIET

Who sent it?

HAMLET

A man who fears what we may find.

OPHELIA

Then we have come nearer to the truth.

HORATIO

Or nearer to a trap.

HAMLET

Both, perchance.

[HAMLET places the letter beside the ledgers.]

HAMLET

Tomorrow we go to the chapel.

OPHELIA

Together.

HAMLET

Together.

[Outside, the bells of Verona begin to toll. In a distant corridor, an unseen figure pauses near the door, listens, and slips away into darkness.]

CURTAIN.

END OF ACT III, SCENE ONE

ACT IV: Betwixt Life and Death

ACT IV, SCENE ONE

The Night of False Death

Setting: Friar Lawrence's cell, the Capulet residence, and the streets of Verona.

Time: Wednesday, the day before Juliet's proposed wedding to Count Paris, continuing through the night.

Characters: JULIET, ROMEO, HAMLET, HORATIO, OPHELIA, FRIAR LAWRENCE, LORD CAPULET, LADY CAPULET, THE NURSE, COUNT PARIS, THE ROYAL ENVOY, and SERVANTS.

The Silence of the Prince

[Morning. Friar Lawrence's cell. A candle burns low beside a table of herbs and parchment. HAMLET stands near the window. HORATIO enters, his cloak damp from the morning mist.]

HAMLET

What word from Prince Escalus?

HORATIO

None.

HAMLET

None?

HORATIO

I waited at his outer gate

Until the guards changed watch.

The clerk affirmed our petition was received,

Yet knew not why no answer had arrived.

HAMLET

A curious silence.

HORATIO

More curious still, the messenger

Sent from the palace yesternight

Hath not returned unto his post.

HAMLET

Then something hath delayed him.

HORATIO

Or someone.

[FRIAR LAWRENCE enters carrying a small sealed vessel.]

FRIAR LAWRENCE

The wedding stands for tomorrow.

Lord Capulet hath ordered every bell

To ring before the morning service.

HAMLET

Then we must seek the Prince ourselves.

HORATIO

His court is closed until noon.

The guards refuse all private audience.

HAMLET

A royal door may close against a petitioner,

Yet not against the truth.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Take heed, Hamlet.

The Envoy hath men upon the streets.

If thou art seized before the witness comes,

Our cause may perish with thy freedom.

HAMLET

And if we wait, Juliet's freedom perishes.

[OPHELIA enters with JULIET.]

OPHELIA

The Capulet household prepares the wedding.

Juliet hath been commanded

To receive Count Paris this afternoon.

JULIET

My father hath ordered the bridal garments laid

Upon my bed.

He speaks of my future

As though I had no voice within it.

HAMLET

We have not abandoned thy petition.

JULIET

Yet the Prince hath given no reply.

HORATIO

None hath reached us.

JULIET

Then I must choose before the day is spent.

[Her gaze falls upon the sealed vessel in the Friar's hand.]

JULIET

Father, is that the draught?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

It is.

OPHELIA

Juliet...

JULIET

I know the danger.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Thou knowest but a portion of it.

The body may appear dead,

Yet the mind may wake before the limbs obey.

There may be darkness, cold, and fearful dreams.

JULIET

I fear them all.

HAMLET

Then do not mistake fear for cowardice.

No honor is lost by refusing such a trial.

JULIET

And no freedom is gained

By surrendering my life unto another's will.

[She turns to the Friar.]

JULIET

If I take the draught,

How long before I wake?

FRIAR LAWRENCE

Near two days from the hour it is swallowed.

Yet I cannot promise the exact minute.

HORATIO

Then we must reckon every hour

And place trustworthy watchers near the tomb.

OPHELIA

I shall remain with her

Until the household retires.

HAMLET

Romeo must be told in person.

JULIET

He would forbid me.

HAMLET

He would fear for thee.

There is a difference.

[JULIET lowers her eyes.]

JULIET

Then tell him truly.

HAMLET

I will.

The Lovers' Last Meeting Before the Sleep

[Afternoon. A secluded courtyard beside the monastery. ROMEO enters hurriedly. JULIET waits beneath a fig tree, accompanied by OPHELIA. HAMLET stands at a distance.]

ROMEO

Juliet!

[He takes her hands.]

ROMEO

Hamlet hath told me of thy purpose.

I beg thee, choose another course.

JULIET

What course remains?

ROMEO

We may depart Verona together.

My kin have friends beyond the mountains.

JULIET

And my father would pursue us.

The Prince's law would be drawn

Into our families' quarrel.

ROMEO

Then let it be drawn.

I would rather face the anger of a hundred men

Than see thee carried to a tomb.

JULIET

And I would rather wake from a brief sleep

Than live a lifetime as another man's possession.

ROMEO

Thou speakest as though the draught were certain.

JULIET

Nothing is certain.

Not love, nor law, nor the kindness of fathers.

Yet I must choose the danger

I can bear with mine own conscience.

[ROMEO turns toward HAMLET.]

ROMEO

Thou hast counseled me against rashness.

Wilt thou now permit her this?

HAMLET

I would prevent it if a safer road lay open.

ROMEO

Then find one.

HAMLET

We have petitioned the Prince.

His answer hath been lost or withheld.

We shall seek him again before nightfall.

ROMEO

And if no answer comes?

[HAMLET is silent.]

JULIET

Then the choice is mine.

[ROMEO looks at her for a long moment.]

ROMEO

I love thee too deeply

To make my fear another chain about thy wrists.

Yet promise me this:

If thou dost drink, let no man keep me ignorant

Of where thou liest and when thou wakest.

JULIET

I promise.

ROMEO

And I promise thee

That no report of death shall turn my hand

Against the life thou wouldst return to.

[HAMLET looks sharply at him.]

HAMLET

Hold fast to that oath.

ROMEO

I will.

[ROMEO draws JULIET close.]

ROMEO

When thou wakest,

Let the first face thou beholdest be mine.

JULIET

Then be there.

[They embrace.]

The Two Letters

[Evening. Friar Lawrence's cell. HORATIO writes at a table. HAMLET stands beside him.]

HORATIO

One letter for Romeo,

One for the chapel keeper,

And a third for Prince Escalus.

HAMLET

Write plainly.

No riddle, no poetic turn.

The hour of the draught,

The place of her burial,

And the hour we expect her waking.

HORATIO

I have done so.

HAMLET

Then seal them separately.

[FRIAR LAWRENCE enters.]

FRIAR LAWRENCE

My brother John shall carry one

Unto Romeo's lodging.

HAMLET

And the others?

HORATIO

I shall deliver the Prince's copy myself.

The chapel keeper shall receive his

Before the household funeral.

HAMLET

Good.

[A knock sounds. A SERVANT enters.]

SERVANT

My lord, a message from Padua.

[HAMLET takes the letter.]

HAMLET

The apprentice hath departed Mantua

Under escort of the Prince's men.

He may reach Verona tomorrow.

HORATIO

Then our witness comes at last.

HAMLET

And Claudius's agent knows it.

[He folds the letter.]

HAMLET

I must meet the escort beyond the eastern gate.

If the Envoy hath laid an ambush,

The witness must not enter unguarded.

HORATIO

Then I go with thee.

HAMLET

Nay. Remain here.

Juliet's safety rests upon these letters.

[HAMLET turns to the Friar.]

HAMLET

Guard her well.

FRIAR LAWRENCE

With all the care my conscience owes her.

[HAMLET departs.]

The Bridal Chamber

[Night. JULIET's chamber in the Capulet residence. A wedding gown hangs beside the bed. The NURSE folds linen garments. JULIET stands at the window.]

NURSE

My lady, thy father hath ordered

That thou rest before the wedding.

JULIET

Then leave me to my rest.

NURSE

Thou art pale.

JULIET

I have had little sleep.

NURSE

Wouldst thou have me remain?

JULIET

Nay, dear Nurse.

Thou hast watched over me since childhood.

Let this night be mine alone.

[The NURSE embraces her.]

NURSE

God keep thee, my sweet child.

[She departs.]

[JULIET waits until the footsteps fade. She removes the small vessel from beneath her cloak and places it upon the table.]

JULIET

A little glass,

And in thy narrow compass lies

The semblance of a grave.

What if the Friar hath misjudged his art?

What if I wake beneath the stone

Before my friends can reach me?

[She takes a breath.]

JULIET

What if the darkness hath no ending?

[She looks toward the wedding gown.]

JULIET

Yet what is life,

If every day must be surrendered

To another's command?

[She lifts the vessel.]

JULIET

Romeo, I do not drink for death.

I drink that we may live.

[She drinks.]

[For a moment nothing happens. She places the empty vessel beneath a folded cloth and moves toward the bed. Her steps grow uncertain.]

JULIET

The room grows strange.

[She sinks onto the bed.]

JULIET

Romeo...

[Her eyes close. The candle burns beside her motionless form.]

The Hidden Poison

[A passage outside Juliet's chamber. THE ROYAL ENVOY stands with a SERVANT.]

SERVANT

The household sleeps.

ROYAL ENVOY

And the lady?

SERVANT

She hath taken the Friar's draught.

ROYAL ENVOY

Then the play begins.

[He produces a small glass vial, wrapped in dark silk.]

ROYAL ENVOY

Place this within her chamber,

Beneath the folded burial linen

Prepared for the household rites.

SERVANT

Why there?

ROYAL ENVOY

The women who dress her for the tomb

Will carry her chosen garments and tokens.

Let this pass with them unnoticed.

SERVANT

And if it be discovered?

ROYAL ENVOY

Then it may be taken for a physician's medicine.

No one need know its true purpose.

[The servant hesitates.]

SERVANT

My lord, the lady is innocent.

ROYAL ENVOY

Innocence hath never stayed the hand

Of those who govern kingdoms.

[He presses the vial into the servant's hand.]

ROYAL ENVOY

Do as thou art commanded.

[The servant enters Juliet's chamber.]

[The Envoy remains in the passage, listening.]

ROYAL ENVOY

Hamlet seeks a witness.

Romeo seeks a bride.

Let each find a grave instead.

The Morning Cry

[Before dawn. JULIET's chamber. The NURSE enters carrying a candle.]

NURSE

My lady?

[She approaches the bed.]

NURSE

Juliet, the morning comes.

[She touches JULIET's hand.]

NURSE

O heaven!

[She draws back.]

NURSE

My child!

My sweet child!

[LADY CAPULET rushes in, followed by LORD CAPULET and SERVANTS.]

LADY CAPULET

What cries are these?

NURSE

She wakes not!

[LADY CAPULET kneels beside JULIET.]

LADY CAPULET

Juliet?

[She feels for breath.]

LADY CAPULET

No...

[LORD CAPULET approaches slowly.]

LORD CAPULET

Daughter?

[He takes her hand.]

LORD CAPULET

Speak to me.

[Silence.]

LORD CAPULET

I commanded thee to marry,

Yet never meant to lose thee.

[He falls to his knees.]

LORD CAPULET

O cruel father,

Who thought obedience dearer than thy smile.

[LADY CAPULET weeps. The NURSE embraces JULIET's motionless body.]

[The chapel bells begin to toll.]

The False Report

[A street near Romeo's lodging. THE ROYAL ENVOY speaks with a young MESSENGER.]

ROYAL ENVOY

Take this word to Romeo Montague.

MESSENGER

What word, my lord?

ROYAL ENVOY

That Juliet Capulet was found dead

Within her chamber at the break of day.

MESSENGER

Is it true?

ROYAL ENVOY

The household mourns.

The bells proclaim it.

MESSENGER

Then I shall go.

ROYAL ENVOY

Speak of no sleeping draught.

Speak only what the city believes.

[The Messenger departs.]

[The Envoy watches him disappear.]

ROYAL ENVOY

And let grief complete

What deception hath begun.

[He turns toward the distant towers of Verona.]

ROYAL ENVOY

The Prince of Denmark may gather all his proofs,

Yet truth is slow,

And sorrow runs before it.

[The bells continue to toll as the stage darkens.]

CURTAIN.

END OF ACT IV, SCENE ONE

ACT V: The Prince's Final Reckoning

ACT V, SCENE ONE

The Trial of the King

Setting: The Great Council Chamber at Elsinore Castle, Denmark.

Time: The morning following Hamlet's return.

Characters: HAMLET, CLAUDIUS, GERTRUDE, HORATIO, OPHELIA, ROMEO, JULIET, LAERTES, POLONIUS, THE ROYAL ENVOY, THE CHANCELLOR, A COURT CLERK, A MASTER OF ARMS, and GUARDS.

The Council Assembles

[The Great Council Chamber. Tall windows admit the pale morning light. The royal throne stands upon a raised platform. Beneath it, a long table has been prepared for the Chancellor and members of the Council.]

[CLAUDIUS sits upon the throne. GERTRUDE stands beside him. POLONIUS and LAERTES occupy places near the court. The ROYAL ENVOY waits beneath a shadowed arch.]

[The CHANCELLOR rises.]

CHANCELLOR

Let every man within this chamber

Remember where he stands.

Here accusation shall be heard,

And answer given in its turn.

Neither royal birth nor private grievance

May determine what is true.

[The doors open. HAMLET enters with HORATIO, OPHELIA, ROMEO, and JULIET.]

CLAUDIUS

Welcome home, dear nephew.

Thy travels have been long,

And thy return hath stirred

More wonder than rejoicing.

HAMLET

I come not seeking wonder, uncle.

I come seeking judgment.

CLAUDIUS

Upon whom?

HAMLET

Upon the man who murdered my father.

[A murmur passes through the chamber.]

CHANCELLOR

Prince Hamlet, thy accusation

Is grave beyond ordinary measure.

Wilt thou submit thy evidence

To the examination of this Council?

HAMLET

I will.

CHANCELLOR

Then lay aside thy sword.

[HAMLET removes his sword and gives it to a guard.]

HAMLET

Gladly.

[CLAUDIUS watches the gesture with guarded suspicion.]

The Papers of Verona

[HORATIO approaches the Council table and places several sealed documents before the CHANCELLOR.]

HORATIO

These are certified copies

Of the merchant records examined in Verona,

Attested by Prince Escalus and his officers.

The original accounts remain

Under the protection of that court.

CHANCELLOR

What do they establish?

HORATIO

That money from the household

Of Denmark's Prince Regent

Passed through Bellandi's merchants

Unto the physician Pietro Velluti.

A vessel was thereafter conveyed

From Italy to Elsinore,

Three days before King Hamlet's death.

CLAUDIUS

A payment from the royal household

Proves no murder.

Medicines are purchased

For princes and servants alike.

HORATIO

That is true.

CLAUDIUS

Then why is it spoken here

As though it were a confession?

HAMLET

It is spoken as evidence,

Not confession.

CLAUDIUS

A distinction thy friends

Would do well to observe.

CHANCELLOR

And this cipher?

HORATIO

It joins the divided payments

To the Privy Household of the Prince Regent.

CLAUDIUS

An office employing many clerks,

Couriers, and physicians.

Wouldst thou accuse every man

Who once received my wages?

HAMLET

Nay.

I accuse the man who gave the order.

CLAUDIUS

Then produce that order.

[A silence.]

HAMLET

We have reason to believe

That an instruction bearing the royal seal

Was retained by thy Envoy.

[The Envoy stiffens.]

CLAUDIUS

Reason to believe?

HAMLET

The steward Lorenzo saw its fold and seal.

He heard the Envoy speak

Of instructions kept from ordinary clerks.

CLAUDIUS

A steward's recollection of folded parchment

Is a frail foundation for treason.

CHANCELLOR

The objection is entered.

The Council will require

The Envoy's account of that instruction.

The Envoy's Defense

CHANCELLOR

Step forward.

[THE ROYAL ENVOY approaches.]

CHANCELLOR

Didst thou commission a preparation

From Pietro Velluti?

ROYAL ENVOY

I carried a request for medicine.

CHANCELLOR

For whom?

ROYAL ENVOY

For the royal household.

CHANCELLOR

And the substance killed

A creature during its preparation?

ROYAL ENVOY

So the apprentice claims.

I did not observe the trial

Of which he speaks.

HORATIO

He identified thee before Prince Escalus.

ROYAL ENVOY

A frightened apprentice,

Coached by men who seek my master's ruin.

JULIET

And who coached the servant

Who placed another vial

Within my burial garments?

[The Envoy turns toward her.]

ROYAL ENVOY

I know nothing of thy garments.

JULIET

The vessel bore thy falcon.

It was found sealed among my funeral possessions,

And examined under Verona's law.

ROYAL ENVOY

Many craftsmen employ such devices.

JULIET

Then let the Council compare its mark

With the seal thou carriest.

[The CHANCELLOR gestures to a guard.]

CHANCELLOR

The Envoy's ring.

[The Envoy hesitates, then removes it. A clerk makes an impression in wax beside the certified drawing of the vial's seal.]

COURT CLERK

The device agrees in form,

Though its use upon the vessel

Cannot be established by likeness alone.

CHANCELLOR

So recorded.

CLAUDIUS

A falcon upon wax!

Will Denmark condemn her king

Upon the ornament of a servant's ring?

JULIET

Nay, Your Majesty.

But neither should Denmark

Refuse to examine what that ring may signify.

[GERTRUDE studies JULIET with growing respect.]

The Queen's Question

GERTRUDE

My lord husband,

I would ask thee something.

CLAUDIUS

Before the Council?

GERTRUDE

Aye.

When my former husband fell ill,

Thou didst attend him

In the hours before his death.

Didst thou know of this vessel

Delivered from Italy?

CLAUDIUS

I knew medicines were obtained.

GERTRUDE

Didst thou order them?

CLAUDIUS

I authorized the household

To procure whatever might be needed.

GERTRUDE

That is not what I asked.

[CLAUDIUS looks sharply at her.]

GERTRUDE

Didst thou command the purchase

From Pietro Velluti?

CLAUDIUS

I recall no such command.

GERTRUDE

Then let the accounts be opened,

And every servant questioned.

If thou art innocent,

The truth may defend thee better

Than anger at those who seek it.

[CLAUDIUS rises.]

CLAUDIUS

Am I now to be examined

By mine own queen?

GERTRUDE

Thou art being examined

By the kingdom thou hast sworn to serve.

[A tense silence.]

Ophelia's Testimony

CHANCELLOR

Lady Ophelia, step forward.

[OPHELIA approaches. POLONIUS watches anxiously.]

CHANCELLOR

Thou didst accompany Prince Hamlet

Through Italy and into Denmark?

OPHELIA

I did.

CHANCELLOR

Of thine own will?

OPHELIA

Entirely.

POLONIUS

My daughter, thou needst not answer

Every question placed before thee.

OPHELIA

Father, I have come to speak.

I would not have another man

Choose which words are mine.

[POLONIUS falls silent.]

CHANCELLOR

What didst thou discover?

OPHELIA

The divided payments shared

A repeating cipher.

Their sums appeared unrelated

Until the merchant's key was applied.

I examined the entries

Before we knew their final meaning.

CHANCELLOR

Did Hamlet direct thee

What conclusion to reach?

OPHELIA

Nay.

He questioned my conclusion

Until the records answered for themselves.

CLAUDIUS

A touching account

Of the Prince's devotion to truth.

Yet affection may blind

The cleverest of witnesses.

OPHELIA

It may.

That is why I ask the Council

To examine the papers,

Not merely to believe my words.

[LAERTES steps forward.]

LAERTES

My sister's testimony is her own.

I have spoken with her

Concerning her journey.

She neither seeks reward

Nor acts beneath Hamlet's command.

CLAUDIUS

Thou wouldst defend Hamlet now?

LAERTES

I defend her right

To tell what she hath seen.

The King's Countercharge

[CLAUDIUS descends from the throne and faces the Council.]

CLAUDIUS

Hear me, lords of Denmark.

My brother died,

And I mourned him.

The kingdom stood uncertain.

Foreign enemies watched our borders,

And the court required a steady hand.

I took the crown

When duty placed it before me.

Now my nephew returns

From foreign lands with strangers,

Merchant accounts, and tales of poison.

He asks you to believe

That I murdered the brother I loved

And stole the throne I was called to guard.

What proof hath he given

That my hand commanded death?

[The chamber remains silent.]

CLAUDIUS

None.

He hath given suspicion,

And called it certainty.

HAMLET

I have not called it certainty.

CLAUDIUS

Then withdraw thy charge.

HAMLET

I cannot.

CLAUDIUS

Thou wouldst stain my name

Without proof enough to condemn me?

HAMLET

I would submit the evidence

To men whose duty is to judge it.

CLAUDIUS

And if they find me innocent?

HAMLET

Then I must bear their judgment,

Though my heart resist it.

[CLAUDIUS is momentarily unsettled by the answer.]

HAMLET

But if they find thee guilty,

Thou must bear it too.

The Chancellor's Order

[The CHANCELLOR rises.]

CHANCELLOR

The Council hath heard sufficient

To require further inquiry.

The accounts of the royal household

Will be examined.

The Envoy's movements and correspondence

Will be placed before the court.

The certified evidence from Verona

Will be preserved,

And the original records requested

Should any dispute require their inspection.

[He turns to the Envoy.]

CHANCELLOR

Thou art forbidden to depart Elsinore

Until the inquiry is complete.

Thy private correspondence

And any documents concerning the Italian mission

Must be surrendered to the court.

ROYAL ENVOY

My lord, I serve the King.

CHANCELLOR

Then thou hast every reason

To assist his vindication.

[The Envoy bows reluctantly.]

CHANCELLOR

No verdict is rendered this day.

The Crown remains in the King's keeping

Under the laws of Denmark.

Yet no royal command may obstruct

The Council's examination.

[CLAUDIUS returns slowly to the throne.]

CLAUDIUS

I welcome the inquiry.

Let every hidden accusation

Be brought into the light.

The Friendly Contest

[A moment passes. CLAUDIUS changes his manner.]

CLAUDIUS

Yet Denmark must not be governed

By suspicion alone.

Prince Hamlet, Laertes,

You were once companions in youth.

Would it not serve the court

To see you meet in honorable sport,

And show that disagreement

Need not become a feud?

LAERTES

I bear Hamlet no private hatred.

HAMLET

Nor I thee.

CLAUDIUS

Then let a fencing contest

Be held tomorrow in the great hall.

A friendly trial of skill,

With blunted blades

And the Master of Arms attending.

CHANCELLOR

Provided the weapons be examined,

And no man be compelled to participate,

The Council raises no objection.

HAMLET

I will meet Laertes.

LAERTES

And I will meet thee fairly.

[The MASTER OF ARMS bows.]

MASTER OF ARMS

I shall inspect the weapons myself.

[CLAUDIUS smiles.]

CLAUDIUS

Then let the court remember

That Denmark is yet capable of peace.

A Warning After Judgment

[The Council disperses. HAMLET stands with HORATIO, ROMEO, JULIET, and OPHELIA near the chamber doors.]

HORATIO

The Chancellor hath acted wisely.

The evidence remains under lawful protection.

ROMEO

Yet the King hath turned accusation

Into a public contest.

JULIET

He seeks to make tomorrow

Appear a celebration.

OPHELIA

And the Envoy remains within his reach.

HAMLET

Then we must watch both.

HORATIO

I shall speak with the Master of Arms

Before the contest begins.

ROMEO

And I will stand near the weapons.

JULIET

I will watch the Envoy.

[HAMLET looks at them.]

HAMLET

You have risked enough for me.

ROMEO

Thou didst stand beside me

When grief made me dangerous to myself.

Do not now deny me

The right to stand beside thee.

[HAMLET clasps his hand.]

HAMLET

Then we stand together.

[Across the chamber, CLAUDIUS speaks quietly to the ROYAL ENVOY.]

CLAUDIUS

The Council seeks thy papers.

ROYAL ENVOY

They shall find none.

CLAUDIUS

See that they do not.

And tomorrow,

When the court looks upon a friendly contest,

Let one blade carry

What accusation could not accomplish.

[The Envoy looks toward HAMLET.]

ROYAL ENVOY

Laertes hath refused thy counsel.

CLAUDIUS

Then Laertes need know nothing.

[The King turns away.]

[At the far end of the chamber, HAMLET and his companions depart together.]

CURTAIN.

END OF ACT V, SCENE ONE

EPILOGUE: Where Hope Doth Bloom Anew

Spoken by Horatio

Six years after Hamlet's death. The garden beside the school in Verona. The children have gone inside, and the afternoon light rests upon the memorial to HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK.

HORATIO remains alone beside the fountain, holding the book he has written.

HORATIO

And so the story returns to a garden.

Not the garden where a young man climbed a wall to speak with the woman he loved.

Not the garden of Elsinore, where a king's death concealed a terrible crime.

This is a different garden.

Here, children play beneath the names that once divided their fathers.

Here, a daughter of Romeo and Juliet may ask why two families hated one another, and receive an answer that no longer demands she inherit their quarrel.

Here stands a memorial to a prince who never lived to see what his choices made possible.

Hamlet is buried in Denmark.

Yet I sometimes think a portion of him remains in this place.

I hear him in the questions the children ask.

I see him in the patience of a teacher who allows a frightened pupil to speak.

I recognize him in the difficult silence between two men who have every reason to remember an injury, yet choose not to pass it to their children.

He would have been surprised to find himself remembered in such ways.

For much of his life, Hamlet believed that the greatest task before him was to discover the truth about his father's death.

He pursued that truth across countries, through ledgers and testimonies, through threats and deception.

He was right to seek it.

A murdered king deserved justice. A kingdom deserved to know whether its ruler had betrayed the trust placed in him.

But the search taught Hamlet something he had not expected.

Justice and vengeance are not the same.

The first asks what is true, what is owed, and what may be done to protect the living.

The second may begin with those same questions, yet can become so consumed by punishment that it forgets everyone it was meant to defend.

Hamlet struggled to distinguish them.

I watched him struggle.

I saw anger return to him when he believed he had overcome it. I heard him question whether restraint was courage or merely fear.

He was not a man without darkness.

He was a man who tried, again and again, to prevent that darkness from deciding everything.

In the end, he gave his life to save Romeo.

He did not know whether his father's murderer would be convicted. He did not know whether Denmark would change. He did not know whether the lovers whose friendship he treasured would live to grow old together.

He saw a blade approaching a friend.

And he chose.

There are those who might call such an ending another tragedy.

They would not be wrong.

Ophelia lost the future she had hoped to share with him.

His mother buried a son.

I lost the friend whose thoughts had accompanied my own since youth.

No school, no garden, no monument can give those years back to us.

We must never pretend that a noble death erases the sorrow it leaves behind.

Yet neither should we forget the lives that continued.

Romeo and Juliet lived.

Their love grew beyond the fever of its beginning. They learned the ordinary, demanding tenderness of marriage, parenthood, forgiveness, and shared responsibility.

Tybalt returned from exile bearing the name of the man he had killed, not as a trophy of victory, but as a burden he had finally learned to acknowledge.

The Capulets and Montagues discovered that peace required more than ending their quarrel. It required teaching their children a different way to live.

Ophelia built the school Hamlet had asked her to build.

And I wrote this book.

Not to make him flawless.

Not to persuade you that suffering always produces wisdom, or that every injustice can be repaired.

I wrote it so that those who come after us might recognize the moment before anger becomes action.

The moment before pride becomes a sentence.

The moment before a family teaches its children to hate.

And the moment when one person, uncertain and afraid, may still choose differently.

HORATIO looks toward the schoolhouse. Children's laughter is heard through the open windows.

HORATIO

I once believed my duty was to preserve the story of a prince.

Now I think my duty is to preserve the questions he left us.

What do we owe the dead?

What do we owe the living?

How may we seek justice without surrendering ourselves to cruelty?

And when love asks us to be brave, will we choose the courage to live for one another, rather than the glory of dying?

I cannot answer these questions for every generation.

Perhaps no one can.

But I have seen a child place a flower upon a stranger's memorial.

I have seen former enemies kneel together to set a stone beside a fountain.

I have seen two lovers, once surrounded by hatred, walk hand in hand into a school built for children who shall never be required to continue their fathers' quarrel.

These things are small when measured against the history of kingdoms.

Yet I have come to believe that the future is often changed by such small things.

HORATIO places his book beneath the memorial.

HORATIO

Good night, sweet friend.

I have told thy story as faithfully as memory allows.

There is much I wish I could ask thee.

Whether thou wouldst approve of these pages.

Whether thou wouldst laugh at the solemnity of thy memorial.

Whether thou wouldst find some fault in the lessons we have drawn from thy life.

I suspect thou wouldst question us all.

And I hope we would have the wisdom to listen.

He turns toward the audience.

HORATIO

The curtain falls upon this story.

Beyond it, children are beginning another.

May they inherit our knowledge without our hatred.

May they question the commands that would make cruelty a duty.

And may they learn, sooner than we did, that the courage to preserve a life can be greater than the courage to take one.

HORATIO walks slowly toward the open schoolhouse door.

The garden remains in the light. The fountain continues to flow.

CURTAIN.

END OF THE PLAY

Short Bios:

William Shakespeare (1564–1616): English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in literary history. His tragedies Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet explore revenge, love, family conflict, mortality, and the consequences of human choices. This imagined crossover brings characters from both plays together in a new story about justice, forgiveness, and the possibility of changing a tragic fate.

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark and the central character of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Intelligent, philosophical, and deeply troubled by his father's death, Hamlet struggles with the demands of revenge and the uncertainty of human judgment. In this reimagining, his encounter with Romeo and Juliet challenges him to seek justice without surrendering to vengeance.

Romeo Montague: A passionate young nobleman from Verona and one of the two central lovers in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. His impulsiveness and intense devotion place him at the center of a deadly family feud. In this story, Hamlet's friendship encourages Romeo to discover a more patient and enduring form of love.

Juliet Capulet: A courageous young woman whose love for Romeo defies the bitter rivalry between their families. Shakespeare portrays her as emotionally perceptive, determined, and increasingly independent. In this adaptation, Juliet takes an active role in protecting her future and helping uncover the truth behind a royal murder.

Ophelia: Daughter of Polonius and a central figure in Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the original tragedy, she suffers under conflicting demands from her father, brother, and Hamlet. Here, Ophelia becomes an independent investigator and educator, demonstrating intellectual courage and a commitment to helping others.

Horatio: Hamlet's loyal friend and trusted confidant. In Shakespeare's original play, he survives to tell the prince's story. In this adaptation, Horatio serves as a witness, investigator, and narrator, giving voice to the Prologue and Epilogue.

King Claudius: Hamlet's uncle and the King of Denmark, whose secret murder of his brother sets Shakespeare's tragedy in motion. In this crossover, his guilt is investigated through financial records, witnesses, and a formal royal inquiry.

Queen Gertrude: Hamlet's mother and Queen of Denmark. Her marriage to Claudius creates a painful conflict with her son. This adaptation gives her a more active role in questioning the truth and supporting the search for justice.

Tybalt Capulet: Juliet's fiery cousin, fiercely devoted to his family's honor. His confrontation with Mercutio becomes a turning point in the story. Here, Tybalt is given an opportunity to confront the consequences of his violence and seek reconciliation.

Mercutio: Romeo's witty, outspoken friend, remembered for his humor, imagination, and sharp tongue. His death in Shakespeare's original tragedy helps propel Romeo toward revenge. In this adaptation, his memory becomes a lasting lesson about the cost of anger.

Laertes: Ophelia's brother and the son of Polonius. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, his desire to avenge his father parallels Hamlet's struggle. This version portrays him as a man learning to distinguish family loyalty from unquestioning obedience.

Polonius: A senior counselor in the Danish royal court and father of Ophelia and Laertes. Known for his elaborate advice and political caution, he represents the tension between parental authority and the independence of younger generations.

Friar Lawrence: A Franciscan friar in Verona who secretly assists Romeo and Juliet. His well-intentioned but dangerous plans play a central role in Shakespeare's original tragedy. In this adaptation, he remains a spiritual adviser whose decisions carry serious consequences.

Prince Escalus: The ruler of Verona, responsible for maintaining peace between the feuding Montague and Capulet families. In this story, he becomes a central figure in the effort to replace private revenge with lawful judgment.

Count Paris: A nobleman who seeks Juliet's hand in marriage. In Shakespeare's original play, he is a respectable suitor caught in circumstances he cannot fully comprehend. Here, he is portrayed with greater sympathy and concern for Juliet's wishes.

Lord and Lady Capulet: Juliet's parents and leading members of one of Verona's rival households. Their expectations place enormous pressure upon their daughter. Their eventual reconciliation with the Montagues reflects the possibility of changing deeply rooted family traditions.

Lord and Lady Montague: Romeo's parents and members of the family opposed to the Capulets. Their concern for their son and participation in the longstanding feud reveal how inherited conflicts can shape the lives of younger generations.

The Royal Envoy: An original character created for this adaptation. Serving Claudius, he becomes involved in the secret transactions surrounding King Hamlet's death and the attempts to conceal the evidence.

Lucia Montague: An original character created for this adaptation, the young daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Appearing in the final scene, Lucia represents a generation free to question the prejudices and rivalries of its ancestors.

About This Imaginary Adaptation

Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet: A Tragedy in Five Acts is an original fictional crossover inspired by characters and themes from William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. The events, encounters, revised character destinies, and newly introduced characters are imaginative creations. This work is not an original Shakespeare play, a historical account, or a reconstruction of Shakespeare's intended story.