ACT SECOND
PROLOGUE
[Enter] Chorus.
Chor. Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie,
And young affection gapes to be his heir;
That fair for which love groan'd for and would die,
With tender Juliet match'd, is now not fair.
Now Romeo is belov'd and loves again, 5
Alike bewitched by the charm of looks,
But to his foe suppos'd he must complain,
And she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks: 8
Being held a foe, he may not have access
To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear;
And she as much in love, her means much less
To meet her new-beloved any where: 12
But passion lends them power, time means, to meet,
Tempering extremity with extreme sweet.
[Exit.]
Scene One
[A Lane by the wall of Capulet's Orchard]
Enter Romeo alone.
Rom. Can I go forward when my heart is here?
Turn back, dull earth, and find thy centre out.
[He climbs the wall, and leaps down within it.]
Enter Benvolio with Mercutio.
Ben. Romeo! my cousin Romeo! Romeo!
6 Alike: i.e., both he and she
10 use: are accustomed to
S. d. Orchard: garden
2 dull earth; cf. n.
