[He reads the letter.]

Signior Martino and his wife and daughters;

County Anselmo and his beauteous sisters;

The lady widow of Utruvio;

Signior Placentio and his lovely nieces;

Mercutio and his brother Valentine;

Mine uncle Capulet, his wife, and daughters;

My fair niece Rosaline and Livia;

Signior Valentio and his cousin Tybalt;

Lucio and the lively Helena.


A fair assembly. [Gives back the paper] Whither should they

come?
SERVANT.

Up.


ROMEO.

Whither to supper?


SERVANT.

To our house.


ROMEO.

Whose house?


SERVANT.

My master’s.


ROMEO.

Indeed I should have ask’d you that before.


SERVANT.

Now I’ll tell you without asking. My master is the great rich Capulet,

and if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray come and crush a cup of

wine. Rest you merry.


 [Exit.]
BENVOLIO.

At this same ancient feast of Capulet’s

Sups the fair Rosaline whom thou so lov’st;

With all the admired beauties of Verona.

Go thither and with unattainted eye,

Compare her face with some that I shall show,

And I will make thee think thy swan a crow.


ROMEO.

When the devout religion of mine eye

Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fire;

And these who, often drown’d, could never die,

Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars.

One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun

Ne’er saw her match since first the world begun.


BENVOLIO.

Tut, you saw her fair, none else being by,

Herself pois’d with herself in either eye:

But in that crystal scales let there be weigh’d

Your lady’s love against some other maid

That I will show you shining at this feast,

And she shall scant show well that now shows best.


ROMEO.

I’ll go along, no such sight to be shown,

But to rejoice in splendour of my own.


 [Exeunt.]
SCENE III. Room in Capulet’s House.
 Enter Lady Capulet and

Nurse.
LADY CAPULET.

Nurse, where’s my daughter? Call her forth to me.


NURSE.