ROMEO AND JULIET

A monologue from Act II, Scene ii

by: William Shakespeare

JULIET: Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face;

Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek

For that which thou hast heard me speak tonight.

Fain would I dwell on form -- fain, fain deny

What I have spoken; but farewell compliment [1]!

Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say 'Ay';

And I will take thy word. Yet, if thou swear'st,

Thou may prove false. At lovers' perjuries,

They say Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,

If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully.

Or if thou thinkest I am too quickly won,

I'll frown, and be perverse, and say thee nay,

So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world.

In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond,

And therefore thou mayst think my havior [2] light;

But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true

Than those that have more cunning to be strange.

I should have been more strange, I must confess,

But that thou overheard'st ere I was ware [3],

My true-love passion. Therefore, pardon me,

And not impute this yielding to light love,

Which the dark night hath so discoverèd.

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1 etiquette

2 behavior

3 aware