“Roméo et Juliette” by Charles Gounod libretto (English)

Contents: Roles And Prologue; Act One; Act Two; Act Three; Act Four; Act Five

ACT THREE

Scene One

Friar Laurence’s cell

No.10 Entr’acte and Scene

ROMEO
Father! God keep you! God keep you!

FRIAR LAURENCE
Eh, what’s this! Day has scarce
dawned, and sleep eludes you?
What distemperature leads you to me?
What lover’s care brings you?

ROMEO
You have guessed right, Father, it is love!

FRIAR LAURENCE
Love! Still the unworthy Rosaline?

ROMEO
What name is this you utter?
I know it not!
Does the eye of the elect opening upon the divine light
still remember the shadows of this earth?
Does one love Rosaline, having seen Juliet?

FRIAR LAURENCE
What, Juliet Capulet?
(Juliet appears, followed by Gertrude.)

ROMEO
Here she is!

JULIET
(rushing into Romeo’s arms)
Romeo!

ROMEO
My soul was calling you!
I see you! My mouth is dumb!

JULIET (to Friar Laurence)
Father, this is my bridegroom!
You know the heart I give to him!

To his love I surrender myself,
unite us before Heaven!

FRIAR LAURENCE
Ay, though I should face a blind rage
I will lend you my help.
May the ancient hatred between your houses
be extinguished in your young love!

ROMEO (to Gertrude)
Do you keep watch without!
(Gertrude goes out.)

FRIAR LAURENCE
The witness of your promises,
the guardian of your love,
may the Lord be with you!
Kneel down!
(gravely)
Kneel down!

No.11 Trio and Quartet

FRIAR LAURENCE
O God who madest man in Thine own image
and of his flesh and blood
created woman, and, joining her
to man in wedlock,
from Zion’s summit consecrated
their inseparable union!
Look with a favourable eye upon
Thy miserable creature
who prostrates himself before Thee!

JULIET, ROMEO
Lord, we promise to obey Thy law.

FRIAR LAURENCE
Hear Thou my fervent prayer:
Ordain that the yoke of Thy handmaiden
may be a yoke of love and peace!
Let virtue be her wealth,
to strengthen her weakness
may she arm her heart with duty!

JULIET, ROMEO
Lord, be Thou my support, be Thou my hope!

FRIAR LAURENCE
May their happy old age see
their children walking in Thy way
and their children’s children!

JULIET, ROMEO
Lord, from darkest sin it is Thou who dost protect us!

FRIAR LAURENCE
May this chaste and faithful couple,
united in the life eternal,
come at last to the Kingdom of Heaven!

JULIET, ROMEO
Lord, deign to look down upon our love!

FRIAR LAURENCE (to Romeo)
Romeo, dost thou choose Juliet for thy wife?

ROMEO
I do, Father.

FRIAR LAURENCE (to Juliet)
Dost thou take Romeo for thy husband?

JULIET
I do, Father.
(They exchange their rings.)

FRIAR LAURENCE
(placing Juliet’s hand in Romeo’s)
Before God who reads into your hearts
I unite you! Now rise to your feet.
(They stand. Gertrude enters.)

JULIET, GERTRUDE, ROMEO, FRIAR LAURENCE
O happiness unalloyed! O immense joy!
Heaven itself has received our/their loving vows!
God of goodness! God of mercy!
Be Thou blessed by two happy hearts! etc.
(Romeo and Juliet separate. – Juliet goes off with
Gertrude, Romeo with Friar Laurence.)

Scene Two

A street. – On the left, the Capulets’ house.

No.12 Song

STEPHANO (alone)
Since yesterday have I sought my master in vain!
(studying the balcony of Capulet’s house)
Is he still with you, my lords Capulet?
(arrogantly)
Let’s just see if your worthy servants
will dare to show themselves this morning
at the sound of my voice!
(He pretends to strum on his sword like a guitar.)
What are you doing, white turtledove,
in this nest of vultures?
Some day, spreading your wings,
you will follow love!
With vultures, there must always be fighting,
in order to cut and thrust
their beaks are whetted!
Have done with these birds of prey,
turtledove who tak’st thy joy
from loving kisses!
Guard her well, the fair lady!
Who lives will see! –
your turtledove
will escape from you! etc.
A ring-dove, drawn far away
from the greenwood by love,
I think has sighed
round about this savage nest!
The vultures are at the quarry,
their songs, that Cytherea* flees from,
re-echo loudly!
Meanwhile in their sweet infatuation
our lovers tell their love
to the night-stars!
Guard her well, the fair lady!
Who lives will see! etc.

No.13 Finale

STEPHANO
Haha! Here are our men!

GREGORIO
Who the devil comes away
from our gate cooing like this?

STEPHANO (aside, laughing)
The song displeases them!

GREGORIO (to the other servants)
Ah, why, of course! Isn’t this the fellow
we chased away yesterday, dagger in hand?

THE SERVANTS
The very one! He’s an impudent rogue!

STEPHANO
Guard her well, the fair lady...etc.

GREGORIO
Is it to flout us, my young friend,
that you regale us with this serenade?

STEPHANO
I dote on music!

GREGORIO
It’s clear
that in some similar jape you’ve had your guitar
smashed across your back, my lad!

STEPHANO
For guitar I have my sword
and I know how to play more than one tune upon it.

GREGORIO
Ah, by God, for this kind of music
we can give you the reply!

STEPHANO (drawing his sword)
Then come and take a lesson from it!

GREGORIO (drawing his)
On guard!

THE SERVANTS (laughing)
Let’s listen to their nonsense!
What fury!
Bless my soul!
Take heart!
And play fair!
See how
this boy
defends himself
against a man!
A skilled swordsman,
’pon my soul!
He fights
like a soldier!
(Mercutio and Benvolio enter.)

MERCUTIO (as he enters, indignantly)
To set upon a boy!
’Zounds! ’Tis a shameful deed
worthy of the Capulets!
(He draws his sword and hurls himself between the combatants.)
Like masters. like servants!
(Tybalt, followed by Paris and a few friends, enters and
takes up the insult.)

TYBALT (insolently)
You have a ready tongue,
sir!

MERCUTIO
Not so ready as my arm!

TYBALT
We must see about that!

MERCUTIO
And that you shall!
(Mercutio and Tybalt cross; at the same moment,
Romeo hurries up and dashes between them.)

ROMEO
Stop!

MERCUTIO
Romeo!

TYBALT (vengefully)
Romeo! His demon leads him to me!
(to Mercutio, with ironic politeness)
Permit me to give him precedence over you!

(to Romeo, haughtily)
Come on, vile Montague! Out with your sword!
Unsheathe!
You who insulted us in our very house,
’tis you who will pay the penalty
for this unworthy treachery!
You whose accursed lips
forbidden to Juliet
did dare, I think, to whisper low, –

(scornfully)
hear the one word my hatred suggests to me!
Thou’rt naught but a coward!
(Romeo’s hand goes quickly to his sword. After a
moment’s hesitation he taps it down into its scabbard.)

ROMEO (restrained and dignified)
Come now!...you do not know me,
Tybalt, and your insult is useless!
I have in my heart reasons to love you
which despite myself come to disarm me!
I am no coward! Farewell!
(He moves as though to go.)

TYBALT
You think perhaps
to obtain pardon for your injuries, traitor?

ROMEO
I have never injured you, Tybalt;
the time for hatred is past!

MERCUTIO
Will you suffer this name of coward,
0 Romeo? Did I hear you aright?
Very well then, if your arm is to fail in its task
henceforward the honour belongs to me!

ROMEO
Mercutio! – I entreat you!

MERCUTIO
No! I shall avenge your insult!
Tybalt, you rat-catcher, on guard and defend yourself!

TYBALT
I am for you!

ROMEO
Listen to me!

MERCUTIO
No, let me be!

CHORUS (Montagues)
Excellent, in faith!
(Capulets)
I trust in him!

STEPHANO, BENVOLIO
Capulets! Capulets! Foul brood!
Shake with terror!
And may hell assist
his hatred and his fury!

ROMEO
Hatred, hatred fruitful in miseries!
Must you always through your fury
give to the world
a spectacle of horror?

TYBALT, PARIS, GREGORIO
Montagues! Montagues! Foul brood!
Shake with terror!
And may hell assist
my/his hatred and my/his fury!

CHORUS
Capulets! Capulets! Foul brood!
Montagues! Montagues! Foul brood!
Shake with terror!
And may hell assist
his hatred and his fury!
(Tybalt and Mercutio begin to fight.)

MERCUTIO
Ah! I am hurt!...

ROMEO
Hurt!...

MERCUTIO
A plague
o’ both your houses!
Why came you between us?

ROMEO
O pitiless fate!
(to his friends)
Help him!

MERCUTIO (staggering)
Hold me up!
(Mercutio is carried away, and dies. Romeo, having
gazed after him for a few moments, comes back
downstage and, giving himself up wholly to his rage,
cries:)

ROMEO
Ah! Now away back to heaven, infamous caution!
And thou, fire-ey’d fury,
be my conduct now!
(drawing his sword)
Tybalt! – there’s no other coward here but you!
(They cross swords.)

ROMEO
(to Tybalt, as he thrusts at him)
For you!
(Tybalt is hit and staggers; Capulet enters, runs up to
him and supports him in his arms. The fighting stops.)

CAPULET
Great God! Tybalt!

BENVOLIO (to Romeo)
His wound is mortal!
Escape without losing a moment!

ROMEO (aside)
Ah, what have I done? I – to flee – cursed by her!

BENVOLIO
’Tis death that awaits you!

ROMEO (in despair)
Let it come, then, I summon it!

TYBALT
(to Capulet, in a dying voice)
One last word!...and upon your soul...fulfil my wishes!

CAPULET (solemnly)
You shall be obeyed. I give you my solemn word!
(A crowd of townspeople have invaded the stage.)

CHORUS
What’s this then?
What’s this then? – It’s Tybalt! He is dying!

CAPULET (to Tybalt)
Come to yourself!

STEPHANO, BENVOLIO, ROMEO, PARIS, GREGORIO, CHORUS
O day of mourning! O day of tears!
An unreasoning anger

stains our weapons with blood!
And misfortune hovers above us!
O day of mourning, etc.
(Trumpets are heard.)

CHORUS
The Duke! The Duke!
(The Duke enters followed by his retinue of gentlemen
and pages carrying torches. Capulet turns towards the
Duke.)

CAPULET
Justice!

ALL THE CAPULETS
Justice!

CAPULET (pointing to Tybalt’s body)
It’s Tybalt. my nephew, slain by Romeo!

ROMEO
He had struck down Mercutio first!
I avenged my friend, let my fate take its course!

STEPHANO, ROMEO, BENVOLIO, PARIS, GREGORIO, CAPULET, THE MONTAGUES, THE CAPULETS
Justice! Justice!

THE DUKE
What’s this? Always blood!
Nothing will still
the criminal furies in your hearts!
Nothing will make the weapons drop from
your hands
and I myself shall be touched by your quarrels!
(to Romeo)
According to our laws your crime has merited death.
But you are not the aggressor...I exile you!

ROMEO
O heaven!

THE DUKE (to the Montagues and Capulets)
And you whose hatred, fertile in pretexts,
maintains discord and fear in the city,

take before me, all of you, the solemn oath
of obedience to the laws of your prince and of heaven!

ROMEO
Ah, day of mourning and horror and alarms,
my heart is breaking, distraught with grief!
Unjust decree which disarms us too late,
you set the crown on this day of woe!
I see perish in blood and tears
all the hopes and desires of my heart!

THE DUKE
Ah, day of mourning and horror and alarms,
I see both my blood and theirs flowing!
Too just decree by which their weapons are blunted,
you come too late on this day of woe!
By drowning it in blood and tears
’tis the city you strike in my heart!

ROMEO
Day of horror and alarms,
my heart is breaking, distraught with grief! etc.

CAPULET
Day of mourning and horror and alarms,
my heart is breaking, distraught with grief!
Unjust decree which disarms us too late,
you set the crown on this day of woe!
I see perish in blood and tears
all the hopes, all the desires of my heart!

STEPHANO, THE MONTAGUE RETAINERS
Ah, day of mourning and horror and alarms,
my heart is breaking, distraught with grief!
Unjust decree by which their weapons are blunted.
you come too late on this day of woe!
I see perish in blood and tears,
together with the laws, our homeland and our honour!

BENVOLIO, PARIS, THE CAPULET RETAINERS
Ah, day of mourning and horror and alarms,
my heart is breaking, distraught with grief!
Unjust decree that disarms us too soon,
you set the crown on this day of woe!
No, no! Our hearts ’mid the blood and the tears
will not forget their duty and their honour!

THE DUKE
You will leave the city this evening.

ROMEO
O despair! Exile! Exile!
No! I shall die but I will see her again!

CAPULET, CHORUS
Peace? No! no! no! no! no, never!

libretto by Joseph Allen, 1969

Contents: Roles And Prologue; Act One; Act Two; Act Three; Act Four; Act Five