Narrator
/
Verona, the year:1595.
(The scene starts with 2
male staff from Capulet’s family. They are upset with the way they have been
treated by someone from the Montague family who have no authority over them. This part of the play is
often omitted from productions as it is difficult to understand in the
original. Samson is angry, Gregory
just taunts him.
NB. Director’s note.
Deliberate bawdy words are underlined, additional words for audio only purposes are italics, emphasised words are bold)
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FX: Street
Ambience 1500’s. Exterior street early morning. 2 men walking. |
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Samson / |
(swears oath under breath barely audible) #*$#*%$@! (To Gregory angrily) They’ll
not treat us like we carry coal for them! I promise you that, Gregory. |
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Gregory / |
(taunting rather than angry)
No, then we'd just be filthy, dirty colliers, Samson. |
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Samson / |
It makes me so hot under the
collar, I
could draw. (half draws his sword) |
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Gregory / |
(stopping Samson drawing
sword) You'd be lynched if you drew your sword. Then you'd be drawing your
neck from the hangman's collar. (laughs at himself) |
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Samson / |
(ignoring him) I am so
moved, I would strike swiftly. (imitates pretend sword thrust) |
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Gregory / |
But you are not normally so
swiftly moved to strike. (mocking imitation of sword thrust) |
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Samson / |
I am when moved by a dog of
a member of the Montague family. (spits) |
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Gregory / |
But to move is to
change position, (backs away) to
show courage is to stand your ground (makes ‘on guard’ stance). So, if you
are moved, it means you run away. |
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Samson / |
Then a dog of the Montague
family moves me to stand still! I would not step aside for
any Montague, man or woman. I would keep to the wall and force them to step into the road. |
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Gregory / |
That shows you are weak, for
they say, 'the weakest goes to the wall'. |
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Samson / |
That's true. Therefore
women, being the weaker sex, are all thrust against the wall...
(thinks)... Therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall, and
thrust their young maidens against the wall. (thrusts pelvis
forward) |
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Gregory / |
But our squabble is with
their men, not their women. (thrusts pelvis forward in taunt) |
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Samson / |
It's all the same to me. I
will be a tyrant. When I have fought the men, I will politely introduce
myself to their young maidens,... (bows cap in hand) and then take their
heads! |
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Gregory / |
(shocked) The heads of the
maidens? |
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Samson / |
Yes the heads of the
maidens, or their maidenheads. You can take it in whatever sense you
like. |
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Gregory / |
(bawdy) No, they must take it. Their senses
being the judge of how it feels. |
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Samson / |
They will feel me
while I am still able to stand erect, and I am well known as a good bit of flesh. |
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