JULIET

A newly married girl waits for nightfall so she can be with her husband, and finds waiting unbearable. Desire and impatience run ahead of every cautious thing she was raised to be.

1:14Dramatic18–25Intermediate

The speech122 words · 4 beats

0:00 / 1:14

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Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus' lodging: such a wagoner As Phaethon would whip you to the west, And bring in cloudy night immediately.

Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaway's eyes may wink, and Romeo Leap to these arms, untalk'd of and unseen.

Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow'd night, Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night.

O, I have bought the mansion of a love, But not possess'd it, and, though I am sold, Not yet enjoy'd: so tedious is this day As is the night before some festival To an impatient child that hath new robes And may not wear them.

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Speaking to: The oncoming night, summoned like a co-conspirator.
What just happened: She has secretly married Romeo hours ago. Alone in her chamber as the sun drops, she wills the dark to hurry so their wedding night can begin. She does not yet know Romeo has killed Tybalt.
Objective: To drag the night forward by sheer force of longing.
The turn: There is no reversal; the speech is a single accelerating wish. The technical challenge is sustaining the climb without a break to lean on.
Watch out for: The trap is coy prettiness. This is frank, bodily impatience from a very young person; the innocence is real but so is the appetite. Keep 'Come, gentle night' urgent, not decorative.

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JULIET

Romeo and Juliet · William Shakespeare · 1:14 · 122 words

Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus' lodging: such a wagoner As Phaethon would whip you to the west, And bring in cloudy night immediately. Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaway's eyes may wink, and Romeo Leap to these arms, untalk'd of and unseen. Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow'd night, Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night. O, I have bought the mansion of a love, But not possess'd it, and, though I am sold, Not yet enjoy'd: so tedious is this day As is the night before some festival To an impatient child that hath new robes And may not wear them.

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