Shakespeare in Love Page #15

VIOLA AS ROMEO:

"Sin from my lips? Oh trespass sweetly

urg'd. Give me my sin again."

VIOLA kisses SAM again. WILL gives a major twitch, which

in fact catapults his body onto the stage. Everybody

looks at him in surprise.

WILL:

Yes…yes…er…not quite right…it is more

let me

(as JULIET)

"Then have my lips the sin that they

have took."

VIOLA AS ROMEO:

Sin from my lips? Oh trespass sweetly

urg'd. Give me my sin again."

VIOLA kisses WILL. They lose themselves for a fraction of

a moment. As VIOLA withdraws her lips, WILL'S lips are

going for it again.

VIOLA AS ROMEO (CONT'D)

"You kiss by th' book."

ALLEYN:

(to Will, sarcastically)

Well! It was lucky you were here! Why

do not I write the rest of your play

while you

WILL:

(apologising, retreating)

Yes, yes…continue. Now the Nurse.

Where is Ralph?

RALPH has been ready and waiting.

RALPH AS NURSE:

"Madam, your mother craves a word with

you."

VIOLA AS ROMEO:

"What is her mother?"

RALPH AS NURSE:

"Marry bachelor, Her mother is the

lady of the house…"

WILL has retreated to

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. BACKSTAGE. DAY.

He is behind the curtain now.

RALPH AS NURSE (O.S.)

"…And a good lady, and wise and

virtuous. I nurse her daughter that

you talk'd withal…"

During RALPH'S lines (which are continuous) WILL stands

in the shadow behind the curtain, alone, agitated.

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. STAGE. DAY.

RALPH AS NURSE:

"I tell you, he that can lay hold of her (he makes the

money sign) Shall have the chinks."

VIOLA AS ROMEO:

"Is she a Capulet" Oh dear account. My

life is my foe's debt."

NOL, AS "BENVOLIO," at a party, carrying a goblet, tipsy,

enters the scene.

NOL AS BENVOLIO:

(to ROMEO)

"Away, be gone, the sport is at best."

VIOLA, about to make her exit, has her hand holding the

curtain at the gap.

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. BEHIND THE CURTAIN. DAY.

WILL is kissing her hand.

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. STAGE. DAY.

VIOLA AS ROMEO:

"Ay, so I fear; the more is my

unrest."

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. BEHIND THE CURTAIN. DAY.

VIOLA comes through the curtain. WILL and VIOLA kiss,

dangerously--they are in a narrow space, hidden from the

general backstage area.

SAM AS JULIET (O.S.)

"Come hither nurse. What is yond

gentleman?"

VIOLA:

(to Will)

Oh let it be night!

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. STAGE. DAY.

RALPH AS NURSE:

"I know not."

SAM AS JULIET:

"Go ask his name--If he be married, My

grave is like to be my wedding bed."

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. BEHIND THE CURTAIN. DAY.

"JULIET'S" line bits WILL between the eyes. WILL pulls

away.

VIOLA:

Oh, do not go

WILL:

I must. I must

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. BACKSTAGE. DAY.

As WILL races up the ladder to his writer's corner, the

rehearsal can be heard continuing.

RALPH AS NURSE (O.S.)

"His name is Romeo, and a Montague,

The only son of your great enemy."

ALLEYN (O.S.)

(roaring from the audience)

Terrible!

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. WRITER'S CORNER. DAY.

WILL arrives at the top of the building in his writer's

corner. He spins around once in a circle, rubs his hands

together and spits on the floor. His manuscript is all

over the table.

We take a peak at the lines he has already written.

INSERT MANUSCRIPT: "But soft, what light through yonder

window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun."

VIOLA'S VOICE OVER speaks the line.

VIOLA (VO)

"But soft, what light through yonder

window breaks? It is the east and

Juliet is the sun!"

INT. DE LESSEPSES' HOUSE. VIOLA'S BEDROOM. EVENING.

VIOLA:

(reading)

"Arise fair sun and kill the envious

moon Who is already sick and pale with

grief That thou her maid art far more

fair than she…"

VIOLA is in bed, reading the lines from the manuscript

page. WILL is in bed with her, reading with her.

VIOLA (CONT'D)

Oh, Will!

WILL:

Yes, some of it is speakable.

She has to speak through WILL'S kisses, he is nibbling at

her neck and shoulders and she has to bat him away with

the pages.

VIOLA:

(continuing reading)

"It is my lady, O it is my love! O

that she knew she were!"

INT. THE ROSE THEATRE. STAGE. DAY.

VIOLA continues the speech, edge-to-edge, now in

rehearsal, with SAM as "JULIET" sighing on the balcony

above her.

VIOLA AS ROMEO:

"The brightness of her cheek would

shame those stars As daylight doth a

lamp. Her eyes in heaven Would through

the airy region stream so bright That

birds would sing and think it were not

night. See how she leans her cheek

upon her hand. O that I were a glove

upon that hand, That I might touch

that cheek.

Rate this script:3.0 / 2 votes