A scene of comic relief follows upon the
heavy and sad lamenting scene that has just passed. The Nurse tells the musicians who had been brought to perform for the wedding ceremony to pack up their instruments and go home. The Nurse tells the musicians that “this is a pitiful case” (125). She is implying that the tragic loss of Juliet is a sad situation. However, the Nurse is handing an instrument case to one of the musicians at that moment; and the musician responds, “The case may be amended” (126). This is another pun. The musician is saying that the sad and worn case for his musical instrument could be repaired; but, of course, there is no way to amend or repair the sad death of Juliet.
After the Nurse exits, more comic word play ensues when Peter, the servant of the Capulets, asks the musicians to play a popular song called “Heart’s Ease” in order to ease or comfort his sad heart (lines 127-31). The musicians refuse to play, and Peter then becomes angry with them. He then tells them, “I will then give it you soundly” (135). The phrase has a double meaning: (1) I will then give you a song, and (2) I will then thrash you thoroughly. The First Musician asks Peter to explain what he will give them, and the servant responds with …
No money, on my faith, but the gleek. I will give you
The minstrel. (137-38)
The word gleek means to make a fool of or to scorn or ridicule. Peter then attempts to ridicule them by calling them minstrels. During the Renaissance the word minstrel could mean rogue or scoundrel; but, of course, the word also means musician. Since the musicians are, in fact, minstrels, they are not offended by Peter’s insult. And the First Musician also returns the gibe (the taunt or remark of scorn) by calling Peter a “serving creature” (139). The musician is letting Peter know that his insult has had no effect on them. Peter, though, does feel insulted be being called a serving creature; and he pulls out his dagger and threatens them:
I will carry no crochets. “I’ll re you, I’ll fa you. Do you note me. (141-42)
Four of the words are puns. Peter’s intent suggests that (1) the word crochets means jokes, (2) the word re (or actually ra’ for rate or berate) means to rebuke or reprimand, (3) the word fa (actually fa’ or fall) means to make them fall, and (4) the word note means to heed or regard. Thus, Peter is asserting that he will not allow them to joke with him and that he will hurt them if they do not heed his warning. The four words, though, have other meanings. Crochets means quarter notes in music, re and fa are two of the notes in the musical scale (do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do), and note obviously could mean a musical note. The musicians, therefore, would laugh at Peter and pay little attention to either his words of criticism or his threats with his dagger.
The Second Musician tells Peter to put his dagger away and “to put out your wit” (144-45). He is telling Peter to stop trying to be witty, for he is not very successful at it. Peter, though, understands the words “put out” to mean display or show. He thus thinks the musician is asking him to be witty. So, Peter puts his dagger away and attempts to be witty.
Peter then sings the words of a popular song that contains the phrase “music with her silver sound” (150). Peter then asks them why music has a silver sound. The First Musician responds that music has a silver or “sweet sound,” and the Second Musician responds because musicians “sound” or perform for silver. The Second Musician is hoping that Peter will pay them for their coming. Peter, though, tells them that music has a “silver sound because musicians have no gold for sounding” (160-61) and sings the following lines from a song:
Then music with her silver sound
With speedy help doth lend redress. (162-63)
The word sounding is a pun: it means both (1) playing or performing music and (2) jingling, the sound of coins hitting against each other. Peter is basically saying that the musicians will not be paid anything for coming that day. The only “redress” or payment or satisfaction that they will receive is the silver sounds of their music. The musicians, obviously, do not find Peter’s wit to be funny at all; but they do find a way to get some payment for their coming. They decide to stay at the Capulet house and join the mourners for the dinner that will be served them.