Romeo and Juliet: Act 4, Scene 4 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Lady Capulet and Nurse. LADY CAPULET Hold, take these keys, and fetch more spices, nurse. NURSE They call for dates and quinces in the pastry. Enter old Capulet. CAPULET Come, stir, stir, stir! The second cock hath crowed. The curfew bell hath rung. ’Tis three o’clock.— Look to the baked meats, good Angelica. 5 Spare not for cost. NURSE Go, you cot-quean, go, Get you to bed. Faith, you’ll be sick tomorrow For this night’s watching. CAPULET No, not a whit. What, I have watched ere now 10 All night for lesser cause, and ne’er been sick.	Everyone is bustling around cheerfully trying to get things ready for the wedding that morning. The Nurse calls Lord Capulet an old housewife (guess he did stay up all night making preparations) and tells him to get some sleep before he gets sick. He says he's stayed up all night plenty of times without getting ill.
LADY CAPULET Ay, you have been a mouse-hunt in your time, But I will watch you from such watching now. Lady Capulet and Nurse exit. CAPULET A jealous hood, a jealous hood! Enter three or four Servingmen with spits and logs and baskets. Now fellow, 15 What is there? FIRST SERVINGMAN Things for the cook, sir, but I know not what. CAPULET Make haste, make haste. First Servingman exits. Sirrah, fetch drier logs. Call Peter. He will show thee where they are. 20 SECOND SERVINGMAN I have a head, sir, that will find out logs And never trouble Peter for the matter. CAPULET Mass, and well said. A merry whoreson, ha! Thou shalt be loggerhead. Second Servingman exits. Good faith, ’tis day. 25 The County will be here with music straight, Play music. For so he said he would. I hear him near.— Nurse!—Wife! What ho!—What, nurse, I say! Enter Nurse. Go waken Juliet. Go and trim her up. I’ll go and chat with Paris. Hie, make haste, 30 Make haste. The bridegroom he is come already. Make haste, I say. He exits.	Lady Capulet is feeling feisty. She tells him she knows he used to stay up all night chasing women, but she's got her eyes on him now so he better behave. Capulet keeps up the banter with his servingmen, and then tells the Nurse to go wake Juliet. Paris is here already—it's time to get this party started.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Lady Capulet and Nurse.

LADY CAPULET
Hold, take these keys, and fetch more spices, nurse.

NURSE
They call for dates and quinces in the pastry.

Enter old Capulet.

CAPULET
Come, stir, stir, stir! The second cock hath crowed.
The curfew bell hath rung. ’Tis three o’clock.—
Look to the baked meats, good Angelica. 5
Spare not for cost.

NURSE Go, you cot-quean, go,
Get you to bed. Faith, you’ll be sick tomorrow
For this night’s watching.

CAPULET
No, not a whit. What, I have watched ere now 10
All night for lesser cause, and ne’er been sick.

Everyone is bustling around cheerfully trying to get things ready for the wedding that morning. The Nurse calls Lord Capulet an old housewife (guess he did stay up all night making preparations) and tells him to get some sleep before he gets sick. He says he's stayed up all night plenty of times without getting ill.

LADY CAPULET
Ay, you have been a mouse-hunt in your time,
But I will watch you from such watching now.

Lady Capulet and Nurse exit.

CAPULET
A jealous hood, a jealous hood!

Enter three or four Servingmen with spits and logs
and baskets.

Now fellow, 15
What is there?

FIRST SERVINGMAN
Things for the cook, sir, but I know not what.

CAPULET
Make haste, make haste. First Servingman exits.
Sirrah, fetch drier logs.
Call Peter. He will show thee where they are. 20

SECOND SERVINGMAN
I have a head, sir, that will find out logs
And never trouble Peter for the matter.

CAPULET
Mass, and well said. A merry whoreson, ha!
Thou shalt be loggerhead.

Second Servingman exits.

Good faith, ’tis day. 25
The County will be here with music straight,
Play music.
For so he said he would. I hear him near.—
Nurse!—Wife! What ho!—What, nurse, I say!

Enter Nurse.

Go waken Juliet. Go and trim her up.
I’ll go and chat with Paris. Hie, make haste, 30
Make haste. The bridegroom he is come already.
Make haste, I say.

He exits.

Lady Capulet is feeling feisty. She tells him she knows he used to stay up all night chasing women, but she's got her eyes on him now so he better behave. Capulet keeps up the banter with his servingmen, and then tells the Nurse to go wake Juliet. Paris is here already—it's time to get this party started.

Romeo and Juliet: Act 4, Scene 4 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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