Romeo and Juliet — Act 4, Scene 2in modern English, side by side
Hall in Capulet’s House · Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse, Juliet, Second Servant
Juliet now has Friar Lawrence's plan: pretend to consent, then fake her own death with a sleeping potion the night before the wedding. Here she returns home and acts the obedient daughter — and her delighted father moves the wedding up from Thursday to the very next morning, cutting the plan's timing dangerously short.
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Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse and Servants
Capulet
So many guests invite as here are writ.
Go invite every guest whose name is written on this list.
_Exit first Servant._
Capulet
Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks.
And you — go hire me twenty skilled cooks.
Second Servant
You shall have none ill, sir; for I’ll try if they can lick their
fingers.
You won't get any bad ones, sir, because I'll test whether they can lick their fingers.
Capulet
How canst thou try them so?5
How is that a test?
Second Servant
Marry, sir, ’tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers;
Well, sir, it's a bad cook who won't lick his own fingers.
therefore he that cannot lick his fingers goes not with me.
So any cook who can't lick his fingers doesn't come home with me.
Capulet
Go, begone.
Go on, get moving.
_Exit second Servant._
Capulet
We shall be much unfurnish’d for this time.
We're going to be badly under-supplied for this occasion.
What, is my daughter gone to Friar Lawrence?10
— What, has my daughter gone to see Friar Lawrence?
Nurse
Ay, forsooth.
Yes, indeed she has.
Capulet
Well, he may chance to do some good on her.
Well, maybe he can do her some good.
A peevish self-will’d harlotry it is.
She's a sulky, stubborn, self-willed little minx.
Enter Juliet
Nurse
See where she comes from shrift with merry look.
Look — here she comes back from confession, and she's smiling.
Capulet
How now, my headstrong. Where have you been gadding?15
Well now, my headstrong girl. Where have you been gadding about?
Juliet
Where I have learnt me to repent the sin
Of disobedient opposition
To you and your behests;
Somewhere I learned to repent the sin of disobediently opposing you and your commands.
and am enjoin’d
By holy Lawrence to fall prostrate here,
To beg your pardon.20
Holy Friar Lawrence has directed me to kneel down here and beg your pardon.
Pardon, I beseech you.20
Forgive me, I beg you!
Henceforward I am ever rul’d by you.
From now on, I will always let you rule me.
Capulet
Send for the County, go tell him of this.
Send for the Count — go tell him about this.
I’ll have this knot knit up tomorrow morning.
I'll have this knot tied up tomorrow morning.
Juliet
I met the youthful lord at Lawrence’ cell,
And gave him what becomed love I might,25
Not stepping o’er the bounds of modesty.
I met the young lord at Friar Lawrence's cell, and I showed him as much affection as I properly could without overstepping the bounds of modesty.
Capulet
Why, I am glad on’t.
Why, I'm glad to hear it.
This is well.
This is good.
Stand up.
Stand up.
This is as’t should be.
This is how things should be.
Let me see the County.
Ay, marry.
Let me see the Count — yes, exactly.
Go, I say, and fetch him hither.
Go on, I say, and bring him here.
Now afore God, this reverend holy Friar,30
All our whole city is much bound to him.
Before God, our whole city owes a great debt to this reverend holy friar.
Juliet
Nurse, will you go with me into my closet,
To help me sort such needful ornaments
As you think fit to furnish me tomorrow?
Nurse, will you come with me to my room and help me choose the clothes and accessories you think I'll need to be dressed in tomorrow?
Lady Capulet
No, not till Thursday.35
No — not until Thursday.
There is time enough.35
There's plenty of time.
Capulet
Go, Nurse, go with her.
Go, Nurse, go with her.
We’ll to church tomorrow.
We're going to church tomorrow.
_Exeunt Juliet and Nurse._
Lady Capulet
We shall be short in our provision,
’Tis now near night.
We'll run short on food and supplies — it's nearly night already.
Capulet
Tush, I will stir about,
And all things shall be well, I warrant thee, wife.40
Nonsense! I'll bustle around, and everything will turn out fine, I promise you, wife.
Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her.
You go to Juliet and help her get dressed up.
I’ll not to bed tonight, let me alone.
I won't go to bed tonight. Leave it to me
I’ll play the housewife for this once.
— for once I'll play the housewife.
What, ho!
— Hello there!
They are all forth:
— They've all gone out.
well, I will walk myself
To County Paris, to prepare him up45
Against tomorrow.
Well then, I'll walk over to Count Paris myself and get him ready for tomorrow.
My heart is wondrous light
Since this same wayward girl is so reclaim’d.
My heart feels wonderfully light now that my wayward girl has come around.
_Exeunt._
Famous lines in this scene
“’tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers” line 6
The servant quotes a real Elizabethan proverb: a cook who won't lick his own fingers must not trust his own cooking. It's a beat of comic relief — hiring cooks for the wedding feast — placed just before the play's darkest scenes, and a classic example of Shakespeare giving servants earthy, proverbial wisdom.
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