Romeo and Juliet — Act 4, Scene 4
original text and modern English, side by side
Hall in Capulet’s House · Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse, First Servant, Second Servant
It is three in the morning on the wedding day, and the Capulet household has been up all night preparing the feast — no one knows that Juliet lies drugged upstairs. Paris is about to arrive with his musicians, so Capulet sends the Nurse to wake the bride.
Enter Lady Capulet and Nurse
Lady Capulet
Hold, take these keys and fetch more spices, Nurse.
Here — take these keys, and go fetch more spices, Nurse.
Nurse
They call for dates and quinces in the pastry.
In the pastry kitchen they're calling for dates and quinces.
Enter Capulet
Capulet
Come, stir, stir, stir!
Come on — move, move, move!
The second cock hath crow’d,
The curfew bell hath rung, ’tis three o’clock.
The rooster has crowed for the second time, the curfew bell has rung: it's three o'clock.
Look to the bak’d meats, good Angelica;
Spare not for cost.
Keep an eye on the baked pies, good Angelica, and don't skimp on the cost.
Nurse
Go, you cot-quean, go,
Get you to bed;
Go on, go, you meddling kitchen-husband — get yourself to bed!
faith, you’ll be sick tomorrow
For this night’s watching.
Honestly, you'll be sick tomorrow for staying up all night.
Capulet
No, not a whit.
No, not a bit.
What! I have watch’d ere now
All night for lesser cause, and ne’er been sick.
Ha! I've stayed up all night before now for smaller reasons, and never got sick.
Lady Capulet
Ay, you have been a mouse-hunt in your time;
Oh yes, you did your share of chasing women in your day.
But I will watch you from such watching now.
But I'll be watching to keep you from that kind of night-watching now.
Exeunt Lady Capulet and Nurse.
Capulet
A jealous-hood, a jealous-hood!
A jealous wife! A jealous wife!
Enter Servants, with spits, logs and baskets
Capulet
Now, fellow, what’s there?
Now, my man — what have you got there?
First Servant
Things for the cook, sir; but I know not what.
Things for the cook, sir — but what they are, I don't know.
Capulet
Make haste, make haste.
Hurry up, hurry up.
Exit First Servant.
Capulet
—Sirrah, fetch drier logs.
You there — fetch drier logs.
Call Peter, he will show thee where they are.
Call Peter; he'll show you where they are.
Second Servant
I have a head, sir, that will find out logs
And never trouble Peter for the matter.
I've got a head on my shoulders that can hunt down logs, sir, without ever troubling Peter about it.
Exit.
Capulet
Mass and well said; a merry whoreson, ha.
By the Mass, well said! A cheeky rascal, ha!
Thou shalt be loggerhead.
We'll make you the "logger-head."
—Good faith, ’tis day.
— Good grief, it's daylight.
The County will be here with music straight,
For so he said he would.
The Count will be here any moment with musicians — that's what he said he'd do.
I hear him near.
I can hear him coming already.
Play music.
Capulet
Nurse! Wife! What, ho! What, Nurse, I say!
Nurse! Wife! Hello there! Nurse, I'm calling you!
Re-enter Nurse
Capulet
Go waken Juliet, go and trim her up.
Go wake Juliet — go get her dressed and looking her best.
I’ll go and chat with Paris.
I'll go and chat with Paris.
Hie, make haste,
Make haste; the bridegroom he is come already.
Hurry now, move quickly, move quickly — the bridegroom is already here.
Make haste I say.
Move quickly, I tell you.
Exeunt.
Romeo and Juliet Act 4, Scene 4 summary
It is three in the morning on the wedding day, and the Capulet household has been up all night preparing the feast — no one knows that Juliet lies drugged upstairs. Paris is about to arrive with his musicians, so Capulet sends the Nurse to wake the bride.
Who appears in this scene
Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse, First Servant, Second Servant — Hall in Capulet’s House.
Keep reading
- Act 4, Scene 3 — modern English translation
- Act 4, Scene 5 — modern English translation
- All Romeo and Juliet scenes
About this translation: the original text follows the public-domain Project Gutenberg Globe edition; the modern English translation was written in-house for Polytranslator and is reviewed on an ongoing basis (last revised August 2026). Free to print and photocopy for classroom use. Cite as: “Romeo and Juliet, Act 4, Scene 4. Polytranslator side-by-side translation, polytranslator.com/shakespeare/romeo-and-juliet/act-4-scene-4.”
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Free side-by-side translation — polytranslator.com/shakespeare/romeo-and-juliet/act-4-scene-4