Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Act 4 Scene 4 PDF

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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare line by line analysis of Act 4 Scene 4. Summary of the entire chapter broken down into sectors to ensure greater understanding. An analysis of the summary is provided to ensure complete depth of understanding of the scene as a whole...

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Romeo and Juliet Act 4 Scene 4

Line by line

Capulet “Come, stir, stir, stir! (Move it) The second cock hath crowed … Spare not for the cost.” -

Direct translation: Come on, up, everyone get going! The rooster’s crowed, the curfew bell has been rung, and it’s 3am. Go get the baked meats, good Angela. Don’t spare any cost.

Capulet “The second cock hath crowed” -

The rooster crows three times in the night: midnight, 3:00 am, and an hour before sunrise

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That's how Capulet knows the time.

Capulet “Curfew-bell” -

The word curfew derives from the French word “couvre feu” which means cover the fire

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In the middle ages even a cooking fire was a serious danger. Most towns require that all fires had to be extinguished by a certain time. The residents were reminded to carry out the safety measure by ringing the town bell

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Later when these strict anti-fire ordinances became obsolete many cities maintained the practice and this bell ringing was still referred to as the “curfew bell”

Capulet “No, not a whit. What, I have watched (stayed up)… and ne’er been sick.” -

Direct translation: Not, not at all. What? I’ve stayed up all night before for less important things and I’ve never gotten sick from it.

Lady Capulet “Ay, you have been a mouse-hunt … But I will watch (guard) you from such watching now.” -

Direct translation: Yes, you’ve been a regular skirt-chaser in your time. But now I’ll keep an eye on you so you don’t stay up so late anymore.

Capulet “Make haste, make haste. Sirrah, fetch drier logs. Call Peter, he will show thee where they are.”

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Direct translation: Hurry up, hurry up. Boy, go get some drier firewood. Call Peter, he’ll show you where it is.

Second Servant “I have a head, sir, that will find out logs and never trouble Peter for the matter.” -

Direct translation: Sir, I can figure out where the logs are by just using my head, so I won’t bother Peter about it.

Capulet “Mass (right), and well said! A merry whoreson, ha!... For so he said he would. I hear him near.” -

Direct translation: By God, well said, ha! You’ll be a loggerhead. By my faith, it’s daytime. The Count will be here soon with the musicians, since he said he was going to. I hear him close by.

Capulet “Thou shalt be loggerhead…” -

Capulet makes a pun here:

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The servant says he has a "head" for finding logs, so Capulet says that must make him a loggerhead, or a blockhead.

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It also makes him the servant, in charge of logs: the head of the logs, or “loggerhead.”

Capulet “Nurse! Wife! What, ho! What nurse, I say!... Make haste, I say.” -

Direct translation: Nurse! Wife! Hey! Hey, nurse, I’m calling! [Re-Enter Nurse] Go wake up Juliet and freshen her up. I’ll go and chat with Paris. Hurry, be quick. Hurry up, the groom is already here. Hurry up, I say.

Summary and Notes ✓ Very early the next morning, the Capulet manor is bustling as Capulet, Lady Capulet, Juliet’s nurse, and several serving men hurry about the house preparing food, lighting fires, and getting ready for the party. ✓ Capulet hasn’t slept all night, and the nurse warns him he’ll be sick on the day of his daughter’s wedding. ✓ He assures the nurse he’s spent nights awake for much less worthy reasons.

✓ As some music plays outside, Capulet realizes that Paris is approaching with his coterie. ✓ He urges the nurse to go wake Juliet up and get her ready for church—her groom has arrived.

Notes -

Juliet’s marriage to Paris is exactly what Capulet wants, so his mind should be at peace.

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His insomnia the night before Juliet’s wedding, then, subtly foreshadows that something is amiss.

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Given fate’s thwarting of people’s free will thus far in the play, the reader can infer that the day will not go according to the Capulets’ carefully crafted plan....