Romeo & Juliet in Modern English: Act 4, Scene 4

Everyone was rushing about. Lady Capulet stopped the Nurse in full flight and gave her the keys to the pantry with instructions to fetch more spices. The Nurse was being run off her feet: she had been sent by the cooks to get more dates and quinces for the pastry. Capulet was going around telling everyone to hurry. It was three o’ clock.

How were the baked meats coming on? Don’t worry about the cost.

‘Go to bed now,’ the Nurse told him. ‘You’ll be ill tomorrow if you don’t.’

‘Never,’ he said ‘I’ve stayed up all night for less important reasons and never been ill.’

He poked his nose into everything, although it was all going like clockwork.

Eventually he saw the sky growing light and realized that the wedding day had dawned and that Paris would be along any minute with music to greet his bride.

When he heard the music he was even more excited. ‘Nurse, Wife. Wake up Nurse. Come here.’

When the Nurse came in she was as excited as he was.

‘Go on,’ he said. ‘Go and wake Juliet. Get her ready. I’ll keep Paris occupied.

Hurry. He’s here already. Go on. Hurry.’
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