Original
Modern English
On Thursday, sir? The time is very short.
On Thursday, sir? The time is very short.
My father Capulet will have it so; And I am nothing slow to slack his haste.
My father Capulet will have it so; and I am not interested in slowing down his haste.
You say you do not know the lady’s mind.
You say you do not know what’s on the lady’s mind.
Uneven is the course; I like it not.
That is an unknown course, I do not like it.
Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death, And therefore have I little talk’d of love;
Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death, and therefore I have not talked of love with her.
For Venus smiles not in a house of tears.
Venus does not smile in a house of tears.
Now, sir, her father counts it dangerous That she do give her sorrow so much sway;
Now, sir, her father thinks it’s dangerous that she has given herself so much to sorrow.
And in his wisdom, hastes our marriage, To stop the inundation of her tears, Which, too much minded by herself alone, May be put from her by society.
And in his wisdom, he is rushing our marriage to stop the flooding of her tears - which is too much to deal by herself and may be better dealt with some company.
Now do you know the reason of this haste.
Now do you know the reason of this rush.
[
] I wish I did not know why it should be slowed down.
] I would I knew not why it should be slow’d.—
] I wish I did not know why it should be slowed down.
Look, sir, here comes the lady toward my cell.
[TO PARIS] Look, sir, here comes the lady toward my cell.
Happily met, my lady and my wife!
I am happy to meet you, my lady and my wife!
That may be, sir, when I may be a wife.
That may be, sir, when I might be your wife.
That may be, must be, love, on Thursday next.
That may be, must be, love, on next Thursday.
What must be shall be.
What must be will be.
That’s a certain text.
That’s a certain truth.
Come you to make confession to this father?
Have you come to make a confession to this father?
To answer that, I should confess to you.
To answer that, I should confess to you.
Do not deny to him that you love me.
Do not deny to him that you love me.
I will confess to you that I love him.
I will confess to you that I love him.
So will ye, I am sure, that you love me.
I am sure that you will confess that you love me.
If I do so, it will be of more price, Being spoke behind your back than to your face.
If I do so, it will be worth more, being spoken behind your back than to your face.
Poor soul, thy face is much abus’d with tears.
Poor soul, your face is much abused with tears.
The tears have got small victory by that; For it was bad enough before their spite.
The tears have got small victory by that, for my face was bad enough before their spite.
Thou wrong’st it more than tears with that report.
You are doing much more wrong than tears to your face with that report.
That is no slander, sir, which is a truth,
That is no lie, sir. It is the truth.
And what I spake, I spake it to my face.
And what I said, I said it to my face.
Thy face is mine, and thou hast slander’d it.
Your face is mine, and you have slandered it.
It may be so, for it is not mine own.
It may be so, for it is not my own.
Are you at leisure, holy father, now, Or shall I come to you at evening mass?
[TO FRIAR LAWRENCE] Are you at leisure now, holy father or should I come to you at evening mass?
My leisure serves me, pensive daughter, now.—
My leisure serves me, my thoughtful daughter.
My lord, we must entreat the time alone.
[TO PARIS] My lord, we must ask you some time alone.
God shield I should disturb devotion!—
God forbid that I should disturb devotion!
Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouse ye,
Juliet, I will wake you early on Thursday.
Till then, adieu; and keep this holy kiss.
[Kissing her] Till then, goodbye! And keep this holy kiss.
O shut the door, and when thou hast done so, Come weep with me,
Oh shut the door, and when you have done so, come weep with me.
past hope, past cure, past help!
My situation is beyond hope, beyond cure, beyond help!
O Juliet, I already know thy grief;
Oh Juliet, I already know your grief.
It strains me past the compass of my wits.
It strains me beyond the compass of my capacity.
I hear thou must, and nothing may prorogue it, On Thursday next be married to this County.
I heard that you must get married to this County on next Thursday and nothing can delay it.
Tell me not, Friar, that thou hear’st of this, Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it.
Do not tell me, Friar, that you have heard all of this unless you can tell me how I may prevent it.
If in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help, Do thou but call my resolution wise,
If with all your wisdom, you can not help, then you must call my resolution wise.
And with this knife I’ll help it presently.
And with this knife I will help myself right now.
God join’d my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands;
God joined my heart and Romeo’s, and you joined our hands.
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo’s seal’d, Shall be the label to another deed, Or my true heart with treacherous revolt Turn to another, this shall slay them both.
And before this hand, which is bound to Romeo, is given to another man, or my true heart deceivingly turn to another man, this knife should kill them both.
Therefore, out of thy long-experienc’d time, Give me some present counsel, or behold ’Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife Shall play the empire, arbitrating that Which the commission of thy years and art Could to no issue of true honour bring.
Therefore, out of your long-experience, give me some advice, or watch - caught between these two difficulties - as I use my knife as a judge, and resolve the situation that you cannot fix, despite your experience and education.
Be not so long to speak.
Do not wait for so long to speak.
I long to die, If what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.
I wish to die, if what you speak now is not a remedy to my problems.
Hold, daughter. I do spy a kind of hope,
Wait, daughter. I do see some kind of hope.
Which craves as desperate an execution As that is desperate which we would prevent.
It craves as desperate an execution as desperate as the situation we are trying to prevent.
If, rather than to marry County Paris Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself, Then is it likely thou wilt undertake A thing like death to chide away this shame,
If, rather than to marry County Paris, you have the strength of will to kill yourself, then it is likely that you wil undertake a thing as close to death to rebuke this shame.
That cop’st with death himself to scape from it. And if thou dar’st, I’ll give thee remedy.
You can cope with death itself to escape from it and if you dare, I will give you the remedy.
O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, From off the battlements of yonder tower, Or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk Where serpents are.
Oh, In place of marrying Paris, you can ask me to jump from the walls of the far way battlement tower, or to walk down the road where criminals lives, or ask me to roam around where poisonous snakes are.
Chain me with roaring bears; Or hide me nightly in a charnel-house, O’er-cover’d quite with dead men’s rattling bones, With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls.
Chain me with roaring bears or hide me in the night in a morgue full of dead bodies with wet, smelly flesh and skulls without jawbones.
Or bid me go into a new-made grave, And hide me with a dead man in his shroud;
Or ask me to go into a new-made grave and hide myself with a dead man in his tomb.
Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble, And I will do it without fear or doubt, To live an unstain’d wife to my sweet love.
Things that, even to hear them, made me tremble, I will do it without fear or doubt to live as a faithful wife to my sweet love.
Hold then. Go home, be merry, give consent To marry Paris.
Wait then. Go home, be merry, give consent to marry Paris.
Wednesday is tomorrow; Tomorrow night look that thou lie alone, Let not thy Nurse lie with thee in thy chamber.
Tomorrow is Wednesday. Tomorrow night, ensure that you sleep alone. Let not your Nurse sleep with you in your chamber.
Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilled liquor drink thou off, When presently through all thy veins shall run
[Shows a vial] You take this vial with you when you go to bed and you drink off this distilled liquor drink.
A cold and drowsy humour; for no pulse Shall keep his native progress, but surcease.
A cold and drowsy feeling will run through your veins immediately and you pulse will cease.
No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest,
No warmth, no breath shall testify that you are alive.
The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To paly ashes;
The roses in your lips and cheeks will fade to a pale ashy colour.
thy eyes’windows fall, Like death when he shuts up the day of life.
And your eyelids will fall like death shuts up the day of life.
Each part depriv’d of supple government, Shall stiff and stark and cold appear like death.
Each part will be deprived of flexible movement, and will get stiff and stark and appear cold like a dead body.
And in this borrow’d likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,
You will be in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death and you will continue to be in this state for forty two hours.
And then awake as from a pleasant sleep.
And then you will wake up as if you woke up from a pleasant sleep.
Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead.
When the bridegroom in the morning comes to wake you up from your bed, you will appear dead.
Then as the manner of our country is, In thy best robes, uncover’d, on the bier, Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.
Then as per the tradition of our country is, you will be dressed in your best robes, and placed on an uncovered bier and you will be taken to that same ancient tomb where all the Capulets lie.
In the meantime, against thou shalt awake, Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,
In the meantime, while you wake up, I will send a letter to Romeo to let him know of our plans.
And hither shall he come, and he and I Will watch thy waking,
He will come here, and he and I will keep a watch on your waking up.
and that very night Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua.
And that very night, Romeo will take you to Mantua.
And this shall free thee from this present shame, If no inconstant toy nor womanish fear Abate thy valour in the acting it.
And this shall free you from this sin, if you do not change your mind or your womanish fear reduce your courage in acting it.
Give me, give me! O tell not me of fear!
Give me, give me! Do not tell me about fear!
Hold; get you gone, be strong and prosperous In this resolve.
[Giving the vial] Hold; Go now, be strong and prosperous in this resolve.
I’ll send a friar with speed To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.
I will send a friar with speed to Mantua, with my letters to your lord.
Love give me strength, and strength shall help afford.
Love give me strength and that strength will help me.
Farewell, dear father.
Farewell, dear father.