Preparations for the upcoming Juliet-Paris wedding are well underway at the Capulet household. Juliet arrives and tells her father that she’s decided to marry Paris after all. Capulet is so thrilled he decides to move the wedding up—to the next day.
Capulet
Invite exactly as many guests as are written down here.
You, boy, go hire me twenty skilled cooks.
Second Servant
You won’t have any bad cooks, sir. I’ll test them to see if they can lick their fingers.
Capulet
How is that test supposed to work?
Second Servant
Sir, it’s a bad cook who can’t lick his own fingers. Therefore anyone who can’t lick his fingers won’t be hired by me.
Capulet
Go, do your errand.
We won’t be very prepared for this wedding. Has my daughter gone to Friar Laurence?
Nurse
Yes, indeed.
Capulet
Well perhaps seeing him will do her some good. She acted like such a disobedient brat.
Nurse
Look, here she comes from confession and she looks cheerful.
Capulet
Hello, my headstrong daughter! Where have you been wandering around?
Juliet
I went where I learned to regret my sin of opposing you and your will. Friar Laurence instructed me to fall on my knees and beg your pardon. Pardon me, Father, I beg you! From now on I will always obey your rules.
Capulet
Send for Paris, go tell him of this change of mind. We’ll have this marriage knot tied up tomorrow morning.
Juliet
I met young Paris and Laurence’s cell, and I showed him what proper love I could without overstepping the bounds of modesty.
Capulet
Why, I’m glad to hear this, this is good. Stand up. All this is as it should be. Let me meet with the count. Yes, I say, go fetch him here. Before God, I tell you, our whole city owes our reverend holy friar.
Juliet
Nurse, will you come with me to help me look through my closet and sort out which clothes I should wear for tomorrow?
Lady Capulet
No, you can wait until Thursday, there’s enough time.
Capulet
No, nurse, go with her. We can go to church tomorrow.
Lady Capulet
We don’t have enough supplies for the wedding. It’s already almost night.
Capulet
Oh it’s fine, I can get preparations started outside, and everything is going to turn out well, I tell you. You go to Juliet and help her dress. I’m not going to bed tonight. Leave me alone and I’ll handle your housewife’s chores for once.
What! Everyone’s left. Well, I’ll go alone to Count Paris to prepare him for tomorrow. My heart feels amazingly light now that our disobedient daughter has seen sense.
