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All Site ContentRomeo and JulietAct 4Scene 4
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"The second cock hath crowed"
Allusion
Act 4,
Scene 4
Lines 3-6a

An explanation of “the second cock hath crowed” in Act 4, Scene 4 of myShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Capulet

Come, stir, stir, stir! The second cock hath crowed,
The curfew-bell hath rung; 'tis three o'clock.
Look to the baked meats, good Angelica.
Spare not for cost.

Nurse

Capulet

Lady Capulet

[Exit Lady Capulet and Nurse]

Capulet

[Enter three or four Servingmen, with spits, logs, and baskets]

First Servant

Capulet

[Exit First Servant]

Second Servant

[Exit]

Capulet

[Music off stage]
[Re-Enter Nurse]
[Exit]

The rooster crows three times in the night: midnight, 3:00am, and an hour before sunrise — that's how Capulet knows the time.