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Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Romeo and Juliet is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Iul.
If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.
Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.
I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.
I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Romeo and Juliet

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Romeo and Juliet is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Iul.
Line 2
If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.
Line 3
Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.
Line 4
I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.
/aɪ wʊd nɑːt fɔːr ðə wɜːrld ðeɪ sɔː ðiː hiːr rɑːm/
Line 5
I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

ended adjective US /ˈendəd/

having come or been brought to a conclusion

From this reading “I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.”

enmity noun US /ˈenməti/

a state of deep-seated ill-will

From this reading “Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.”

hide verb US /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading “I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.”

nights noun US /naɪts/

Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

From this reading “I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.”

Rom noun US /rɑːm/

(computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed

From this reading “If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.”

Swords noun US /sɔːrdz/

plural of “sword” — a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard

From this reading “Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.”

thine pronoun US /ðaɪn/

an old word for “yours”

From this reading “Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.”

wanting adjective US /ˈwɑːntɪŋ/

nonexistent

From this reading “I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.”

All words in this reading · 62

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

Alacke

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

cloake

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.

endedadjectiveUS /ˈendəd/

having come or been brought to a conclusion

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

enmitynounUS /ˈenməti/

a state of deep-seated ill-will

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

eyenounUS /aɪ/

the organ of sight

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

finde

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

hatenounUS /heɪt/

the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

haue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.

hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

Iul

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Iul.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

liesnounUS /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

looke

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

loue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

murther

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

nightsnounUS /naɪts/

Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

perill

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

proofe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

proroged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

RomnounUS /rɑːm/

(computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed

From this reading If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.

sweete

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

SwordsnounUS /sɔːrdz/

plural of “sword” — a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.

thinepronounUS /ðaɪn/

an old word for “yours”

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

twentynounUS /ˈtwenti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading Alacke there lies more perill in thine eye, Then twenty of their Swords, looke thou but sweete, And I am proofe against their enmity Iul.

wantingadjectiveUS /ˈwɑːntɪŋ/

nonexistent

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading I haue nights cloake to hide me from their eyes And but thou loue me, let them finde me here, My life were better ended by their hate, Then death proroged wanting of thy Loue Iul.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading If they do see thee, they will murther thee Rom.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading I would not for the world they saw thee here Rom.

Chapter 4 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 4 of Romeo and Juliet contain?

Chapter 4 holds 164 sentences of Romeo and Juliet, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 4 of Romeo and Juliet?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Romeo and Juliet

Common questions about reading Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Romeo and Juliet?

Yes. All 1765 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1112 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Romeo and Juliet is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1112, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Romeo and Juliet take to read?

About 147 minutes of reading across 353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Romeo and Juliet section by section

How to work through Romeo and Juliet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of Romeo and Juliet to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Romeo and Juliet

Words and structures a reader meets early in Romeo and Juliet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Addition
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Romeo and Juliet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Notes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Romeo and Juliet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Below
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Romeo and Juliet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Think
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Romeo and Juliet; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.