Key Quotes From Act 1 Flashcards
“I will bite my thumb at them, which is a disgrace to them if they bear it.” - Sampson
Sampson tries to provoke the servants of the Montague family by biting his thumb at them (basically swearing).
He says that the Montagues will be disgraced (lose their honour) if they do not defend their honour after Sampson insults them.
This also shows that when the two families are next to each other, they lose some of their humanity and self-control, letting their animalistic sides take over (this shows aggression at the start of the play to show how much each house hates each other).
“Part, fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do.” - Benvolio
Benvolio enters the scene after the servants have begun to fight. He immediately tries to break them up they trying to ‘part’ them and calling them ‘fools’.
He implies that these men have not thought about the potential consequences of their actions of fighting. Suggesting Benvolio thinks before he speaks (voice of reason) and is different to Tybalt.
Benvolio is aware that the Prince is appalled by the fighting of the two families in Verona.
“O brawling love! O loving hate” - Romeo
Romeo talks in oxymorons in Act 1 until he meets Juliet.
He feels love for Rosaline, but it is a hateful, difficult love as she does not return these feelings for Romeo. Making him confused and unknowing of what to do.
“If ever you disturb our streets again, / Your lives shall pay forfeit of the peace.” - Prince
After breaking up the fight, the Prince threatens the Montagues and Capulets, after having caused three fights in the streets, making huge disruptions. If they fight again, the Prince will have to put them to death.
“Peace! I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward!” - Tybalt
Tybalt is the complete opposite of Benvolio (voice of fury).
First, Tybalt mocks Benvolio for trying to make peace. Tybalt hates peace (and Montagues) a lot, emphasising how aggressive he is.
In Elizabethan Italy, Hell would have been the worst thing imaginable, as Tybalt tries to encourage strong hatred in society.
Tybalt uses the noun ‘coward’ to try and make Benvolio and provoke him into fighting.
‘Did my heart love till now?’ - Romeo
As soon as Romeo sees Juliet, his attitude and feelings change. He immediately forgets Rosaline and recognises that what he felt for her was not love (Romeo is fickle).
This speech pinpoints the Romeo sees Juliet and experiences love at first sight.
“This, by his voice, should be a Montague. Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave come hither.” - Tybalt
Tybalt hears ‘a Montague’ voice at the party and instantly orders a servant to fetch his sword. This emphasises his aggressive nature.
He doesn’t know that this is Romeo, but recognises a Montague voice, so Tybalt wants to murder them.
Tybalt uses the noun ‘slave’ to describe the Montague. This suggests that he sees the Montague family as a lower class than his own family, and that they are not worthy of being in his presence.
“My only love sprung from my only hate!” - Juliet
After Juliet finds out that the man she has fallen in love with is a Montague, leaving her devastated.
She uses the oxymoron of ‘love’ and ‘hate’ to emphasise the hatred between the two families, knowing it will act as a barrier for her future happiness.
“A pair of star-crosses lovers” - Prologue
This quote implies that Romeo and Juliet’s are destined to fall in love, however, it is doomed to fail.
This suggests that Romeo and Juliet aren’t the only ones who decide that they should fall in love, as it was already in the stars before they was born.
“Ancient grudge”
The prologue tells the audience that the argument/disagreement has been occurring for a very long time.
It implies that nobody really knows the reasons behind the fight anymore, and rather for family sake.
