Moment 1: Feud & Prince's decree

Question 1

‘Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?’ (Sampson, 1.1)

Answer 1

Shows petty, performative nature of feud ( he provokes conflict for no reason) + insecurity (question). Sampson wants a fight but fears the consequences. The feud thrives on meaningless hostility.
Violence is embedded in social interaction, “bite your thumb” was a severe insult in Elizabethan times.
Themes: Conflict, honour, masculinity

Elizebethan culture of public dueling, street fights were common.

Question 2

‘Turn thee, Benvolio! Look upon thy death.’ (Tybalt, 1.1)

Answer 2

Imperative verb “turn thee” shows Tybalt’s thirst for violence, contrasting Benvolio’s calls for peace - establishes divide between peace and war. “Thy death” foreshadows Tybalt’s own fate, and Shakespeare suggests blind loyalty to family can be destructive.
Themes: Conflict, fate, honour

Masculine honour, family honour, reflects real tensions in Shakespeare’s time

Question 3

‘“Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do.” (Benvolio, 1.1)

Answer 3

Benvolio’s exclamation “fools” criticizes the mindlessness of the fighting, showing that hatred is often irrational. The line eerily echoes Christ’s words on the cross (“Forgive them, for they know not what they do”), suggesting Benvolio as a moral figure amid chaos.

Question 4

“Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word.” (Prince Escalus, 1.1)

Answer 4

the feud escalates from trivial disputes, reinforcing the futility of the violence. Shakespeare critiques the idea of inherited hatred. “Civil brawls” is an oxymoron, emphasising the ridiculousness of this conflict as it has become routine among ‘civilised’ citizens.

The Elizabethan worldview was shaped by the idea of fate and divine retribution

Question 5

“O brawling love! O loving hate!” (Romeo, 1.1)

Answer 5

The oxymorons reflect Romeo’s immature, exaggerated view of love, showing how he romanticizes his own emotions. This phrase also parallels the feud - love and hate coexist in the feud.