Act 1

English Lit: AQA GCSE Romeo & Juliet, topic 6.1.1

Key Quotes - Act 1, Scene 1

Here are key quotes from Sampson and Benvolio in Act 1, Scene 1:

'I will bite my thumb at them, which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it.'
Sampson tries to provoke the servants of the Montague family by biting his thumb at them. This is basically swearing at them.
He says that the Montagues will be disgraced (lose their honour) if they do not defend their honour after Sampson insults them.

The two families lose some of their humanity and self-control whenever they are near each other. They let their animalistic (animal-like) sides take over.
Shakespeare shows this aggression at the very start of the play to show how much the Montagues and Capulets hate one another.

'Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do.'
Benvolio enters the scene after the servants have begun to fight. He immediately tries to break them up by telling them to 'part' and calling them 'fools'.
He implies that these men have not thought about the potential consequences of their actions. This suggests that Benvolio thinks before he acts (and is very different to Tybalt).
He is very aware that the Prince is unhappy about the two families fighting in Verona.

Here are key quotes from Romeo, the Prince and Tybalt in Act 1, Scene 1:

'O brawling love! O loving hate!'
Romeo talks in oxymorons (contradictions next to one another) throughout Act 1 until he meets Juliet.
He feels love for Rosaline, but it is a hateful, difficult love, because she does not return his feelings.
He feels confused and does not know what to do because he loves Rosaline so much and she does not feel the same way.

'If ever you disturb our streets again, / Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.'
After breaking up the fight, the Prince threatens the Montagues and Capulets.
They have fought three times in the streets of Verona and caused huge disruptions. If they fight again, he will have them put to death.

'Peace! I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward!'
Tybalt is very different to Benvolio.
At first, Tybalt mocks Benvolio for trying to make peace.
Tybalt hates peace (and the Montagues) a lot. This emphasises how aggressive he is.
In Elizabethan Italy, hell would have been the worst thing imaginable. Here, Tybalt encourages strong hatred in society.
Tybalt uses the noun 'coward' to try and make Benvolio angry and provoke (encourage) him into fighting.

Here are key quotes from Romeo, Tybalt and Juliet in Act 1, Scene 5:

'Did my heart love till now?'
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.
This speech pinpoints the moment that 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 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 just yet, but recognises a Montague voice and wants to murder him.
Tybalt also uses the noun 'slave' to describe the man. This suggests that he sees the Montague family as a lower class to his own family, and that they are not worthy of being in his presence.

'My only love sprung from my only hate!'
After finding out that the man she has fallen in love with is a Montague, Juliet is devastated.
She uses the oxymoron (opposite ideas) of 'love' and 'hate' to emphasise the hatred between the two families. She knows it will act as a barrier to her future happiness.

Who says 'Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do' in Act 1, Scene 1?
What does the quote 'I will bite my thumb at them, which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it' show?
What does the quote 'Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do' show about Benvolio?
What does it mean to 'bite' your 'thumb' at someone?
What is 'O brawling love! O loving hate!' an example of?