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Romeo and Juliet - Act 1, scene 1

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Act 1, scene 1.

A street fight breaks out between the Montagues and the Capulets, which is broken up by the ruler of Verona, Prince Escalus. He threatens the Montagues and Capulets with death if they fight again.

A melancholy Romeo enters and is questioned by his cousin Benvolio, who learns that the cause of Romeo’s sadness is unrequited love.

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A brief prologue in the form of a sonnet tells us that we’re about to spend two hours watching a “star-crossed” love story that ends in death, but also reconciliation between the two conflicting houses to which the lovers belonged. Two men from the house of Capulet — Gregory and Samson — pick a fight with a few Montague men. Benvolio, a Montague man, tries to break it up, but his efforts aren’t exactly successful when Tybalt, a feisty Capulet, arrives to fuel the fire. The fight finally breaks up upon the arrival of the prince of Verona, Prince Escalus. Once the fight has broken up, Montague and Lady Montague ask about their son Romeo. Benvolio tells them that he has seen Romeo moping around in a bit of a stupor. After they leave, Romeo arrives to tell Benvolio why he’s really in a funk: he’s in love with a woman who does not love him back.

Mark my words, Gregory, we won’t carry coals. We won’t tolerate their insults.

Of course not, if we spent our time carrying coal, we’d be dirty coal carriers, wouldn’t we!

What I mean is, if we are angry, we’ll draw our swords.

Well, if you want to stay alive, rather than draw your sword, you’d better draw your neck out of the noose.

I strike quickly, if I’m provoked.

But it takes a while to provoke you.

If it’s the Montagues, even the family dog could move me to action.

Well everyone who runs from a fight also “moves to action” and being brave means standing firm. So if you say you’re moved, I guess you’re running away.

I mean that dog moves me to stand and fight. If I encounter any Montague on the sidewalk, man or woman, I’ll take the good side of the sidewalk — next to the building — and force them into the street.

You know the old saying, “The weak keeps his back to the wall.” So if you always keep to the wall, you must be a weakling.

Well, women are the “weaker vessels,” so it’ll be the Montague women with their backs to the wall. So I’ll push away Montague men from the wall and thrust the young girls into it.

The quarrel is between us men, not the women.

It’s all the same. I’ll show them how tough I am. After I’ve fought with the men, I’ll be nice to the young women. I’ll cut off their heads.

You’ll cut off the heads of the maidens?

Yeah, the heads of the maidens. I’ll take away their “maidenheads.” Take that in whatever sense you want.

The women will be the ones to “take it” in a sense that can be felt.

Oh they’ll feel me as long as I’m standing upright, and everyone knows I’m a handsome specimen.

You’re lucky you’re flesh, because if you were fish, you’d be a Poor John — one of those cheap dried-up ones they sell at the market. While we’re on the subject, draw that tool of yours. Here come two Montagues.

I’ve got my sword here, unsheathed. Pick a fight with them; I’ll back you up.        

Back me up how? Turn your back on me and run?

Have no fear of that.

Oh no, I do have fear, such fear!

Let’s keep the law on our sides. Let them start the fight.

I’ll make a face at them when I walk by, and they can take it as they like.

No, as they dare. I’ll give them the finger. They’ll be humiliated if they put up with that.

Are you giving us the finger, mister?

I am giving a finger, sir.

Are you giving the finger to us, sir?

[Aside to Gregory] Is the law on our side if I say “yes?”

No, sir. I am not giving you the finger, sir. But I am giving the finger, sir.

Are you picking a fight, sir?

Fight sir! No, sir.

If you are, sir, I’m ready for you. The nobleman I serve is just as good as the nobleman you serve.

“As good”? Not better?

Uh... well, sir.

[Aside to Sampson] Say 'better than your nobleman.'

[Aloud] Here comes one of my master’s family.

Yes, better than your nobleman, sir.

Draw your swords if you’re real men. Gregory, remember that slashing move you learned.

Break it up, you idiots! Put away your swords. You don’t know what you’re doing.

Benvolio, are you actually fighting with these cowardly servants? Turn around and look at me, your worst nightmare.

I’m just trying to keep the peace. Put away your sword, or else use it to help me separate these men.

What, you’ve drawn your sword, and you’re talking about peace! I hate that word like I hate hell, all Montagues, and you. Fight me, coward!

Get your weapons to help stop this fight! Strike them, beat them down!  Damn these Capulets!  Damn these Montagues!

Lord Capulet

What’s all this racket? Hey, give me my battle sword!

Lady Capulet

Go get your crutches. What do you need a sword for? Are you seriously trying to fight?

My sword, I say! Old Montague is here, and he’s waving his sword around in defiance of me.     

You villain Capulet. [To his wife] Quit holding me. Let me go.

Lady Montague

You’re not moving a single inch to get into a fight.

My rebellious subjects, who are disturbing the peace and dishonoring your swords by using them against your neighbors — aren’t you listening to me?  You men, you beasts, trying to drown your rage in each other’s blood! I order you on pain of torture to drop these weapons from your bloody hands, and listen to the law. This makes three times now that your mere words, Lord Capulet and Lord Montague, have grown into public brawls and disturbed our quiet streets. You are causing our respected elders to change out of their dignified clothes and into battle attire and take up their old rusted weapons to break up your poisonous fights.

If you ever disturb our streets again, you shall pay for that breach of peace with your lives. That’s it for now. All the rest of you depart. Capulet, you come with me, and Montague, you come this afternoon.  We’ll go to the old Freetown castle, where I deliver judgments, to discuss this matter further. Again, all you Capulets and Montagues leave, or I’ll have you put to death.  

Who reopened this old quarrel? Nephew, were you nearby when it began?

Our servants were already fighting with theirs before I arrived at the scene. I drew my sword to separate them. Right then, that hothead Tybalt came up with his sword drawn, swinging it around and making threats. While we were thrusting at each other, more and more people came and joined in the fight until the Prince showed up and separated everyone.

Oh, where is Romeo? Have you seen him today? I’m really glad he wasn’t involved in this scuffle.

Madam, just before sunrise I couldn’t sleep and went for a walk in the grove of sycamore trees west of the city, and I saw your son walking there. I headed toward him, but when he saw me, he ducked into the woods. I figured that his mood was the same as mine, that he wanted to be totally alone. After all, I felt just being with myself was one too much company.  So I followed my inclination, which was not to follow him.

He’s been seen there many mornings, crying tears that add the morning dew and sighing breath that adds to the clouds. But as soon as the cheerful sun shows the first light in the east and pulls the curtains back on the day, my gloomy son rushes home and locks himself in his room. He closes the blinds over the windows to shut out the daylight, creating an artificial night. I’ve got a bad feeling about his gloomy mood. It seems like it will go on forever, unless someone can fix the cause by talking to him.

My noble uncle, do you know the cause?

No, I don’t, nor have I learned anything from him.

Have you tried to get him to open up?

Yes, I’ve tried, as well as many of his friends. But he only shares his thoughts with himself — as if he is his own counselor, and not a very good one. Because he keeps his thoughts to himself, I can’t pry to discover what’s bothering him. It’s as if he’s a flower infected with a worm before it can bloom and show itself to the sun.

If only I knew why he was so depressed, I’d happily help him.

Look, here he comes. Please, let me be alone with him. I’ll do everything I can to figure out the problem.

I hope your persistence succeeds in getting him to open up to you. Come, madam, let’s leave them alone.

Good morning, cousin.

Is it still that early?

Just after nine.

Oh dear. Time passes slowly when you’re sad. Was that my father who just hurried off?

Yeah, it was. What’s making you so sad that it makes the hours seem long?

Not having the thing that would make them seem short.

You're in love?

Out of love?

Out of favor with the woman I’m in love with.

It’s unfortunate how love can look so nice but be cruel and rough when you actually experience it.

It’s unfortunate that although “love is blind,” he seems to find a way to do what he wants perfectly well without eyes. Hey, where should we go to eat? [Seeing signs of the fighting] Oh, man! What fight happened here?

Wait, don’t tell me. I’ve heard it all before. These people are full of hate, while I’m full of love. Isn’t life full of contradictions? Brawling love, loving hate, something from nothing, heavy lightness, serious silliness, chaos from organization, feathers of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, sleep that isn’t restful. I have love, but I have none for this feud. Isn’t this laughable?

No, coz, it makes me cry.

Oh, at what?

At how bad you feel.

Why, that’s the nature of love. I feel bad enough under the weight of my own grief without feeling responsible for yours, too. This love you’re showing toward me is just making me feel worse. Love is like smoke made of sighs. When it clears you can see the fire in a lover’s eyes. When it stirs up, then tears of love flow like the sea. What else is love? They say love is madness — a kind of sensible madness. Love is a bitter poison, while at the same time a life-sustaining food. Goodbye, cousin.

Wait! I’ll go with you. You can’t just leave me like that.

Ha, I’ve already gone. This isn’t the real me. I don’t feel like Romeo--he’s somewhere else.

Be sad, tell me who it is that you love.

Be sad! What, should I be sad and groan when I tell you?

Groan? No. I’m asking you to tell me sadly — in all seriousness — who it is.

Look, you can ask a sick man to make out his will, in sadness — in all seriousness — because it’s important. But that’s a poor choice of words to use with me because my problem is sadness. Cousin, I’m telling you in sadness, in both its senses, that I love a woman.

So I was right on target when I guessed you were in love.

You’re a good marksman, and the woman I love is fair and beautiful.

As the saying goes, “A fair mark — or a visible target — is easiest hit.”

You may have hit the mark on what’s bothering me, but I’m not “hitting the mark” with her. She avoids Cupid’s arrows. Like the goddess Diana, she’s vowed to remain a virgin and is well-armed to defend her chastity. She’s unharmed by Cupid’s weak childish bow and arrows. She does not give in when I besiege her with romantic expressions, nor does she respond to my affectionate gazes. She won’t have sex, not even for enough money to seduce a saint. On the one hand, right now she's rich in beauty, but she’ll be poor in the future when those good genes die with her because she hasn’t produced any offspring.

So she has sworn a vow of chastity before God?

She has. But in saving her virginity she’s wasting her beauty by not passing it along to future generations. She is too beautiful and intelligent to earn her spiritual salvation by pledging herself to such an austere life and making me despair. She has sworn to never make love, and that has made my life not worth living.

Follow my advice and stop thinking of her.

Teach me how to forget her.

By letting yourself check out other beautiful women.

That will just cause to me compare her exquisite beauty to theirs. It’s like seeing a mask on a pretty girl’s face (lucky mask, that it gets to touch that face!). I just think about the beautiful skin hidden underneath. A blind man won’t forget the beautiful sights he once saw. Show me an extremely beautiful woman, and she will just remind me of my beloved who is even more beautiful. Farewell, you cannot teach me to forget her.

I’ll teach you to forget, my dear friend — that’s a promise.

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Romeo and Juliet

Act 1, scene 1 summary & analysis, william shakespeare.

Romeo and Juliet

By william shakespeare, romeo and juliet summary and analysis of act 1.

The chorus introduces the play and establishes the plot that will unfold. They explain how two families in Verona – the Capulets and the Montagues - have reignited an ancient feud, and how two lovers, one from each family, will commit suicide after becoming entangled in this conflict. These lovers are Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague. Only after the suicides will the families decide to end their feud.

Act One, Scene One

Two Capulet servants – Sampson and Gregory – loiter on the street, waiting for some Montague servants to pass. They banter, using sexual innuendo and raunchy puns to joke about women, and speak with animosity about the Montagues. They lament that the law prohibits fighting, and wonder how to start a battle legally.

When the Montague servants – Abram and Balthasar – arrive, Sampson bites his thumb at them (which is rude but not illegal). Insulted, Abram confronts Sampson and a fight begins.

Benvolio , Romeo's cousin, arrives to discover the fight in progress. Drawing his sword, he commands them to stop. Then, Tybalt , Juliet's cousin, walks onto the street. Upon seeing his rival, Benvolio, Tybalt also draws his sword, reigniting the altercation.

Lord Capulet – the patriarch of the family – arrives at the battle, and demands a sword so that he might join in. However, Lady Capulet restrains him, even after Lord Montague emerges ready to fight.

It turns out that the Citizens of the Watch have spread word of the street fight, and Prince Escalus arrives before anyone is killed. The Prince chides the Montagues and the Capulets for their mutual aggression, which he believes is making the streets of Verona unsafe. The Prince then orders everyone to return home and cease hostilities at the risk of great punishment. He personally accompanies the Capulets home.

The Montagues and Benvolio remain on stage. The family asks Benvolio where Romeo is, and he tells them that the boy has been in a strange mood lately. When a somber Romeo finally appears, the Montagues ask Benvolio to determine the cause of his melancholy, after which they depart.

When Benvolio asks Romeo about the source of his gloom, Romeo explains that he is pining for a woman named Rosaline, who plans to remain chaste for the rest of her life. This unrequited love is the cause of Romeo's depression.

Act One, Scene Two

Paris Lord Capulet for permission to marry Juliet, but Capulet insists that Paris should be patient, since Juliet is only thirteen. However, Capulet does grant Paris permission to woo Juliet and thereby win her approval. Capulet suggests to Paris that he should try to impress Juliet at a masked ball that the Capulets are hosting that evening. Capulet then hands his servant Peter a list of names and orders the man to invite everyone on the list to the party.

Out on the streets, Peter runs into Romeo and Benvolio, who are talking about Rosaline. Peter cannot read, so he asks them to help him interpret the list. Romeo and Benvolio comply, and upon reading the list, they discover that Rosaline will be at the Capulets' party. They decide to attend - even though it is a Capulet party, they will be able to disguise their identities by wearing masks.

Act One, Scene Three

At the Capulet home, Lady Capulet asks the Nurse to call for Juliet. While they await the girl’s arrival, the Nurse laments the fact that Juliet will be fourteen in under two weeks. When Juliet arrives, the Nurse tells a rambling, embarrassing story about how her late husband had once made an inappropriate sexual joke about Juliet when she was an infant. The Nurse keeps telling her endless tale until Juliet orders her to stop.

Lady Capulet tells Juliet about Paris’s intention to marry her. The mother describes Paris as beautiful, comparing him to a fine book that only lacks a cover. Juliet does not promise anything to her mother, but she does agree to study Paris that night.

Act One, Scene Four

Romeo, Benvolio, and their friend Mercutio walk through the streets to the Capulets' party. Romeo remains depressed over Rosaline, so Mercutio tries to cheer him up with a story about Queen Mab, a fictitious elf who infiltrates men's dreams. Romeo hushes his friend, admitting his concern about the attending a party at the home of his rivals.

Act One, Scene Five

At the party, Romeo mopes in the corner, away from the dancing. From this vantage point, he notices Juliet, and falls in love with her immediately.

Tybalt overhears Romeo asking a servingman about Juliet, and recognizes the masked man's voice. However, before Tybalt can create a scene, Lord Capulet reminds him of the prince’s prohibition of public fighting, and orders the boy to stand down.

Romeo approaches Juliet and touches her hand. They speak together in a sonnet, and Romeo eventually earns Juliet's permission for a kiss. However, before they can talk further, the Nurse calls Juliet to see her mother. After Juliet leaves, Romeo asks the Nurse her name, and is shocked to learn that his new object of desire is a Capulet.

As the party winds down, Juliet asks her Nurse about Romeo. When she learns about Romeo’s identity, she is heartbroken to find out that she has fallen in love with a "loathed enemy" (1.5.138).

Though Romeo and Juliet is ostensibly a tragedy, it has endured as one of Shakespeare’s most renowned masterpieces because of its magnificent blend of styles and remarkable, multi-faceted character development. The play often veers from meticulous plot into more free-form explorations, making it difficult to categorize. However, these are singularly Shakespearean qualities that are apparent from the play’s first Act. Romeo and Juliet begins with a Chorus, which establishes the plot and tone of the play. This device was hardly new to Shakespeare, and in fact mirrors the structure of Arthur Brooke's The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet , from which Shakespeare adapted Romeo and Juliet .

Additionally, the Chorus poses the question of whether or not Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. During Shakespeare's time, it was typical for a tragedy to begin with a Chorus. In Romeo and Juliet , the opening sonnet presents dire enough circumstances to support that convention. However, tragedy in its strictest form presupposes certain formal conceits. Most important is the idea that an individual (or individuals) is (or are) defeated by forces beyond his or her control; tragedies most often celebrate human willpower in the face of bad luck or divine antagonism. And yet, the forces at play in Romeo and Juliet are hardly beyond human control. Instead, the Montagues and Capulets have allowed their feud to fester. This is evident from the first scene, when even the patriarchs of both families enter the public street fight, ready to kill. The Chorus introduces Shakespeare's unique approach to tragedy by introducing certain established tropes of that genre but by refusing to lay the blame at the universe’s feet.

In addition, the Chorus also introduces certain sources of dramatic tension that re-appear throughout the rest of the play. For example, the diametric opposition between order and disorder is central to to Romeo and Juliet . In the Prologue, the Chorus speaks in sonnet form, which was usually reserved for a lover addressing his beloved. The sonnet is a very structured form of poetry, which indicates a level of order. However, the content of this sonnet – two families who cannot control themselves, and hence bring down disaster on their heads – suggests incredible disorder. The conflict between order and disorder resonates through the rest of Act I. Immediately following the Sonnet is the introduction of Sampson and Gregory, two brutish men whose appearance lays the groundwork for a disordered street brawl. Furthermore, the disorder within the play is evidenced by inverted circumstances. Servants start the quarrel, but soon draw the noblemen into it. The young men enter the fight, but the older men soon try to defy their aged bodies by participating. Moreover, the fact that the near disaster takes place in broad daylight in a public place undermines any expectation of security in Verona.

This underlying theme of disorder is also manifest in the hybrid of styles that Shakespeare employs. The Chorus establishes the fact that the story is meant to be tragic, and yet, Abram and Gregory are typically comic characters, both because of their low status and the lighthearted nature of their speech. While they do discuss their aggression towards the Capulets, they also make numerous sexual puns, undoubtedly intended to amuse the audience. That these sexual innuendos often slide into violent talk of rape only underscores the difficulty of categorizing Shakespeare’s tonal intentions.

It is important to note that Shakespeare wanted Romeo and Juliet to be recognized as tragedy, even though he subverts the genre in many ways. There are a few motifs in Romeo and Juliet that reveal this intention. The first is the recurring motif of death. In Act I, there are several moments where the characters foreshadow the death to come. After she meets Romeo, Juliet states, "If he be married, / My grave is like to be my wedding bed" (1.5.132). When Benvolio tries to stop the street fight, he remarks, "Put up your swords. You know not what you do" (1.1.56). The phrasing of Benvolio's line is a Biblical allusion because it evokes Jesus’s insistence that his apostles cease fighting the Roman guards during his arrest. This symbolism foreshadows Juliet’s death, which occurs after her resurrection.

The Nurse also makes two references that foreshadow Juliet’s death. In the story she tells to Lady Capulet, the Nurse speaks of Juliet’s fall when she was a child. The story foreshadows the fact that Juilet will fall, evoking the medieval and Renaissance concept of the wheel of fortune. Over the course of the play, Juliet indeed rises (appearing at her balcony to speak to Romeo) and falls (her death in the vault). The Nurse also foreshadows the tragedy when she tells Juliet, "An I might live to see thee married once" (1.3.63). Alas, this is exactly what will occur, and Juliet dies barely one day after her marriage. So even as he veers between styles and forms, Shakespeare does ensure that Romeo and Juliet a tragic story.

Even more impressive than his stylistic virtuosity is Shakespeare’s carefully calibrated character development. Almost every character in Romeo and Juliet reveals his or her inner nature through action. For instance, we learn in Act 1 that Benvolio is a pacifist, while Tybalt is hot-headed. Other characters that Shakespeare introduces in Act 1 reveal a glimmer of their inner desires even if they do not yet have a chance to express them. For instance, in the scene between Lord Capulet and Paris, the patriarch introduces his desire to control his daughter. While theoretically defending Juliet's youthful freedom, he also reveals his tendency to think of her as an object by granting Paris the opportunity to woo her. Lord Capulet's attitude towards Juliet will later force the final, tragic turn of events.

Eminent literary critic Harold Bloom believes that, along with Juliet, Mercutio and the Nurse are Shakespeare’s most marvelous creations in the play. The Nurse is intriguing because of her self-deceit. While she claims to care deeply for young Juliet, it becomes evident that she selfishly wishes to control the girl. Her story about Juliet's fall and sharing her late husband's sexual joke are wildly inappropriate comments, and reveal the Nurse's self-obsession and her fascination with sex. For such a functional character, the Nurse is particularly memorable, and a shining example of Shakespeare's ability to create multi-faceted personalities, even for his supporting characters.

Similarly, Shakespeare reveals a lot about Mercutio's character in the young man's Queen Mab speech. At first glance, the speech (and the preceding scene) paint Mercutio as a colorful, sexually-minded fellow, who prefers transient lust over committed love. However, as his speech continues, Mercutio portrays a level of intensity that Romeo lacks. Queen Mab is a rather vicious figure who forces sexuality upon women in a largely unpleasant and violent way. While he shares this story, Mercutio's tone becomes so passionate that Romeo must forcefully quieten him. This speech serves as an indication that Mercutio is a far more mature and insightful figure than his behavior immediately suggests.

In contrast, Prince Escalus and the Citizens of the Watch are largely two-dimensional characters. They serve a merely functional purpose, representing law and order in Verona. While the Prince frequently exhibits strong authority - declaring street fighting illegal and later, banishing Romeo - his decrees only produce minimal results, and the law is never as powerful as the forces of love in the play. Meanwhile, the Citizens of the Watch, though silent, are a nod to the society's attempts to protect itself. Shakespeare regularly indicates that the Citizens are always nearby, which emphasizes the ongoing conflict between the feuding families and society's attempts to restore order.

Though Romeo and Juliet has become an archetypal love story, it is in fact a reflection of only one very specific type of love – a young, irrational love that falls somewhere between pure affection and unbridled lust. Sexuality is rampant throughout the play, starting with the servants' bawdy jokes in the first scene. Also, the lovers do not think of their passion in religious terms (a religious union would have signified a pure love to a Renaissance audience)

Meanwhile, Romeo is a far less complex character than Juliet – indeed, in Shakespeare’s work, the heroines are often more multi-dimensional than their male counterparts. In Act 1, Romeo's most pronounced qualities are his petulance and capriciousness. His friends (and potentially, the audience) find Romeo's melancholy mood to be grating, and are confused when he quickly forgets Rosaline to fall madly in love with Juliet. However, Romeo stands apart from the other men in Act 1. Even Benvolio, the eternal pacifist, has recognized the violent nature of the world, and most of the other men quickly turn to anger and aggression as solutions to their problems. Romeo, on the other hand, exhibits qualities that could be considered feminine by Shakespearean standards – he is melancholy and introverted, choosing to remain distant from both the feud and the violence in Verona.

Juliet, on the other hand, is pensive and practical. When her mother insists she consider Paris as a potential mate, Juliet is clearly uninterested, but understands that a vocal refusal will gain her nothing. Her act of innocent submission will allow her to be devious later on, to her advantage. In Act 1, Juliet is already showing her powers of deception by asking her Nurse about two other men before asking after Romeo because she does not want to arouse her chaperone’s suspicions.

Romeo and Juliet's quick attraction to one other must be viewed through the lens of their youth. Even when Romeo is lusting after Rosaline, he is more interested in her sexuality than her personality, and he is upset to learn that she has chosen a life of chastity. Romeo feels sparks of desire for Juliet before they even speak, reinforcing the young man's quick passions. Shakespeare further underscores Romeo's sexual motivation by associating his and Juliet's love with darkness. For example, Romeo compares Juliet to "a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear" when he first sees her (1.5.43). The darkness is central to their love, as they can only be together when the day is over. Throughout the play, Shakespeare associates daytime with disorder – not only does the Act I street fight occur in the daytime, but Romeo also kills Tybalt during the day – while order appears within the secrecy afforded by nighttime.

However, the love between Romeo and Juliet is not frivolous. In the fifth scene, the lovers speak in a sonnet that invokes sacrilegious imagery of saints and pilgrims. This indicates the way in which these lovers can only be together when they are completely separated from the flawed morality and complications of the world around them. This disorder is ultimately the obstacle that keeps the apart - and they will eventually decide to withdraw from the world in order to be together. Both Romeo and Juliet believe in the purity of their love - their future may be uncertain, but in the moment, their passion is all-consuming.

Romeo and Juliet Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Romeo and Juliet is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Can you find verbal irony in the play? Where?

One example of verbal irony would be Romeo's reference to the poison he has purchased as a "sweet medicine". A cordial is a sweet liquor or medicine.

Come, cordial and not poison, go with me To Juliet's grave; for there must I use thee.

What do we learn about Mercutio in queen man speech?

The whole speech is based on pagan Celtic mythology. Mercutio’s speech is laced with sexual innuendo. The words “queen” and “mab” refer to whores in Elizabethan England. As his speech goes on we notice the subtext get increasingly sexual...

What does Romeo fear as he approaches Capulet house? What literary device would this be an example of?

Romeo feels something bad is going to happen.

I fear too early, for my mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars

Looks like foreshadowing to me!

Study Guide for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Romeo and Juliet
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Essays for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

• Unity in Shakespeare's Tragedies
• Fate in Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet: Under the Guise of Love
• The Apothecary's Greater Significance in Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet: Two Worlds

Lesson Plan for Romeo and Juliet

• About the Author
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• Introduction to Romeo and Juliet
• Relationship to Other Books
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E-Text of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet e-text contains the full text of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

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Romeo & Juliet Original Text: Act 1, Scene 1

This page contains the original text of Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo & Juliet . Shakespeare’s original  Romeo & Juliet text is extremely long, so we’ve split the text into one Act & Scene per page. All acts & scenes are listed on the Romeo & Juliet original text page, or linked to from the bottom of this page.

ACT 1, SCENE 1. Verona. A public place.

Enter SAMPSON and GREGORY, of the house of Capulet, armed with swords and bucklers SAMPSON Gregory, o’ my word, we’ll not carry coals.

GREGORY No, for then we should be colliers.

SAMPSON I mean, an we be in choler, we’ll draw.

GREGORY Ay, while you live, draw your neck out o’ the collar.

SAMPSON I strike quickly, being moved.

GREGORY But thou art not quickly moved to strike.

SAMPSON A dog of the house of Montague moves me.

GREGORY To move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand: therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn’st away.

SAMPSON A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague’s.

GREGORY That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes to the wall.

SAMPSON True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall.

GREGORY The quarrel is between our masters and us their men.

SAMPSON ‘Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids, and cut off their heads.

GREGORY The heads of the maids?

SAMPSON Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt.

GREGORY They must take it in sense that feel it.

SAMPSON Me they shall feel while I am able to stand: and ’tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh.

GREGORY ‘Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool! here comes two of the house of the Montagues.

SAMPSON My naked weapon is out: quarrel, I will back thee.

GREGORY How! turn thy back and run?

SAMPSON Fear me not.

GREGORY No, marry; I fear thee!

SAMPSON Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin.

GREGORY I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list.

SAMPSON Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it.

Enter ABRAHAM and BALTHASAR

ABRAHAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?

SAMPSON I do bite my thumb, sir.

SAMPSON [Aside to GREGORY]  Is the law of our side, if I say ay?

GREGORY No.

SAMPSON No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir.

GREGORY Do you quarrel, sir?

ABRAHAM Quarrel sir! no, sir.

SAMPSON If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you.

ABRAHAM No better.

SAMPSON Well, sir.

GREGORY Say ‘better:’ here comes one of my master’s kinsmen.

SAMPSON Yes, better, sir.

ABRAHAM You lie.

SAMPSON Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow.

Enter BENVOLIO

BENVOLIO Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do.

Beats down their swords

Enter TYBALT

TYBALT What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death.

BENVOLIO I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me.

TYBALT What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Have at thee, coward!

Enter, several of both houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs

First Citizen Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike! beat them down! Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues!

Enter CAPULET in his gown, and LADY CAPULET

CAPULET What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!

LADY CAPULET A crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword?

CAPULET My sword, I say! Old Montague is come, And flourishes his blade in spite of me.

Enter MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE

MONTAGUE Thou villain Capulet,–Hold me not, let me go.

LADY MONTAGUE Thou shalt not stir a foot to seek a foe.

Enter PRINCE, with Attendants

PRINCE Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel,– Will they not hear? What, ho! you men, you beasts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage With purple fountains issuing from your veins, On pain of torture, from those bloody hands Throw your mistemper’d weapons to the ground, And hear the sentence of your moved prince. Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word, By thee, old Capulet, and Montague, Have thrice disturb’d the quiet of our streets, And made Verona’s ancient citizens Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments, To wield old partisans, in hands as old, Canker’d with peace, to part your canker’d hate: If ever you disturb our streets again, Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. For this time, all the rest depart away: You Capulet; shall go along with me: And, Montague, come you this afternoon, To know our further pleasure in this case, To old Free-town, our common judgment-place. Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.

Exeunt all but MONTAGUE, LADY MONTAGUE, and BENVOLIO

MONTAGUE Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach? Speak, nephew, were you by when it began?

BENVOLIO Here were the servants of your adversary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach: I drew to part them: in the instant came The fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepared, Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears, He swung about his head and cut the winds, Who nothing hurt withal hiss’d him in scorn: While we were interchanging thrusts and blows, Came more and more and fought on part and part, Till the prince came, who parted either part.

LADY MONTAGUE O, where is Romeo? saw you him to-day? Right glad I am he was not at this fray.

BENVOLIO Madam, an hour before the worshipp’d sun Peer’d forth the golden window of the east, A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad; Where, underneath the grove of sycamore That westward rooteth from the city’s side, So early walking did I see your son: Towards him I made, but he was ware of me And stole into the covert of the wood: I, measuring his affections by my own, That most are busied when they’re most alone, Pursued my humour not pursuing his, And gladly shunn’d who gladly fled from me.

MONTAGUE Many a morning hath he there been seen, With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew. Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs; But all so soon as the all-cheering sun Should in the furthest east begin to draw The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed, Away from the light steals home my heavy son, And private in his chamber pens himself, Shuts up his windows, locks far daylight out And makes himself an artificial night: Black and portentous must this humour prove, Unless good counsel may the cause remove.

BENVOLIO My noble uncle, do you know the cause?

MONTAGUE I neither know it nor can learn of him.

BENVOLIO Have you importuned him by any means?

MONTAGUE Both by myself and many other friends: But he, his own affections’ counsellor, Is to himself–I will not say how true– But to himself so secret and so close, So far from sounding and discovery, As is the bud bit with an envious worm, Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, Or dedicate his beauty to the sun. Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow. We would as willingly give cure as know.

Enter ROMEO

BENVOLIO See, where he comes: so please you, step aside; I’ll know his grievance, or be much denied.

MONTAGUE I would thou wert so happy by thy stay, To hear true shrift. Come, madam, let’s away.

Exeunt MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE

BENVOLIO Good-morrow, cousin.

ROMEO Is the day so young?

BENVOLIO But new struck nine.

ROMEO Ay me! sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast?

BENVOLIO It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours?

ROMEO Not having that, which, having, makes them short.

BENVOLIO In love?

ROMEO Out–

BENVOLIO Of love?

ROMEO Out of her favour, where I am in love.

BENVOLIO Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!

ROMEO Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still, Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will! Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love. Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! O any thing, of nothing first create! O heavy lightness! serious vanity! Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms! Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health! Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh?

BENVOLIO No, coz, I rather weep.

ROMEO Good heart, at what?

BENVOLIO At thy good heart’s oppression.

ROMEO Why, such is love’s transgression. Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest With more of thine: this love that thou hast shown Doth add more grief to too much of mine own. Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes; Being vex’d a sea nourish’d with lovers’ tears: What is it else? a madness most discreet, A choking gall and a preserving sweet. Farewell, my coz.

BENVOLIO Soft! I will go along; An if you leave me so, you do me wrong.

ROMEO Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.

BENVOLIO Tell me in sadness, who is that you love.

ROMEO What, shall I groan and tell thee?

BENVOLIO Groan! why, no. But sadly tell me who.

ROMEO Bid a sick man in sadness make his will: Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill! In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.

BENVOLIO I aim’d so near, when I supposed you loved.

ROMEO A right good mark-man! And she’s fair I love.

BENVOLIO A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.

ROMEO Well, in that hit you miss: she’ll not be hit With Cupid’s arrow; she hath Dian’s wit; And, in strong proof of chastity well arm’d, From love’s weak childish bow she lives unharm’d. She will not stay the siege of loving terms, Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes, Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold: O, she is rich in beauty, only poor, That when she dies with beauty dies her store.

BENVOLIO Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste?

ROMEO She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste, For beauty starved with her severity Cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair, To merit bliss by making me despair: She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow Do I live dead that live to tell it now.

BENVOLIO Be ruled by me, forget to think of her.

ROMEO O, teach me how I should forget to think.

BENVOLIO By giving liberty unto thine eyes; Examine other beauties.

ROMEO ‘Tis the way To call hers exquisite, in question more: These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows Being black put us in mind they hide the fair; He that is strucken blind cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight lost: Show me a mistress that is passing fair, What doth her beauty serve, but as a note Where I may read who pass’d that passing fair? Farewell: thou canst not teach me to forget.

BENVOLIO I’ll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.

Exeunt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Romeo and Juliet

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