Act 1

Act 1 scene 1 - summary

• Capulet servants meet servants from the Montague household and provoke them into a fight.

• Benvolio, a Montague, aims to keep the peace, but fiery Tybalt, cousin of the Capulets arrives and there is a fight on the streets of Verona.

• The fight is stopped by the Prince, who is not pleased about the disturbance.

• Benvolio recounts the events to the Montagues, who ask where their son Romeo is – he has been keeping himself to himself and Benvolio vows to find out why.

• Romeo reveals to Benvolio that he is in love with a girl (Rosaline) who will not return his feelings. Benvolio advises him to find someone new.

Why the scene is important:

• A street fight shows how bitter the dispute is between the fueding families.

• Benvolio attempts to stop the fighting but Tybalt encourages it.

• The scene establishes the state’s concern over the family feuding.

• We realise that it is to Benvolio that Romeo will tell his true feelings.

• Romeo reveals that he is desperately and miserably in love.

There are three key extracts and analysis in this website section:

• 1.The fighting between the Montagues and Capulets

• 2.Prince Escalus and his authority in the play

• 3.Our first introduction to Romeo and his strong emotions of love towards Rosaline.

Each of these extracts are important to know as they are establishing key themes in the play: hatred, conflict and love:

How is the theme of fighting presented in this extract?

In the play as whole, one of the central themes Shakespeare engages with is the power of hatred, which is presented as a destructive force which knows no boundaries. The extract comes from the start of the play, which creates an important backdrop to highlight the innocence of Romeo and Juliet, who are pulled, not by choice, into this dangerous world where violence is the go-to tool to continue an old dispute.

At the start of the extract, it is significant that Benvolio, a character of gentle nature (similar to Romeo), tries to call for ‘peace’, and attempts to temper growing anger / hostility to ‘manage it’ and ‘part these men’. Tybalt, however, provides a strong contrast to Benvolio’s cool and level-headed nature, by responding in a hot-headed, impulsive and aggressive way. Tybalt’s repetition of ‘hate’ creates the impression of a mono-dimensional character, who is consumed by rage, and his unsophisticated use of the word ‘coward’ to Benvolio’s reasonable response shows his very blunt, black-white view of the world, which forces Benvolio into the fight, despite his wishes for peace. Tybalt also comes across as very ‘self-righteous’, referencing his hatred of Montagues to be like his hatred of ‘hell’ which shows us that he believes that is on the morally right side, and that he is acting in the right way.

The fight quickly spirals out of control: the unnamed citizens represent the ordinary person, who is pulled into this conflict – the quick escalation highlights how quickly the force of hatred outlined in the prologue is triggered: none can escape and it has an alluring power to pull people in. The use of the exclamation marks in the citizens: “partisans! Strike! Beat!” which are loaded with jeering language shows that their minds are fully disengaged – they are responding only physically to each other. Shakespeare possibly hyper-masculinises these characters to increase drama and tension, but also later to highlight Romeo’s sensitive, gentle nature and the contrasting, innocent world of love that he inhabits. This idea of inescapability really highlights the key ideas of fate – and how the two young lovers, are trapped in this world, born from ‘fatal loins’.

Overall, the extract shows us the strong emotional impulse that drives the adult characters in this world to act in mindless way to highlight the strength of anger and hatred in this world.

Your revision task - answer the below question:

How is the theme of fighting presented in this extract?

• Start by thinking of the central way fighting is presented in the extract.

• Closely analyse the extract, selecting short quotes and discussing key words.

• Consider the themes that are being introduced in this scene: conflict, mindless action, escalation, toxic atmosphere.

• Make links and connections to other parts of the play - this could be parts where these ideas are reinforced or contrasted.

Thinking points:

• Why it is important that this fight occurs at the start of the play?

• How is Benvolio presented?

• How does Benvolio contrast with Tybalt?

• How do the citizens respond? How do they speak? What does it show?

• Why is it significant that the clearly elderly Capulet is quick to join in?

• What links can you make between this scene and the prologue?

• Contrast with Romeo – why is this important?

Aim to write at least one side of A4 on this question.

Extra challenge:

In your response develop your vocabulary / expression through drawing on words from this vocabulary bank:

Extract 2: Prince Escalus

How is the prince’s authority presented in this extract?

In the play as a whole, the Prince represents political authority, social stability and he carries the voice of reason and calm response to conflict. He is a reminder that this behaviour is not morally or socially accepted, and that the violence is not tolerated in Verona. These clear lines, and boundaries, are essential now to justify and reinforce Romeo’s later banishment in the play.

Here, in this extract, the Prince comes into the scene to break up the fighting: he is successful in stopping it temporarily, almost on a superficial level. It is clear that his authority has been overstepped, as he references ‘three civil brawls’ which provides a contrast between reason and physical impulse / aggressive instincts. His purpose here is to highlight that the characters are behaving in an uncivil way, not appropriate to their higher social position – reinforced when he refers to them as ‘beasts’ –to suggest that they have forgotten themselves, and are wild and out of control – which is in contrast with his measured, eloquent speech. The fact that he is able to offer this detached reflection of them, increases his status, as it is clear he is speaking from a position of higher ground, in clear disbelief at the behaviour of adults: “you Capulet shall go with me’.

Furthermore, the length of his speech contrasts significantly to the short sentences and exclamatives of the characters who got drawn into the fighting in the first place, showing his mind to be measured, controlled and his judgement thought-through and resolute rather than hasty, brash or in the moment. It also underpins the fact that he has the final say: the authority of the law is fully behind him.

The reference to ‘fire’ in the line: ‘quench the fire of your pernicious rage’ is symbolic of the destructive nature of their anger, how quickly it can escalate if not closely watched and guarded, and it ominously forewarns us that danger sits on the horizon for those who get drawn in, such as Romeo. It could also foreshadow the climate of disorder and chaotic passions yet to come in the play: a frenzy of anger, love, and hatred, bound by loyalty when Romeo’s later kills Tybalt when his anger is sparked, and how he is ultimately ‘burned’ by the rage and hatred of his wider social connections.

Overall, the prince’s presence here and the tone of authority he brings is essential to show the audience what behaviours are not tolerated in this society; to set a high moral bar, and to layer the idea of consequences for infringements of the social ‘peace’.

Your revision task:

How is the Prince's authority presented in this scene?

• Start by thinking of the central way the Prince is presented in the extract.

• Closely analyse the extract, selecting short quotes and discussing key words.

• Consider the themes that are being introduced in this scene: unreasonable behaviour, conflict, hatred, peace, stability.

• Make links and connections to other parts of the play - this could be parts where these ideas are reinforced or contrasted.

Thinking points:

• Why it is important that we are introduced to Prince Escalus in the opening scene?

• How his language conveys authority – including short quotes / analysis

• How is the Prince important in other parts of the play? Think about Romeo's banishment, and his reflection at the end.

Aim to write at least one side of A4 on this question.

Final extact: Romeo's first appearance in the play

How is Romeo presented as a conflicted character in this extract?

This extract comes at the end of Act 1 scene 1, after the fighting between the Montague and Capulet men has been broken up by Prince Escalus. It is significant that Romeo's first appearance comes after this event, as it shows that he is different to the other male characters; how his sensitive disposition and strong emotions have caused him to be separated, isolated and withdrawn from the world around him. Whereas the attention of the other men is pointed outwards towards the ongoing feud and their anger and aggression is physically expressed, Romeo's battle takes place in his own mind as though his thoughts and emotions are waging a war on him. Overall, in this extract, it is clear that Romeo's conflict is internal and self-induced, and that his strong feelings of unrequited love are creating a psychological impact on him; elsewhere in the play, whilst this internal conflict is still strong and a powerful force, it is the influences of the world around Romeo (the external forces of family, society, expectations) that create the greatest amount of conflict to drive the actions of the play.

In the extract, Romeo's internal conflict comes from the powerful emotion of love, so closely connected to the opposite emotion of hate, to create a sense of inner turmoil, tension and jarring discomfort within him. Shakespeare captures this state of mind through the use of oxymorons which run throughout the entirety of Romeo's speech: each word associated with love and pleasure is counter-balanced with an image of weight, burden and distress. Take the following lines as an example:

"Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!" Romeo's language suggests a genuinely confused state of mind: feathers are light, closely associated with birds as a symbol of freedom and ease; whereas lead is heavy, dull and undesirable to have in your possession. On the one hand, it seems that Romeo's feelings of love are elevating him to a greater place - perhaps of the imagination, where he feels light and uplifted, but this seems to be a trick as he cannot act upon these feelings so his hopes stay firmly placed in an imaginary realm; the heavy reality of his love not being returned pulls him back to the ground. His words have an impact on his cousin Benvolio who is clearly touched and moved by seeing his friend in so much discomfort and distress: "No, coz, I rather weep". Overall, we get the impression of Romeo as a victim of his strong emotions, confused, as a young man clearly interpreting the world and himself for the first time.