1

• two families - enemies
• feuds cause problems for the city
• Sampson bites thumb at Abraham and Balthasar - insult - they are servants, which shows how deep the feud goes - ' Do you bite your thumb at us, Sir?' - 'I do bite my thumb, sir'
• 2 servants make sexual jokes - Gregory and Sampson - 'thrust his maid to the wall', 'their maidenhead take it in what sense thou wilt' - 'maidenhead' - virginity
• Capulet and Montague servants try to start a fight - Stopped by Benvolio - 'Part fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do'
• Tybalt challenges Benvolio - 'Turn thee Benvolio look upon thy death'
• Everyone fights
• Prince Esculas comes and calls for peace, anyone who is seen fighting for the feud will be banished or put to death - 'if ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of peace' - the Prince is tired of this feud as it has 'thrice disturbed the quiet of out streets'
• Benvolio see's Romeo crying on the west side of the city
• Lord and Lady Montague see Romeo and ask Benvolio to talk to him - 'What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?'- Romeo is depressed because Rosaline is a nun and does not love him, but he loves her - unrequited love
• Romeo says a poem about love - 'O brawling love, O loving hate' , 'O heavy lightness, O serious vanity' - these two contradicting phrases shows how Romeo finds love confusing
• Benvolio says there are many girls for him and he should forget Rosaline - 'Examine other beauties' - foreshadows the fact he finds Juliet at the Capulet ball and falls in love (fickle)
• Starts in Verona, with the servants having a fight. The Capulet servants start the fight. Everyone has a fight until the Prince comes and makes peace (which if broken could be punishable by death). Everyone leaves except Lord and Lady Montague and Benvolio, they talk about Romeo. Romeo comes and talks about Rosaline and love with Benvolio