William Shakespeare

ROMEO AND JULIET
ACT I – SCENE 1
Setting
The scene takes place in a public street in Verona, Italy.
Characters
Sampson, Gregory, Abram, Balthasar, Benvolio, Tybalt, Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, Lord Montague, Lady Montague, Prince Escalus and citizens of Verona.
Detailed Summary
The play opens in the city of Verona, where a bitter feud exists between two powerful families, the Montagues and the Capulets. The hatred between these families has existed for a long time and frequently leads to violence in the streets. Two servants of the Capulet family, Sampson and Gregory, enter the street. They are proud of their loyalty to the Capulets and openly express their hatred for the Montagues. Sampson says that he will provoke the Montague servants if he gets an opportunity. Soon, two Montague servants, Abram and Balthasar, appear. Sampson bites his thumb at them, which is a rude and insulting gesture. When Abram asks whether he is biting his thumb at them, Sampson tries to avoid directly admitting that he has insulted them. However, the situation quickly develops into a quarrel.
The servants begin fighting, and Benvolio, a member of the Montague family, arrives. Benvolio is a peaceful and reasonable young man, and he tries to stop the fight. He draws his sword only because he wants to separate the servants. However, Tybalt, a member of the Capulet family, arrives and immediately challenges Benvolio. Tybalt hates peace and enjoys fighting. He accuses Benvolio of being a coward and insists on fighting him. Benvolio explains that he wants to maintain peace, but Tybalt refuses to listen. The fight therefore becomes more serious, and other citizens of Verona join the disturbance.
Lord Capulet and Lord Montague also arrive and want to take part in the fighting. Their wives attempt to restrain them. The disturbance becomes so dangerous that Prince Escalus, the ruler of Verona, arrives with his officers. The Prince is extremely angry because the repeated fighting between the two families has disturbed the peace of the city. He declares that if the Montagues and Capulets disturb the peace again, they will pay for it with their lives. This strong warning establishes the seriousness of the family feud and foreshadows the tragic events that will follow.
After the crowd disperses, Lord and Lady Montague speak with Benvolio about the quarrel. They are also worried about their son Romeo, who has recently become withdrawn and unhappy. Benvolio promises to discover the reason for Romeo's sadness. Romeo then appears and explains that he is suffering because he is in love. He is in love with Rosaline, but she does not return his affection. Romeo describes his emotional suffering in exaggerated and poetic language. Benvolio tries to comfort him and advises him to forget Rosaline by looking at other beautiful women. Romeo refuses to believe that he can love anyone else. Thus, the first scene introduces both the public conflict between the Montagues and Capulets and the private emotional conflict within Romeo.
Important Themes and Points
Family feud: The Montagues and Capulets are bitter enemies.
Violence: The scene begins with a street fight.
Peace versus violence: Benvolio represents peace, while Tybalt represents aggression.
Authority: Prince Escalus attempts to control the feuding families.
Love: Romeo is introduced as a young man suffering from unrequited love.
Foreshadowing: The Prince's threat of death anticipates the tragic ending.
Characterisation: Romeo, Benvolio and Tybalt are introduced through their contrasting attitudes.