Module 3 Lessons: Romeo and Juliet - Act 1

3. Romeo and Juliet - Act 1

Lesson76

Romeo and Julietï¿½Act 1

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From the prologue, you discover the play is set in the Italian town of Verona. Because Elizabethan theatre had little scenery and few props, it was up to the audience to imagine the setting of a Verona street. Most likely, however, spectators were familiar with the basics of the play, such as the plot, characters, and setting.

Readers have stage directions to tell them that Gregory and Sampson are Capulet men. Viewers, on the other hand, have to deduce that fact from the characters' costumes, dialogue, and actions.

Lines 1 to 60 are difficult to understand. Use the side notes to help you. Remember that Shakespeare had to get the attention of his audience as quickly as possible. A series of off-colour jokes and puns would accomplish this.

In the first 60 lines, you learn that Gregory and Sampson are more than willing to insult and fight the Montagues. So when Abraham and Balthasar enter, the audience is prepared for the ensuing fight.

Scene 1

Read Act 1, Scene 1. Then respond to the following questions in your notebook.

Describe how the fight escalates.
Who breaks up the fight?
What words of the prince tell the audience what penalty the Capulet and Montague families will pay if the fighting does not immediately cease?
Why was Romeo "not at this fray" (line 115)? What does his absence tell the audience about his character?

Following is the beginning of a character-trait chart for Romeo.

Character-Trait Chart
Character	Character Trait	Evidence
Romeo	romantic	Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; / Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; (Act 1, Scene 1, lines 187 and 188)
	dislikes family feud	What fray was here? / Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. / Here's much to do with hate (Act 1, Scene 1, lines 170 to 172)

Begin a similar character-trait chart for Juliet.

Continue the character-trait charts for Romeo and Juliet through all five acts.

Following are some suggestions for completing the charts:

You will need a page for each character chart.
In each chart, describe the character's personality and include direct evidence from the play, indicating act, scene, and line references.
To quote a lengthy passage from the play, you may use an ellipsis (. . . ), a series of three periods, to indicate that you've left out particular phrases. Note the following example taken from Act 1, Scene 1, lines 205 to 208:

She'll not be hit / With Cupid's arrow; . . . From love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd.

Discuss the following questions about staging techniques with a partner or group:

If you were staging the play, how would you help the viewing audience distinguish the Capulets from the Montagues?
Romeo should make a positive first impression on the audience. If you were staging the play, what would you do to encourage this?

Chelsea: I know that Romeo was off on his own, dreaming about his love while the others were brawling. But who is his love? Why won't he say? Is it Juliet?

Mr. Haas: No, it's not Juliet. It's a woman called Rosaline who is a member of the Capulet family. You'll find this out later in the play.

Lin: Is that why he won't tell Benvolio?

Mr. Haas: Probably. Benvolio knows, though. The fact that she's a Capulet, an enemy of the Montagues, helps explain the oxymora that Romeo uses when talking about the fray.

Brandon: Oxymora? That's the plural of oxymoron, isn't it? An oxymoron is a contradiction, right?

Mr. Haas: An oxymoron seems to be a contradiction but, upon closer examination, is found to hold an element of truth. Here are two examples of oxymora from line 173: "O brawling love! O loving hate!" Can you see other examples?

Brandon: "Heavy lightness."

Lin: "Serious vanity."

Mr. Haas: Good; there are even more. Why are the oxymora appropriate?

Dominic: Romeo is obviously bitter about the feud. Because he is a Montague, he is supposed to hate Capulets, but he loves Rosaline. He's torn between love and hate. He feels both, and the oxymora show this.

Mr. Haas: Exactly. Romeo's ambivalent feelings suggest the tragic events yet to come.

Respond to the following questions in your notebook.

2. Include three more examples of oxymora from Romeo's speeches.

Romeo uses two classical allusions in line 206. The first allusion to Cupid tells the audience that although he loves Rosaline, she does not return his love. What does the second allusion tell the reader? Hint: Read the side note for line 206.
Find an allusion in Montague's speech in lines 128 to 139.

4. Montague's speech about his son, Romeo, is full of imagery. What are the strong images? In what ways do these images characterize Romeo? Remember to fill in your Romeo character-trait chart.

Scene 1 introduces the audience to at least half of the characters in the play. Whom have you not yet met?
Give at least three dramatic purposes of Scene 1.
Scene 1, as is Shakespeare's custom, ends on a rhyming couplet. A rhyming couplet often informs the audience that the scene is over. The two-lined phrase often holds vital information or meaning. Write the rhyming couplet out in full. You don't have to explain it now; however, you'll see its significance later in the play.
The mood of the first half of Scene 1 is different from the mood at the end of the scene. Where does the mood begin to change? Comment on both moods.

Journal Entry

One of the major themes, feuding families, is introduced in Scene 1. Give your opinion of what went on. How would you describe everyone's behaviour? Who seems to be to blame? Do you have any sympathy for anyone? What do you think of the prince's threat?

Scene 2

Read Act 1, Scene 2. Then listen on your audio CD to "Romeo and Juliet 1."

In this discussion about Scene 2, the terms comic relief and unrequited are used. Using context clues, determine the meaning of these words.

In your notebook, respond to the following questions.

6. Find evidence of Juliet's age.

Line 6 introduces a new theme. What is it?
In what ways does Scene 2 end in a similar fashion to Scene 1?
Using the side notes in your copy of Romeo and Juliet, give two examples of humour in the servant's speech.

d. How is the mood different from Scene 1?

8. Find at least three figures of speech in Scene 2. Label each as metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or personification. Explain the effect of each figure of speech. Create a chart similar to the following example.

Line Reference	Example	Figure of Speech	Effect
10	Let two more summers wither in their pride,	personification	It shows how each summer makes young Juliet that much older; to "wither" is to age radically and visibly.

9. Fate, which was introduced in the prologue, intervenes in Scene 2. Explain.

10. Lord Capulet's phrase "keep the peace" (line 3) picks up on a similar phrase from Scene 1. (See line 79.) The word peace is used often to create dramatic and thematic effect and is, therefore, considered a motif. Locate instances of the word peace in Scenes 1 and 2. Indicate both the line reference and the speaker.

Note: Throughout the play, keep a running list of where and when the word peace is used. Such a list will provide support for the theme of feuding families.

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Scene 3

Scene 3 takes place in Capulet's house and is the first indoor scene of the play. Here, Lady Capulet prepares Juliet for a marriage proposal from Paris. Lady Capulet, if you remember, spoke briefly in Scene 1.

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Scene 3 introduces Juliet and the nurse. There seems to be genuine affection between Juliet and her nurse. A nurse's role at that time was to breast-feed the child from birth, a task considered beneath mothers of the upper class. The bond between child and nurse, then, often became very strong, with the nurse becoming a second mother. On the other hand, the relationship between Juliet and her mother seems more formal.

Read Scene 3. Then respond to the following questions in your notebook.

11. a. Lady Capulet uses the extended metaphor of "a book" to describe Paris to Juliet. List all the words and phrases that extend this metaphor.

b. Lady Capulet asks her daughter two questions:

"How stands your disposition to be married?" (line 66)
"[C]an you like of Paris' love?" (line 97)

Juliet's answers show respect, yet they seem ambiguous or unclear. What do you think Juliet means in line 67 and lines 98 to 100?

12. Shakespeare allows his heroine, Juliet, only seven lines in Act 1, Scene 3. Why do you think she speaks so little?

13. Explain the meaning and significance of the rhyming couplet that ends this scene.

14.

Shakespeare characterizes the nurse in just 30 lines. What three adjectives would you use to describe her character? Give evidence for each choice.
What do you learn about Lady Capulet in this scene? What sort of wife and mother is she?

In a group, discuss the following questions:

To what extent do you think Juliet is capable of making mature decisions?
Is Juliet's response to her mother similar to what a teenage girl might say today?
Who do you think should make the final decision about the person you will marry?

Journal Entry

Discuss your views about teenagers getting married.

OR

Discuss your views about fate as a factor in human lives.

Scene 4

Scene 4 brings the action back to the street again. Romeo and his friends, masked and disguised, prepare themselves for Capulet's costume ball. You meet Romeo's good friend Mercutio, who, in his "Queen Mab speech," proves himself to be a lover, a madman, and a poet. The scene ends ominously with Romeo fearing "some consequence, yet hanging in the stars" (line 107).

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Read Scene 4. Then read the following dialogue.

Mr. Haas: This scene has two moods that are almost contradictory.

Brandon: The beginning, up until Mercutio's long speech, and the last few lines are full of revelry and excitement. You can tell the guys are ready for a party.

Chelsea: Except Romeo, he's really down.

Lin: Full of self-pity, you mean. He keeps on talking and worrying about love. His preoccupation with himself must be irritating the others.

Mr. Haas: Probably. But Benvolio and Mercutio are good friends of Romeo. They try to get him out of the doldrums.

Dominic: Romeo's not that "out of it." When Mercutio throws a pun at him, Romeo returns it pretty well. Look at lines 19 to 20: "I am too sore enpierced with his shaft / To soar with his light feathers . . . ." That's pretty clever—picking up on what Mercutio said about Cupid.

Lin: All the puns are clever. But you have to read or listen carefully to get them.

Chelsea: Do we have to understand the "Queen Mab speech"?

Mr. Haas: It's a spectacular piece of poetry on its own. Through his musings about dreams, Mercutio takes his friends and the readers on a fantastic journey into the world of Mab, the Fairy Queen. If you want to study it in depth, go right ahead. You'll find it referred to in many books and on Internet sites as well.

Discuss the following questions with a partner or small group:

Mercutio's "Queen Mab speech" is similar to a monologue. If you were staging the play, how would you have him deliver the speech? Refer back to Sections 1 and 2 for ideas.
Where would you place Romeo and Benvolio in relation to Mercutio? What would they be doing while Mercutio was speaking?

15. What do you learn of Mercutio's character?

Going Further

Using details from Mercutio's speech, draw a picture of Queen Mab.

Scene 5

Read Scene 5. Then respond to the following questions in your notebook.

16. What lines provide comic relief?

17. There are few stage directions in Shakespearean plays—Lord Capulet speaks to a family member in line 41: "His son was but a ward two years ago." In lines 42 and 43, Romeo asks a serving man, "What lady is that which doth enrich the hand / Of yonder knight?" What stage directions would you put between lines 41 and 42 to clarify the situation for the actors and the readers?

18.

To "what lady" is Romeo referring in line 42? How do you know?
Notice Romeo's words in lines 48 and 49: "So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, / As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows." Of what words of Benvolio in Scene 2 are Romeo's words reminiscent?

19.

Tybalt shows that he is hot-tempered. What word does he use over and over again to describe Romeo?
How does Tybalt recognize Romeo?
Tybalt grudgingly obeys his uncle and leaves Romeo alone. However, he utters an ominous prediction to Lord Capulet. What is Tybalt's prophecy?

20. What words of Romeo in this scene illustrate the fear he expressed in lines 106 and 107 of Scene 4?

21.

In lines 134 and 135, Juliet worries that, "If he be married, / My grave is like to be my wedding-bed." She speaks figuratively. What does she mean?
Death is mentioned many times as Juliet's lover or husband. In this sense, "death as husband or lover" is a motif in the play. Keep track of the line numbers where this motif is used. In your notebook, record at least one line from the play that contains this motif. Record the line number as well.

22. Paris is at the ball. Yet he never speaks in Scene 5. Why do you think Shakespeare gives him no lines to say?

Discuss the following questions with a partner or in a small group.

There are no stage directions to indicate the first intimate meeting of Romeo and Juliet. The reader or viewer has only their romantic words in lines 93 to 110. If you were directing the play, where would you place Romeo and Juliet on the stage? How would you have them play the scene? Would they be wearing masks? If so, what kind? Would their masks be removed? When? What movements would you have each make to emphasize the words? Would they kiss? What props and simple sets would you use? Where would Tybalt, Lord Capulet, the nurse, and Benvolio be?

Journal Entry

Is it realistic for Romeo and Juliet to fall in love instantly? Do you think love at first sight is possible? Discuss.

Mr. Haas: By the time you get to the end of Act 1, the conversations that Romeo and Benvolio had earlier now seem ironic.

Lin: What's irony again?

Mr. Haas: For the purpose of this discussion, it means a difference between what is asserted by a character and what is actually the case. In Act 1, irony appears some time after a character has made strong assertions. Give me some examples.

Dominic: In Scene 2, Romeo says he loves Rosaline so much that no one can take her place. Yet in Scene 5, when he goes to the ball, he instantly falls in love with Juliet. Now, that's ironic.

Brandon: Right, according to what Romeo said in Scene 2, Rosaline is the fairest of all women, but now when he sees Juliet he says he "never saw true beauty till this night" (line 53).

Chelsea: These examples lend support to the theme of "the impulsivity of youth."

Mr. Haas: That's right. Sometimes irony does support a theme. Now, let's turn to plot. Shakespeare has set up the plot in such a way that the action can move in more than one direction. What are the possibilities?

Brandon: Romeo and Juliet seem to have fallen in love. I guess they could get married and things could work out. Lord Capulet says Romeo is "a virtuous and well-govern'd youth" (line 68).

Dominic: But the play's a tragedy. That possibility is too perfect.

Lin: There's enough evidence to suggest that fate is not in their favour. Check back to the prologue, and look at the ominous words of Romeo and Juliet at the end of Scene 5.

Mr. Haas: You're right. The act doesn't end on a positive note.

Journal Entry

Now that you've completed Act 1, prepare a list of about five interview questions you would like to ask one of the characters. Phrase the questions so that they will force the character to reveal as much personality as possible.

Going Further

Try out your interview questions on a partner who is also reading the play. Allow the responses to help you modify your questions.

This lesson was a detailed study of Act 1. In the first act, Shakespeare introduces the Verona setting and the long-standing feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. Key players in the drama are introduced and characterized. By the end of the act, it's clear that the plot is focusing on the romance of Romeo and Juliet. Throughout Act 1, Shakespeare incorporates enough clues for an audience to realize that a tragic ending is inevitable.

Did You Know?

The story of Romeo and Juliet is much older than Shakespeare's tragic drama. The plot was written for the first time in Verona, Italy, by DaPorto and Della Corte in the sixteenth century.

Suggested Answers

1. a. Members of the feuding families first use verbal insults, then insulting gestures. Insults turn into accusations. After tempers rise, Sampson and Abraham draw their weapons. Tybalt, a noble Capulet, gets involved. Gradually, more and more members of both houses join the fray.

b. Benvolio, a Montague, tries to end the skirmish but is unsuccessful. Prince Escalus ends the brawl.

c. "If ever you disturb our streets again / Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace." (lines 94 and 95)

d. Romeo was walking by himself. The fact that he was not with the other youths suggests that he enjoys solitude, is contemplative, and dislikes fighting.

2. "Feather of lead," "bright smoke," "cold fire," "sick health," and "still-waking sleep" are all oxymora.

3. a. The allusion to Diana suggests that Rosaline will not easily be won over by suitors. She may forever remain unmarried like Diana.

b. Montague alludes to Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, in line 133. In doing so, he emphasizes the fact that Romeo rises before dawn to shut the daylight out.

4. Responses will vary. However, the words and phrases should conjure up strong images that convey significant meanings or impressions. Here are three possibilities:

Romeo's "tears augmenting the fresh morning's dew."(line 129)
"Away from light steals home my heavy son." (line 134)
"Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air." (line 149)

These images imply that Romeo is tearful, depressed, and melancholic. Yet, his sorrows seem new because, at his centre, his nature is sweet.

5. a. We have not met Juliet and her nurse, Friar Laurence, Paris, Peter, Friar John, and other minor characters. See Dramatis Personae on page 5.

b. Scene 1 shows the anger of the feuding families and reveals how easily this anger surfaces.

The brawl in Scene 1 also illustrates some of the difficulties Romeo and Juliet will face when trying to become a couple.

Scene 1 introduces many of the central characters and characterizes key people, most notably Romeo.

c. "Farewell: Thou canst not teach me to forget. / I'll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt."

d. At the beginning of the scene, tempers flare, patience is thin, and weapons are out; in other words, the mood is violent and destructive. The end of the scene is romantic yet melancholic. The mood shifts around line 116 when Benvolio describes Romeo's solitary behaviour.

6. "She hath not seen the change of fourteen years." (line 9)

7. a. The fact that Paris wants to marry Juliet introduces the theme of "choosing a marriage partner."

b. Scene 2 also ends on a rhyming couplet, and Romeo once again vows that Rosaline is the only woman who could ever possibly interest him.

c. Responses will vary. Here are two possibilities:

". . . I am sent to / find those persons whose names are here writ, and / can never find what names the writing person hath here / writ." (lines 41 to 44) The servant is asked to deliver the invitations according to the names written on the list; however, the servant cannot do his job because he can't read the list.
". . . if you be not of the house of / Montagues, I pray, come and crush a cup of wine." (lines 79 and 80) The servant says this to Romeo, not knowing Romeo is a Montague. The fact that Romeo and the audience have a laugh at the servant's expense produces dramatic irony.

d. There is no mention of the feuding families in Scene 2. Instead, there is talk of love and marriage. The servant provides comic relief. The mood is more upbeat, relaxed, and humorous than it is in Scene 1.

Line Reference	Example	Figure of Speech	Effect
10	Let two more summers wither in their pride,	personification	It shows how each summer makes young Juliet that much older; to "wither" is to age radically and visibly.
14	The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she,	personification	This emphasizes the fact that, except for Juliet, all of Capulet's children have died.
29	fresh female buds	metaphor	"Buds" implies the youthfulness of Juliet and other girls
92 to 93	The all-seeing sun / Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun.	hyperbole	Romeo's exaggeration shows the extent of his love for Rosaline.

9. The fact that the Capulet servant asks Romeo to read the invitation list for the Capulet ball—a list that includes Rosaline—motivates Romeo to attend the party. It's here that he will meet Juliet. The accidental meeting of the servant and Romeo seems like fate.

10. The following chart shows evidence of the word peace as a motif in Scenes 1 and 2. Remember to continue this list throughout the play.

Act, Scene, and Line Reference	Word and Context	Speaker
1, 1, 66	I do but keep the peace.	Benvolio
1, 1, 68 and 69	. . . peace! I hate the word / As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.	Tybalt
1, 1, 79	Rebellious subjects, enemies of peace	Prince Escalus
1, 1, 93	Canker'd with peace	Prince Escalus
1, 1, 95	Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.	Prince Escalus
1, 2, 2 and 3	. . . 'tis not hard, I think, / For men as old as we to keep the peace.	Lord Capulet

11. a. Phrases that extend the book metaphor are the following:

the volume of young Paris's face (line 82)
delight writ there with beauty's pen (line 83)
lends content (line 85)
fair volume (line 86)
written in the margent (line 87)
book of love, this unbound lover (line 88)
lacks a cover (line 89)
book in many's eyes (line 92)
the golden story (line 93)

b. Responses will vary. Juliet is clever in her responses. She may be an obedient girl who will do whatever her parents demand, or she may be "acting" in an agreeable manner simply to please her mother for the moment.

12. Responses will vary. Shakespeare may not want to disclose Juliet's character now. Perhaps he wants to reveal her personality in a more dramatic fashion. The audience is left in suspense about Juliet's opinions, tastes, and desires. Consequently, people will eagerly read or view to find out what sort of person Juliet is.

13. The rhyming couplet signals the end of the scene. Lady Capulet emphasizes that Paris is waiting for Juliet at the ball. Through her reference to "happy nights," the nurse suggests that Juliet will find happiness in her marriage to Paris.

14. a. Responses will vary. See if any of your adjectives were the same as the following:

outspoken: "Lady, such a man / As all the world—why, he's a man of wax." (lines 76 and 77)
long-winded: When the nurse asks herself about Juliet's age, she goes on and on talking about the past rather than getting to the point of the matter. (lines 17 to 49)
crude: "women grow by men." (line 96)
caring: "What, lamb! What, ladybird!" (line 3)

b. Lady Capulet obeys her husband. She seems uncomfortable around her daughter. Lady Capulet thinks that because she was married young, Juliet should be as well. Although she asks Juliet if she can "like of Paris's love," Lady Capulet seems to believe in arranged marriages. She's impatient because she wants an immediate answer from Juliet.

15. Responses will vary. Mercutio seems to be the following:

romantic, yet crude
articulate and complex
difficult to understand at times
overly imaginative
a loyal friend to Romeo
fun-loving

16. Lines 1 to 16—the conversation between the two servants—are humorous.

17. Responses will vary. Somehow, the focus must shift from the two Capulets to Romeo and a Serving-man. Perhaps you would have the Capulets leave the stage as Romeo speaks. Perhaps Romeo could be pointing at Juliet while he's saying his lines and, in this way, the audience would focus on him rather than the Capulets. Juliet may or may not be on stage. If she were not, Romeo's lines would create more suspense. So much depends upon the impression you want to create for your audience.

You may wonder, as do many readers, why the Serving-man doesn't know who Juliet is.

18. a. By words alone, the audience does not know if "the lady" is Juliet or someone else. However, by line 93, it's clear that Romeo refers to Juliet.

b. "Compare her face with some that I shall show, / And I will make thee think thy swan a crow." (lines 86 and 87)

19. a. Tybalt often says the word villain.

b. Tybalt recognizes Romeo by his voice. (line 54)

c. ". . . this intrusion shall / Now seeming sweet convert to bitter gall." (lines 91 and 92)

20. "Is she a Capulet? / O dear account! my life is my foe's debt." (lines 117 and 118)

21. a. Responses may vary. Juliet means that she loves this unknown gentleman so much that should he already be married, she wants to die.

b. The first mention of death as Juliet's husband or marriage partner is in line 135: "My grave is like to be my wedding-bed."

Remember to make note of how often the motif of "death as husband or lover" occurs as you read the next four acts. Each time you encounter this motif, think about what is happening in the play when this motif occurs. Think about the effect that the motif has on the audience.

22. It's not altogether clear why Paris has no lines. Perhaps because Paris was characterized as a fine young man by Lord and Lady Capulet, Shakespeare has to ensure that the audience doesn't gain any sympathy for him. Instead, the developing relationship between Romeo and Juliet must come to the foreground. Consequently, Paris remains in the background.

Lesson Glossary

allusion: a reference to a significant figure, event, place, or literary work that the writer expects the reader to recognize
ambivalent: torn between two actions, ideas, or belief
comic relief: the interruption of a serious work, usually a tragedy, by a short, humorous episode
ellipsis: a printed mark of three dots to indicate that something has been left out in a written phrase or sentence
pun: clever word play that creates humour by using certain words or phrases in such a way that more than one meaning is conveyed
unrequited: not returned or reciprocated