Act 1 Scene 1 Flashcards
How are the rivalry’s set up in the first scene?
People are matched up with their “class”
cousin to cousin
(Benevolio to Tyblat)
servant to servant
Abram and Sampson (and Gregory)
Capulet and Montague and their ladies matched up
both ladies concerned for their husbands
What crude references are Sampson and Gregory making in the opening fight?
Sampson and Gregory make sexual references in the opening scene about raping the women and about violently attacking the Montagues
How many brawls have the family’s had recently?
3 brawls, kind of over nothing
What will happen if the families fight in public again?
They will die, the prince says so
Lady Montague asks Benevolio where he has last seen Romeo, where is that?
Benevolio last saw Romeo on an early morning walk underneath a sycamore grove west from where they are having the conversation
Where does Lord Montague tell Benvolio that Romeo has spent multiple recent days? How does this make him like a stereotypical teenager?
Shut up in his room with the lights out and the curtains closed, making an “artificial night”
This is stereotypical teen behavior because he’s being sad and refusing to tell his parents why and just kind of being grumpy and shut off
What does Romeo tell Benvolio has been bothering him? What is this an example of?
Romeo tells Benvolio that he is in love with a girl that does not love him back this is Petrachan love
What are some big oxymorons from the oxymoron speech?
Should without eyes see
brawling love, loving hate, anything of nothing first create, heavy lightness, cold fire, sick health, waking sleep
What does Romeo’s oxymoron speech say about the love he feels?
It is confusing and contradicts itself, he doesn’t know how he feels or how he should
Why does Romeo think the day feels long and what would make it shorter?
Romeo thinks the day is long because he is sad but it would be shorter if he had Rosaline’s love
What does the smoke metaphor say about Romeo’s feelings?
Romeo describes love as being made of sighs, negative
if you can get rid of the smoke you can see your love for what it really is but if you can’t then you’ll be sad
What are some negative ways that Romeo describes love?
madness not discreet, choking gall, preserving sweet
What does Romeo say has happened to him?
“This is not Romeo” he’s not himself and he’s lost himself
Why can’t Romeo tell Benvolio his love’s name?
Because it makes him so upset he would groan
What is the classical Allusion to Cupid and Diana in this scene
Romeo says Rosaline will not be hit with Cupids arrow or fall in love because she has Dian’s whit meaning she has chosen to remain abstenent because Diana is the goddess of chastity
What are some of the ways Romeo describes love as almost a battlefield in the armor speech?
Cupid’s arrow, she won’t be hit, well armed, bow, siege, encounter, assaling
What does Romeo mean when he says her beauty will die with her store and she cuts her beauty off from all posterity?
When Romeo says store and posterity he means potential children so he is saying that it is a shame she wants to stay a virgin because her beauty will die with her
What advice does Benvolio give Romeo?
Benvolio tells Romeo to forget to think of Rosaline and think about other girls
What does Romeo like about Rosaline?
She is unachievable because she is a virgin
she is very beautiful
he is mostly in love with her looks and likes her for shallow reasons
Why is Romeo’s love of Rosaline described in such a crude way?
Romeo’s love of Rosaline is described in such a crude way to set up the future contrast for the way that he loves Juliet
Is Romeo in love with Rosaline?
Romeo is in love with the thought of her, he is more infatuated and obsessed, he is not in love with her as a person
How does Romeo feel about his love of Rosaline?
He feels almost as if he must conquer his love and win and his lover his his enemy (oxymoron)
