Street Brawl and a Downcast Romeo

Scene summary

In the square of Verona, Sampson and Gregory, servants of the Capulets, enter armed and talk about fighting. Sampson wants to provoke the Montague servants without being the one who starts it, so as to have "the law on our side," and so, when Abram, a Montague servant, approaches, he bites his thumb in his direction. Abram asks twice whether the gesture is against him. Sampson asks Gregory whether the law will be on their side if he says yes, and Gregory answers no; then Sampson tells Abram that he bites his thumb, but not against him. Gregory asks whether Abram wants a fight; Abram says no, and the talk about which of the two masters is better ends with Abram saying "you lie." Sampson orders the swords drawn, and the fight begins.

Benvolio arrives and orders the servants to put away their swords. Tybalt finds him with his sword in hand, refuses the plea for peace, because he hates the word "peace" as he hates hell, the Montagues and Benvolio himself, and challenges him. Citizens with clubs join the brawl and shout against both houses. Capulet appears in his dressing gown asking for his long sword, and Lady Capulet tells him that what he needs is a crutch. Montague arrives soon after, and his wife stops him from taking a single step toward the enemy. Prince Escalus orders the weapons dropped and says that three brawls born of an idle word have already disturbed the streets of Verona and forced old citizens to take up arms; whoever rekindles it will pay with his life. He takes Capulet with him and orders Montague to appear before the court that afternoon.

With the square empty, Montague asks Benvolio who rekindled the fight, and he says he arrived when the servants were already fighting, tried to part them and was challenged by Tybalt. Lady Montague, relieved, asks after Romeo and hears that Benvolio saw him at dawn in a grove of sycamores and that he hid to avoid company. Montague adds that his son spends his mornings weeping, comes home when the sun rises and locks himself in his room in the dark, without his parents or friends knowing the cause. When Romeo arrives, Benvolio is left alone with him and hears that what troubles him is loving a woman who has sworn chastity and will not have him. Romeo speaks in opposites, such as "brawling love" and "loving hate," and when Benvolio advises him to look at other beauties to forget her, he replies that this would only make him remember her beauty more.