Answers to our study guide questions about Act 1, Scene 1.

1. ROMEO &JULIET
ACT 1,SCENE 1
Study Guide Answers

2. Created by
M. Riddell
February 2017

3. 1.Sampson &
Gregory are
servants for
theCapulets
and they are
talking about
hating the
Montagues.

4. 2.Sampson
says he will
thrust the
maids to the
wall (take their
virginity). This
is an example
of vulgar
(sexual) love.

5. 3.Gregory &
Sampson meet
Abraham &
Balthasar,
Montague
servants. Gregory
wants to run but
Sampson says he’ll
back him up, and
then suggests they
get the Montagues
to start the fight.

6. 4. Biting a
thumb is like
giving
someone the
middle finger.

7. 5. Benvolio is a
Montague and
he tries to stop
the fighting by
drawing his
own sword.

8. 6.Tybalt sees
Benvolio’s
sword and
thinks he’s
fighting.
Tybalt says he
really hates
peace.

9. 7.Tybalt is a
hot-head and
doesn’t really
listen to
Benvolio’s
explanation -
he just starts
fighting.

10. 8. Lady
Capulet says
her husband is
old and needs
a crutch not a
sword.

11. 9. Lady
Montague
doesn’t think it
dignified to be
brawling in the
streets.

12. 10.The Prince is
angry the two
families have
fought in the
streets three
times, so he
imposes a death
sentenceif it
happens again.

13. 11. Benvolio
says he saw
Romeo
heading to the
woods, in the
early morning,
but he lost him
in a thicket.

14. 12. LordMontaguesaysthatRomeostays
outallnight,untilthesunisup,andthenhides
inhisroominthedark.
AuroraistheRomangoddessofDawn,
thetimewhenRomeoreturnshome.
Shakespeareusesanallusion(hintsat
dawnwithoutsayingit). Mostpeopleatthis
timewerefamiliarwithRomanGodsand
Goddesses.

15. 13. Romeo’s
problem is that
he is in love,
with Rosaline,
who does not
return his love.

16. 14. Romeo
asks Benvolio
to laugh.
“ThislovefeelI,that
feelnoloveinthis.
Dostthounot
laugh?”

17. 15. Benvolio is
not laughing
because he is
sympathetic to
Romeo’s
heartache.

18. 16. Lines 184-
186 show a
metaphor.
Love is like a
fire (passion)
and a sea of
tears.

19. 17. Benvolio and
Romeo
sarcastically
state the
obvious.
“Insadnesscousin,Ido
loveawoman.” “I
aimedsonearwhenI
supposedyouloved.”

20. 18. Romeo
expresses a vulgar
(sexual) love. At
this time, in the
tradition of courtly
love, when a
woman rejects a
man he is expected
to pine away and
die of unrequited
love.

21. 19. Benvolio
tells Romeo to
“Examineother
beauties.”
Look for a
different girl.

22. 20. The entire
dialogue
between
Benvolio and
Romeo is written
in couplets.Two
lines of verse
that usually
rhyme.