Skip to main content

What did Balthazar and Abram do during the fight in Act 1, Scene 1?

Abraham and Balthasar start a fight with Sampson and Gregory as part of the Montague-Capulet Feud.

Sampson and Gregory represent the House of Capulet, and Abraham and Balthasar represent the House of Montague.  The two families are in a feud that affects everyone even remotely related to them.  For this reason, apparently you can’t even walk on the street in Verona without a brawl starting.


Abraham and Balthasar’s brawl starts pretty innocently.   They are walking along in the street (with swords, of course), when Sampson insults them.  He does so slyly and silently, with what would be the equivalent of the modern middle finger.  Abraham calls him out on it.



Enter ABRAHAM and BALTHASAR


ABRAHAM


Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?


SAMPSON


I do bite my thumb, sir.


ABRAHAM


Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?


SAMPSON


[Aside to GREGORY] Is the law of our side, if I say
ay?


GREGORY


No. (Act 1, Scene 1) 



Balthasar doesn’t say anything, but he seems to engage in the fight.  Benvolio, another Montague, comes and tries to break it up.  Then Tybalt, another Capulet, comes and joins the fight.  Soon there is an all-out brawl in the streets where anyone who sides with either family joins in.



Enter, several of both houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs


First Citizen


Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike! beat them down!
Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues! No. (Act 1, Scene 1) 



The heads of the two houses arrive, and then the prince.  He declares that there has been too much fighting, and lectures the Montagues and Capulets.  He also dictates the punishment of death to anyone who fights from then on. 


This scene indicates from the beginning how serious the feud is.  Everyone walks around with swords, and they are ready to use them at a moment’s notice for the smallest insult.  In addition, there is the penalty now for fighting. 

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more