Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Study Guide Questions

Why do Sampson and Gregory fight with Montague men? They are servants, they are enemies and if they see a Montague they will fight them.
Benvolio and Tybalt come up the servants fighting. Contrast their reactions to the fight. Benvolio wants to keep the peace while Tybalt wants them to fight and even join the fight.
When Montague and Capulet enter and see the disturbance, they want to fight too. What do their wives say? Their wives said they should not fight because they are both too old to be fighting and they think its ridiculous
What ended the opening skirmish? The prince said if they kept disrupting the peace he would take charge and put them to death
Why is Romeo so sad? He is in love with Rosaline but she is not in love with him. She wants to become a nun
In Act I Scene ii, Paris asks Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage. What is Capulet’s reply? He is the Prince’s cousin, Lord Capulet put it off but he doesn’t say yes but he doesn’t say no
Why is Capulet giving a feast? In order to search out potential suitors for Juliet.
How does Romeo find out about the feast, and why does he decide to go even though (being a Montague) he is not invited? A servant asked him to read the scroll and he decides to go because he plans on seeing Rosaline
Describe Juliet’s relationship with her family in Act I. She is close with the nurse, Juliet does have a respect relationship with her mother, she tries to keep it short and simple with her mother, she respects her parents
At the end of Act I Scene iv, what does Romeo tell Benvolio, foreshadowing future action in the play/ He shadowing an untimely demise by going to the Capulet’s party
What does Romeo mean when he says, “Oh, dear account! my life is my foe’s debt”? He’s going to have to pay a debt either his life, imprisonment etc.