1. ACT 1 SCENE 1
Sampson (Capulet Servant) bites his thumb at a Montague servant.
Benvolio (Montague Kinsmen) draws his sword to stop the brawl. Tybalt (Capulet kinsmen) follows suit.
SERVANTS: comments made by servants can provide a lens through which to view the play
Romeo: who is Rosaline? and is Romeo fickle? Immature? A hopeless romantic?  

2. ACT 1 SCENE 2
Lord Capulet and Paris discuss Juliet’s marriage to Paris Juliet’s father can force her to marry whomever he wants. Such is the difference between being a man and woman in Verona.
Peter (servant) functions as a comedic tool but also to further comment on power structures. his poor education is also part of the entrenched social structures. Juliet has no power because she is a woman. Peter has no power because he is a lowly servant and therefore cannot read.

3. ACT 1 SCENE 3
 this scene continues to develop the issue of parental influence, particularly the strength of that influence over girls. Lady Capulet, herself a woman who married at a young age, offers complete support for her husband’s plan for their daughter, and puts pressure on Juliet to think about Paris as a husband before Juliet has begun to think about marriage at all.  Quality of life for the poor? Nurse has no family left

4. ACT 1 SCENE 4
Fate: l Romeo first is reluctant to attend the ball because of a dream he had. He then states that the nights events of tonight may lead to his death, yet fate has taken over and he has no choice in the matter. Mercutio and puns. A slippage, or twist, in the meaning of a word. That word, which previously meant one thing, now suddenly is revealed to have additional interpretations. The imagery in QM begins as an innocent fantasy and ends in a dark twisted world.