vocabulary
(Sampson) "I strike quickly, being moved." MOVED?
provoked "A dog of the house of Montague moves me"
(Sampson) "Fear me not" FEAR?
mistrust
(Capulet) "My sword, I say. Old Montague is come and flourishes his blade in spite of me." SPITE?
defiance
(Sampson) "Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin."
have the law on our side
(Sampson) "A dog of the house of Montague moves me"
Shakespeare left out a word to keep the meter. "even a dog of the house...."
(Sampson) "A dog of that house shall move me to stand." STAND?
stand one's ground; take a stand
(Gregory) .....let them take it as they list." LIST?
please
(Prince) "With purple fountains issuing from your vein." PURPLE?
crimson (blood)
(Sampson)"......I will bite my thumb at them, which is a disgrace to them if they bear it."
(Sampson) "I will take 'the wall' of any man or maid of Montague's"
in 16th century "take the wall" meant to walk close to the wall forcing others to walk in the middle of the street.
(Sampson) "'tis all one." ONE?
the same
(Sampson) "....remember thy washing blow" WASHING BLOW?
slashing with great force
(Prince) "Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground" MISTEMPERED?
hardened for bad purposes; angry
(Tybalt) "Have at thee coward!"
En Garde
(Gregory) "That shows thee a weak slave, for the weakest 'goes to the wall."
metaphor: "goes to the wall" meaning shoved aside.
(Gregory) " 'tis well though art not fish; if thou hadst, though hadst been 'poor john.' " POOR JOHN?
dried, salted fish, of poor quality
(Tybalt) "What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?" HEARTLESS HINDS?
cowardly servants
(Prince) "...and hear the sentence of your moved prince." MOVED?
angry
(Citizens) "Clubs, bills and partisans! Strike! Beat them down!
A rallying cry to apprentices who carried heavy sticks or clubs and watchmen who carried long-handled weapons or "bills"
(Gregory) "The quarrel is between our masters and us, their men."
maids (women) were not involved
(Gregory) "Draw thy tool." TOOL?
sword
(Benvolio) Put up thy sword, or manage it to part these men with me." MANGAGE?
use
(Prince) "Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace"
you shall pay the penalty for disturbing the peace with your lives.
(Prince) "Profaners of this neighbor-stained stell...."
you who put weapons to degrading use by shedding your neighbors blood.
(Sampson) "Take it in 'what sense' thou wilt."
"what sense" means whatever meaning