One important theme running not just through Act One Scene One is masculine honour. In Verona, a man must a man must defend his honour whenever it is insulted, whether verbally or physically. Their houses’ honour is something that all the men, whatever their class or social standing, feel they have to uphold, so this concept animates Sampson and Gregory (servants) as much as it does Capulet (a nobleman). This concept is also proven by the two Ladies having to prevent their husbands from fighting. ‘Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe!’ During the play the audience never witnesses any girls fighting, which again proves that the fight is masculine.
Throughout this opening scene the suggestion is made that various parts of the conflict are unnecessary. One of the most obvious is when Gregory remarks ‘The quarrel is between our masters’ This implies that the servants actually had no need to get involved – the fight is between their masters, Lord Capulet and Lord Montague, so why are they, the servants, becoming involved? Ironically, Capulet and Montague are never shown fighting. It is the servants and the younger generation (the generation of Romeo and Juliet) that start and are involved in the fight. Most of these unnecessary events are simply caused by interference. The brawl started in this particular scene is kicked off by Sampson and Gregory noticing Abram and deciding to insult him, letting him decide what happens next. Had they not interfered with Abram, the fight would probably have been averted. Instead, Sampson and Gregory tried to get around the law and deliberately start a fight.
As the scene continues the fighting escalates, with the nobles eventually getting involved. Benvolio and Tybalt, cousins of Romeo and Juliet respectively, are introduced. They are introduced in such a manner, however, that does nothing to stop the fighting. Benvolio enters in an attempt to break up his fight, but does so by drawing his sword – ironic because he is trying to ‘keep the peace’ with a weapon. Tybalt enters and sees this irony, before issuing a death threat and begins fighting Benvolio. These two characters are juxtaposition, with Tybalt’s fiery nature and eagerness to fight – ‘In the instant came the fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepared’ – and Benvolio’s unwillingness to get involved and desire to prevent the fighting, in short, to ‘keep the peace’. However, even he is drawn into the violence by Tybalt. Tybalt seems to act as some sort of catalyst for the conflict – when he comes along, the fighting escalates. Sampson and Gregory know this, for when they see Tybalt coming, they know that their family has an advantage in this particular section of the conflict. ‘Say “better”! Here comes one of my master’s kinsmen.’ It appears that the servants have a lot of respect for Tybalt, however the audience will feel differently. Everyone, including Benvolio and civilians, end up involved in this pointless conflict, so the audience has no respect for any of the participants. This directly opposes what Paris says in the next scene, ‘Of honourable reckoning are you both.’ No representatives of either family look or act particularly honourably in Act 1 Scene One, even though Capulet tells Paris that he and Montague are actually very similar, and it shouldn’t be hard for them to keep to peace. ‘But Montague is bound as well as I... ’tis not hard, I think, for men so old as we to keep the peace.’ Once again this makes the audience wonder why these two families are involved in this conflict.
The fighting only stops when the Prince, acting as a representative of the law, steps in and issues a warning that if they ever disturb Verona’s streets by fighting, their ‘lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace’. He delivers a very angry speech designed to make everyone stop – ‘Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground’ - and listen so he can get his point across. The warning actually foreshadows the conclusion of the play – two lives are taken as forfeit for the conflict, but they are not the lives of anyone who was involved in this fight. No, it is Romeo and Juliet who end up dead as a result of this family conflict. They become the forfeit as the warning was not taken.
‘civil brawls, bred of an airy word’ hints that violence is so easily started between the families by something as simple as a conversation, which is how the fight between the servants started. Sampson and Gregory attempted to get around the law by choosing their words carefully, but nevertheless a brawl was started. It is a ridiculous way to start a fight, and had Sampson not bitten his thumb at Abram, the two would probably have been able to have a normal conversation without hostile ‘airy words’ getting in the way.
Within the whole of Act One Scene One are many smaller dramas representing violence, for example, Sampson and Gregory vs. Abram, Benvolio vs. Tybalt, and ultimately the Montague House vs. The Capulet House that all make up this opening fight. Nearly all of the Prince’s society is affected, the two Houses being the most so. It is almost like a disease running through everyone, which links with Mercutio’s dying words ‘A plague o' both your houses!’ The ‘plague’ is set to poison – indeed, Romeo drinks poison to kill himself - and destroy. It is the two houses’ family conflict that poisons the community and ultimately destroys Romeo and Juliet.