Romeo and Julian

Act 1 scene 1- quench the fire of your pernicious rage.

It was hot. Sizzling. Even at eight o'clock.

Verona was coming to life: people poured out of the houses and filled the streets while market traders set up their stalls in the grand piazza. It was a good patch, an excellent place to catch the business of those who lived and worked in the rich houses that lined Verona's main square.

The Montague mansion was one of the biggest – filled with servants and humming with activity. It was an hour till breakfast and while the cooks sweated over the fires in the kitchen, conjuring mouth-watering aromas of baked bread and hams, the serving men killed time as best they could.

Two of them – hot, bored and restless – stepped out into the bustle of the piazza and swaggered about among the bright colours, the animal smells and the din of traders' voices, hoping to find some action.

'I'm bored.' retorted Sampson. His face twisted with scorn. 'let's have a fight, I'll take on any of these men – or women,' he added, winking.

'I know that's your level,' said Gregory, 'but don't fight with the women. Why fight with the women? This fight should just be between men.'

'Ha.' Sampson fancied himself quite seriously. 'When I've dealt with the men I'll take care of the women.' He made a rude gesture with his arm. 'Don't you worry about that.'

'Well here's your chance to show me,' said Gregory as two young men, from the Capulet household, came around a corner and on to the piazza.

With an exaggerated flourish, Sampson put his hand on his hip.

'Right,' he said. 'We're on. Pick a fight with them. I'll be right behind you.'

'That's what I'm afraid of,' said Gregory.

'No wait.' The Capulet men were almost there. 'Be careful. We mustn't put ourselves in the wrong. Let them be the ones to start.'

'Alright.' Gregory screwed his face up. They might as well have a bit of fun. It wouldn't come to anything serious. Just a bit of fun. 'I'll frown as we pass them. Let's see what they do.'

'Good thinking,' said Sampson. 'And I'll bite my thumb at them. If they take that it will really show them up.'

The Capulet adolescents came closer. With Gregory's frowning and Sampson's pointed biting of his thumb, they represented a very strange and obvious spectacle, which the Capulets couldn't ignore.

The two of them stopped. One of them, a rather superior young man named Abraham, looked at Sampson as though he were crazy. He turned slowly to his companion with a query on his face. His friend, Balthasar, shrugged. Abraham turned back to Sampson.

'Are you biting your thumb at us?' he said.

'I'm biting my thumb, as you can see,' said Sampson.

'I can see that. But are you biting your thumb at us?'

Sampson leant over and whispered to his friend: 'Is the law on our side if I say 'yes'?'

Gregory shook his head.

'No.' Sampson straightened up. 'I'm not biting my thumb at you.'

'Well,' said the Capulet. 'That's alright then.' He knew as well as Sampson what the penalty for starting a fight was. 'Peace to you then.'

The Capulets were about to move on but the temptation was too much for Sampson. He couldn't let this chance pass.

'I'm definitely biting my thumb, though,' he said.

Gregory, forgetting the dangers in this moment of excitement, stepped forward then and gave the two a hard look. 'Do you want to make something of it?'