Sampson, a servant of the house of Capulet, appears primarily in Act 1, Scene 1. From the beginning, we see him as a crass trash-talker, but one whose talk is bigger than his actions.
Right from the outset of the play, Sampson launches into a mini-tirade about the Montagues. A few lines later, when members of the house of Montague actually arrive, Sampson states to Gregory, a fellow servant, "I will take the wall of...
Sampson, a servant of the house of Capulet, appears primarily in Act 1, Scene 1. From the beginning, we see him as a crass trash-talker, but one whose talk is bigger than his actions.
Right from the outset of the play, Sampson launches into a mini-tirade about the Montagues. A few lines later, when members of the house of Montague actually arrive, Sampson states to Gregory, a fellow servant, "I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's" (Act 1, Scene 1, line 11). During Shakespeare's time, sewage ran down the center of the street. To "take the wall" was to walk closer to the wall, sending the other person closer to the sewage. Thus, Sampson was basically saying that he would push the Montagues toward raw sewage. He later discusses the Montague women in particularly crass terms -- even making a rape comment.
Yet when the Montagues approach, Sampson changes his tune. He comments that he wants the members of the Montague house to start any fighting, and manages only to "bite his thumb." While this is essentially the Romeo and Juliet version of a middle finger, it is far tamer than the trash-talking that immediately preceded it.
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