In fact, Romeo and Juliet sees to think sex and death go together like, uh, Oreos and milk. Sex and death: pretty much the opposite of each other, right? Not in Romeo and Juliet. The Capulet/ Montague feud, which has obviously trickled down to involve their servants, is completely absurd. Pretty dumb, right? And that seems to be Shakespeare's point. The funny thing is, Sampson's too much of a coward to own up to his silly gesture because the "law" won't be on his "side" if his thumb biting causes a big old brawl (he doesn't want to get busted for causing a fracas). Sampson doesn't have a good reason to insult the Montagues' servantsâhe's basically looking to stir up trouble because his masters (the Capulets) are feuding with the Montagues. SAMPSON No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir. SAMPSON Is the law of our side, if I say 'Ay'? Here's how it all goes down in the play:ĪBRAHAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Unless you're fluent in childish Elizabethan gestures ( anyone? Bueller?), you might be wondering what the what Sampson's up to when he spots the Montague's servants on the streets and announces, "I will bite my thumb at / them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it" (1.1.43-44).īasically, thumb biting, which involves biting and then flicking one's thumb from behind the upper teeth, is a Shakespearean version of flipping someone the bird and saying "nanny nanny boo boo." It's an insulting gesture that sounds just a wee bit (okay, a lot) immature.
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