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"heartless hinds"
Wordplay
Act 1,
Scene 1
Lines 57-67

An explanation of the pun on “heartless” and “hinds” in Act 1, Scene 1 of myShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Sampson

Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy
washing blow.
[The servants draw their swords and fight. Benvolio draws his sword and approaches the fighting men.]

Benvolio

Part, fools, put up your swords; you know not what     
you do.
[Tybalt draws his sword and addresses Benvolio]

Tybalt

What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?
Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death.

Benvolio

I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.

Tybalt

What, drawn and talk of peace! I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.
Have at thee, coward!                                                    

Tybalt is insulting Benvolio for fighting with mere servants, instead of with another noble like himself. But he's also making a pun when he refers to the Montague servants as "heartless hinds":

  • In one sense, a "hind" is a peasant or servant, and to be "heartless" means lacking courage.

  • But in a second sense, a "hind" is a female deer, and a "hart" is a male deer.  Tybalt is calling the Montague servants effeminate, and saying that Benvolio is something below a masculine stag.