Monday, 12 November 2018Monday, 12 November 2018 The Prologue To become familiar with Shakespearean tragedy and the concept of a Tragic Hero To understand the purpose of the prologue

Five Acts of Tragedy Act 1 – The Exposition Act 2 – The Development Introduction of characters, setting, and plan Act 2 – The Development A plan is developing, affecting all characters Act 3 – The Climax A big event happens that changes everything Act 4 – Further Development Events happen because of the change Act 5 – Final Crisis A final big event happens that ends the story

Shakespearean Tragedy A play with an unhappy ending, usually involving the downfall of the main character, also known as the Tragic Hero. Exposition & Rising Action Falling Action & Resolution Acts 4 & 5 Climax Acts 1 & 2 Act 3 The story starts in an ordered society, with the Hero being a respected member of society. The Hero comes into a direct and final conflict, usually resulting in his death. At the very end, a new hope is presented for the future. Extreme and often violent events take place, usually resulting in a character's death. The characters’ personalities and relationships are changed.

The Tragic Hero Begins as a respectable, well-liked member of society often of a higher class The Hero has a Tragic Flaw – a characteristic that at first may seem harmless, but will lead to the Hero’s downfall The Hero has an encounter with a character that changes their priorities, attitudes, and overall behaviour The Hero is consumed by the encounter, and starts committing questionable acts The Hero commits an unforgivable action which changes the lives of the Hero and everyone around them The Hero loses control over their thoughts and actions, becoming a despicable member of society, almost a villain In their final confrontation with their opposing forces, the Hero gives in to their Tragic Flaw, faces his mistakes, and dies

Romeo’s Downfall Turn from hero to villain Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4

Prologue In a play, a prologue is a speech that is delivered to the audience before the main action begins on the stage. 'Prologue' comes from the Greek word prólogos. Pro means 'before,' and logos means 'word‘, meaning it is the word before the action. It is meant to give background information and establish the setting for the plot that is about to unfold onstage. Shakespeare borrowed the idea of a prologue from Greek theatre, 2,0000 years before his time. In Greek drama, a prologue gives background information that is essential for the audience to understand the play as it unfolds. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare gives some background information in his prologue, but generally uses it to give the audience an overview of what is going to happen, which allows them to watch as the events lead up to the anticipated end. The sole character in the prologue is the chorus. In Greek drama, it consists of a group of people who serve to narrate throughout the play; they provide more details of what the characters are thinking or feeling, and they often sing and dance. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare designates a single person as the chorus. The individual only appears before the first and second acts to tell the audience how the play is going to end. In similar fashion to the singing Greek chorus, Shakespeare's chorus speaks in a poetic sonnet.

The Prologue     Two households, both alike in dignity,     In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,     From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,     Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.     From forth the fatal loins of these two foes     A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;     Whole misadventured piteous overthrows     Do with their death bury their parents' strife.     The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,     And the continuance of their parents' rage,     Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,     Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;     The which if you with patient ears attend,     What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. Alike in dignity = same social status New mutiny = new hatred Civil = civilised Fatal loins = destructive bodies Star-cross’d = fated, destined Misadventured = unlucky Strife = conflict, fight But = except for Traffic = topic, subject Miss = not include Toil shall strive to mend = work will compensate for

Quick Questions What is revealed about the two families? What is revealed about the fate of the two lovers? What is revealed about the families at the end of the play? What is the structure of the prologue? Why has Shakespeare chosen it?

Modern Day Prologue Translate your group’s allocated lines into modern English. Group 1 → Lines 1 – 3 Group 2 → Lines 4 – 6 Group 3 → Lines 7 – 9 Group 4 → Lines 10 – 12 Group 5→ Lines 13 – 14

The Modern Prologue Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whole misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Reread the prologue and make a list of the positive and negative words.

Analysis of the Prologue What is noticeable about the amount of positive and negative words used? How does the language used set the tone for the rest of the play? Why does Shakespeare use opposites?

Storyboard the Prologue You were asked to film a new version of the play’s prologue. Similarly to the 1996 film, design a storyboard matching the lines. Think of: Where does your version take place Italy England Space Middle East When does your version take place Elizabethan times Medieval times Future Modern day