Romeo & Juliet THE PROLOGUE

Basic Info It’s a sonnet – we start R & J with a simple fourteen lines Purpose: Set the stage for location, characters to expect, and the events that will unfold during the play

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.

First Quatrain 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. What should we expect: TWO families = two households (both of some form of nobility) Setting = Verona (ITALY) These two families have an old grudge, and something will rekindle this fight – making both families GUILTY (“civil hands unclean”)

Second Quatrain 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 children (“loins”) are what cause the problem “Star-crossed” is bad – fate will not be on your side, you are challenging destiny You can’t control who you are in love with, which is why Romeo & Juliet are star-crossed Their love will cause a lot of problems, and then eventually help cause the grudge to pass (in theory)

Third Quatrain 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; This play is about how they are marked for death BECAUSE they love one another Their parents will continue to fight and rage – the understanding is that maybe if their chidren are in love… they will stop fighting to RESPECT their wishes of love (they won’t) They play will last two hours… this is for the audience!

The Concluding Couplet  The which if you with patient ears attend,     What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. Be patient – listen fully If you miss anything, you’ll miss the tragedy of how two people in love tried to end a war, gave their lives, and it was all for nothing.

Overall This is to WARN us. It’s a tragedy! Romeo and Juliet WILL die – but it’s with purpose! Shakespeare hooks us with fourteen lines, and gives us an understanding of what to expect! Be prepared for: murder, suicide, accidental death, family war… you name it, it’s there! This play is great, just has a lot of plot holes – you either love it or hate it… but it does tell a very good tale of how love DOES NOT conquer all.