Romeo and Juliet Prologue

Dear Grade 10s

As we move through our Forum Discussions and into Romeo and Juliet, here is an excellent analysis and revision of 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;
Whose 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.



Remember that the Prologue is a compact version of the whole play. It is important that you understand why Shakespeare chose to divulge the plot to us at the beginning. How does our knowledge of the plot force us to focus on other aspects of the text? How does knowing the plot increase the Dramatic Irony of the play and the emotional impact of watching Romeo and Juliet fall in love? Think about these questions as we read the text.