The Prologue – Romeo and Juliet Name: ______Hour ___
What it says… / What it means…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 for these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which, but their children’s end, naught 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.
Following are questions to consider as you read through the Prologue to Romeo and Juliet.
Prologue Vocabulary: be familiar with the following vocabulary words as you read the prologue; if there are any words you do not know, look them up:
DIGNITY MUTINY CIVIL LOINS PITEOUS
NAUGHT TRAFFIC TOIL STAR-CROSSED STRIFE
Do the following on the reverse side in the “What it says…” column.
1. Highlight in PINK all of the words that have to do with love.
2. Highlight in ORANGE all of the words that have to do with violence.
3. Highlight in BLUE all of the words that have to do with family.
Answer the following questions using complete sentences:
4. How many lines does the prologue have?
5. How many syllables does each line have? What is that called?
6. What is the place setting of the play?
7. What is the relationship between the two households?
8. What does Shakespeare mean by “star-crossed lovers”?
9. What happens to the lovers?
10. What is the subject matter for this play?
11. What does the chorus ask of the audience in the last two lines? Why?
12. What is the name of the poetic form which Shakespeare uses for the Prologue? How many lines are there? Note the rhyming pattern. Record the rhyming pairs of words below.
13. Underline examples of poetic language in the “What it says…” column.