Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Today: The PROLOGUE as Sonnet

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Do Now: Read The Prologue Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. and answer ­ From forth the fatal loins of these two foes 1. How many lines are in The A pair of star­cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Prologue? Doth with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death­mark'd love, 2. How many syllables are in And the continuance of their parents' rage, each line? Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, (What is this called?) 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

3. What is the rhyme scheme?

1 A Shakespearean sonnet contains

* 14 lines

* a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG

* written in Iambic Pentameter

2 The Prologue is spoken by a Narrator (the Chorus) at the beginning of the play. The purpose of this is to 1. get the attention of the rowdy crowd in the Globe theater and 2. introduce the play and provide an overview

3 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 star­cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death­mark'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

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