Romeo and Juliet Prologue

1. Romeo and Juliet Prologue William Shakespeare

2. 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.

3. “Two Households…” (two families)

4. “both alike in dignity…” (They’re both powerful and rich)

5. “in fair Verona, where we lay our scene” (In Verona, Italy, where this story takes place)

6. From ancient grudge… (there has been fighting a long time)

7. “break to new mutiny” (there’s new fighting)

8. “Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” (The powerful people have killed each other so often that their hands are not free of the blood of their neighbors.)

9. What sort of environment is this?

10. “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes…” (These two families that hate each other both had kids…)

11. “a pair of star-crossed lovers…” (a guy and a girl born of these two families who are sworn enemies and cannot be together…)

12. “take their life”

13. “Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.”

14. “The fearful passage of their death-marked love…” (The course that their love took, which was headed straight for death…”

15. “And the continuance of their parents’ rage…” (and the fact that their parents could never start getting along…)

16. “Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove…” (Even the death of their children could not remove the hate between the two families…)

17. “Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage.” (is now what we’ll perform on the stage for two hours)

18. If you watch and listen carefully (as an audience), You’ll get to hear the rest of the story we’ve summarized for you. “The which if you with patient ears attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.”

19. Writing Portfolio Entry #3 Make up a story to explain why the Montagues and the Capulets have hated each other for so long. Be creative!

20. Now the play can begin! It’s your job to summarize the prologue in a paragraph of five to eight sentences.

21. Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Prologue Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie, And young affection gapes to be his heir;That fair for which love groan'd for and would die,With tender Juliet match'd, is now not fair.Now Romeo is beloved and loves again,Alike betwitched by the charm of looks,But to his foe supposed he must complain,And she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks:Being held a foe, he may not have accessTo breathe such vows as lovers use to swear;And she as much in love, her means much lessTo meet her new-beloved any where:But passion lends them power, time means, to meetTempering extremities with extreme sweet.