Name ________________________________________
Act One –
Interpreting the Sonnet
&
ROMEO
JULIET
Below is the opening sonnet of Romeo & Juliet.
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-crossed lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth 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.
Answer the questions below, using COMPLETE SENTENCES.
1.
How many families does Shakespeare talk about? ____________________________________________
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2.
Where does this story take place? _________________________________________________________
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3.
Based on the phrase “ancient grudge,” what might be happening between these families? _____________
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4.
What could the line “Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean” mean, in terms of what might be
happening in the city because of the families’ situation?
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5.
Explain what the line “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life” is foreshadowing. Who is it talking
about, even though it mentions no names?
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6.
What could “From the fatal loins of these two foes” mean? Consider what you know about the two
families.
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7.
According to the sonnet, does the fate of the star-crossed lovers fix what is happening with the families?
Copy the line or lines that support your answer.
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8.
The last three lines of the sonnet are talking directly to the audience about the performance. Explain what
they are saying.
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9.
This sonnet is written in iambic pentameter. The example below shows how the first line can be dissected
into the pieces that prove this structure.
Two house holds, both a like in dig ni ty
= unstressed syllable
= stressed syllable
Now, show how the following line is iambic pentameter. Remember to mark the stressed
and unstressed syllables.
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
9.
What is a sonnet?
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10.
What does this entire passage say about choices that the characters might make in the story?
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