Name: ___________________________________ Date: ________________ Period: ________
Romeo and Juliet: Opening 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-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.
1.
Rhyme Scheme
A
B
Sonnet:
A
Structured poem of 14 lines
B
C
Quatrain: 4 lines
Couplet: 2 lines
D
C
Shakespearean Sonnet:
D
14 lines
E
3 quatrains (ABAB)
F
1 couplet (CC)
E
F
Keep an eye out for more
G
sonnets hidden in the dialogue!
G
Two households both alike in dignity. What does this mean? Who are the two houses?
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2.
(In fair Verona where we lay our scene). What is this saying about where the play is set?
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3.
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, / Where civil blood makes civil hands
unclean. What is an ancient grudge? What does it mean to “break” to new mutiny? How are
the civil hands made unclean?
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4.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes/ A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;
Who is this referring to? What does this tell us about how the play ends?
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5.
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows/ Doth with their death bury their parents’
strife. What is a misadventured piteous overthrow? What does the children’s death do for the
parents?
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6.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love / And the continuance of their parents’
rage / Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove. What is this passage saying? What
eventually ends the fighting between the parents?
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7.
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage. What is two hours long?
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8.
The which, if you with patient ears attend, / What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to
mend. What is the play promising to the audience?
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