In the Prologue, Which Line Tells How the Family Feud Comes to an End?

Jule Romans is the author of "Take Advice from Shakespeare" and other books. She has over 30 years of experience in the field of educational activity.

A line past line analysis of the prologue to Romeo and Juliet

Jule Romans

If you lot are struggling to make sense of the prologue to Romeo and Juliet, try this handy line-past-line analysis. We showtime first with the prologue in its entirety and a quick summary of the facts. And so, we motion on to a translation and explanation of each line individually.

The Prologue to Romeo and Juliet

2 households, both akin in dignity
(In fair Verona, where we lay our scene),
From ancient grudge pause 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 have their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love
And the constancy of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children'southward terminate, cipher could remove,
Is at present the two hours' traffic of our phase—
The which, if you with patient ears nourish,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Summary of the Romeo and Juliet Prologue

• The prologue to Romeo and Juliet is a sonnet with xiv lines of iambic pentameter in an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme.
• It sets the scene for the play by hinting at most of the action to come.
• the first stanza describes the setting and basic conflict of the play.
• The 2d stanza describes the young lovers and their dilemma.
• The third stanza tells how the family feud will finally end in tragedy, and explains the focus of the play.
• The last 2 lines remind the audience that in that location is more to come when the play is acted onstage.

Romeo and Juliet Prologue Assay: First Stanza

Rhyme Scheme and Iambic Pentameter

The rhyme scheme, as you may note, is ABAB, and all lines are in iambic pentameter. Note how the lines have been cleaved up to show the meter:

[1] 2 house / holds, both / alike / inorth dig / nity (A)

[two] (In fair / Vero / na, where / we lay / our scene), (B)

[iii] From an /cient grudge / break to / new mu / tiny, (A)

[4] Where ci / vil blood / makes ci / vil easily / united nationsclean. (B)

Review Iambic pentameter and Romeo and Juliet sonnets.

Two high-class families take been fighting for years in the city of Verona, Italian republic. They are soon to go embroiled in violence again. Their old grudges will erupt in bloodshed and stain their hands.

Two households, both alike in dignity

Two families, both as respected

Note the perfect iambic pentameter of this line: Two Firm/ holds BOTH / a Like / in DIG /ni TY. The two households referred to hither are the Capulets and Montagues.

This line "2 households..." has its own in-depth interpretation that can help you improve sympathise Romeo and Juliet.

The Montagues and The Capulets

Both families are equally high in rank within the city of Verona. Remember that in the time flow of the play, a "household" might include extended family, friends, and servants. So, the two households could brand upwardly a large part of the population of a smaller boondocks.

(In fair Verona, where nosotros lay our scene),

In the pleasant metropolis of Verona, where this play will take place

Verona is in northern Italy. The play is intended to take identify in the 14th or 15th century. That would be near 100 years in the past, to Shakespeare'southward audition.

This line simply makes articulate that the setting of the play will be in Italian republic, not England.

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From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

An onetime grudge and simmering resentment between the 2 families will burst into new violence.

The Capulets and Montagues take a long-standing feud that affects everyone in boondocks. Even their servants hate each other. Though this feud has non erupted in violence for awhile, it will soon do and so.

The very offset scene of the play (the one that follows this prologue) is a ball that starts because of some harsh words between the servants of both families.

Where civil blood makes ceremonious easily unclean.

The violence of the fighting between these families puts blood on the easily of civilians.

The Montagues and Capulets go blood on their hands, when they should really be fugitive this kind of low-course brawl.

A Double Meaning

Consider the play on words hither with the two uses of the give-and-take "civil." Fifty-fifty though they are supposed to be "ceremonious" or seemly, decent, and well-behaved families, not soldiers, they yet shed blood and are guilty of violence.

Also think of the epitome created by easily being unclean and stained with claret. These two things are examples of the poetic use of linguistic communication in this prologue.

Romeo and Juliet Prologue Assay: Second Stanza

Rhyme Scheme and Iambic Pentameter

Annotation the rhyme scheme that continues according to the pattern of a sonnet. The iambic pentameter continues as well, even though it is not marked.

[5] From forth the fatal loins of these two foes (C)

[6] A pair of star-crossed lovers have their life, (D)

[7] Whose misadventured piteous overthrows (C)

[eight] Doth with their decease bury their parents' strife. (D)

Two lovers are born from these warring families. Their death volition crusade the Montagues and Capulets to finally end their feud.

A more in-depth assay of the Romeo and Juliet death scene reveals the details of the double suicide where the star-crossed lovers die in the Capulet tomb.

From forth the fatal loins of these 2 foes

These 2 enemies diameter children.

"From along the fatal loins" is a reference to nascency. Loins is another discussion for the area between the legs. A babe comes forth from its mother's loins.

Referring to them equally "fatal" implies immediately that the outcome may be deadly for the child or parent. "These two foes" are the Montagues and the Capulets.

In the next line, we are to observe that in that location will be two children, i from each family.

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,

Two lovers are born from the families. Their love is doomed past fate considering of their birth to warring families.

"Star-crossed" is the phrase that implies fate. The stars, or fates, are against the lovers from the kickoff, every bit if their astrology dooms them. We tin assume that one child will exist a boy, and one volition be a girl, and that they will fall in love.

We exercise know that Romeo is the boy born into the Montague family and Juliet is the girl born into the Capulet family.

What does "Take Their Life" Mean?

"Take their life" can exist read ii means: to take life from (or be born), or to take life away from (or kill). In other words, the prologue gives you a hint about how this play will terminate, with the lovers taking their ain lives.

"Accept their life" ways, on the surface, that these two children gain life from their mothers. All the same, since we know that both Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, the phrase "take their life" has a double pregnant that foreshadows after events.

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Whose struggles and defeats should inspire our pity.

This line is probable placed to enhance the rhythm of this sonnet. Its meaning is somewhat ambiguous. Misadventures are bad adventures, or bad experiences. Piteous implies that nosotros should feel smashing sympathy for the lovers.

The Significant of "Misadventured Piteous Overthrows"

The discussion "overthrows" refers to a lesser-known definition of the word. It is: "a removal from power, a defeat or downfall." In this instance, "overthrows" refers to their attempts to thwart the hatred between the families and turn it to love.

In their love, Romeo and Juliet rebel against the family unit feud. Thus, the lovers volition take bad experiences worthy of pity and eventually exist defeated. Yet, go along in listen that we have to stretch pretty far to come up with this interpretation.

Doth with their decease bury their parents' strife.

When the lovers die, the Montagues and Capulets finally end fighting.

The death of Romeo and Juliet is pre-determined with this line. The audience now knows how the story will end. The two lovers will dice and the families will end the feud because of this.

Besides annotation the double pregnant of burial strife with death. When the lovers die, they are cached. The disharmonize between the families dies too, and is cached along with Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo and Juliet Prologue Assay: Third Stanza

Rhyme Scheme and Iambic Pentameter

This third set of four lines is the tertiary stanza. Annotation the rhyme scheme continues with the sonnet pattern:

[9] The fearful passage of their death-marked love (E)

[10] And the continuance of their parents' rage, (F)

[11] Which, simply their children's terminate, zero could remove, (Eastward)

[12] Is now the two hours' traffic of our phase (F)

The fearfulness-filled and thrilling story of how the lovers died, and how that death was the ONLY matter that could end the feud, these are the things we volition perform onstage today. The play volition tell the story of how the feud was ended by the death of the two young lovers.

The fearful passage of their death-marked love

The thrilling story of their doomed honey that volition cause them to dice

"Fearful passage" is a poetic way of maxim the progress of their dear is full of fear. In Shakespeare's fourth dimension, this too meant a story was thrilling to the audition.

Their love is marked for death from the very beginning. We are again reminded that the stop of the story volition be tragic. Nosotros begin the play by knowing the finish of the story.

What we don't know is HOW that terminate volition come about. This keeps the audience and readers interested, and foreshadows the famous balustrade scene of Romeo and Juliet.

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

And the anger that continues between the lovers' parents...

This line depends on the next line to get in complete. But, it begins by telling us that the story will include the continuing anger betwixt the families. It implies that this "rage" will negatively affect everyone.

The real pregnant comes in the next line.

Which, but their children'southward cease, naught could remove,

The anger was then stiff that, except for the death of their children, null could have it away.

Shakespeare has a trend to opposite the order of words. In this line, that is about credible. What it says is: merely the expiry of the children could accept away the rage. "Naught" means aught.

And so when nosotros read "naught could remove" information technology means "nothing could remove."

This line combines with the line before it in society to make sense.

The complete meaning, then, is: The standing feud between the Montagues and Capulets will but exist ended because of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Nix else would be strong enough to end the detest.

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage—

Is what we volition perform for you here on this stage.

The chorus is at present telling the audition that the whole story just laid out volition be performed on the phase.

"Two hours traffic" means that for the next two hours, the performers volition come and get onstage to enact the story. It is somewhat odd that the line says two hours.

In general, Shakespeare's plays were much longer than 2 hours. They frequently lasted several hours or fifty-fifty an entire afternoon. This bibelot is interesting to people who wish to await deeper.

Romeo and Juliet Prologue Analysis: Final Couplet

Rhyme Scheme and Meaning

Note that the last 2 lines rhyme with each other, creating a final couplet as required past the format of a sonnet.

[13] The which, if yous with patient ears attend, (G)
[14] What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. (1000)

This couplet has a simple pregnant. It tells the audition that "If you pay attention to the play, everything volition become clear. All the details missed in the prologue will be revealed in the performance."

The which, if you with patient ears attend,

This performance, if you will listen carefully and be patient

The play will tell the whole story, if the audition will watch closely. "Attend" means to pay attention. We know that the audience does more than listen, only Shakespeare chooses to utilise the word ears, implying that listening to the words will be of import. This makes sense considering of the poesy of the play.

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

The actors will work hard to perform this story and fill up in any details this prologue leaves out.

"What here shall miss" ways: What has not been said here in this prologue. The chorus explains that the upcoming play will cover many more events that were mentioned.

Using the words "toil" and "strive" implies that the performers will be taking slap-up care to demonstrate the story. The key thing to continue in listen is that the entire prologue is a setup to this terminal line.

This line is the introduction to the play, preparing the audition to get ready and pay attention.

The Prologue to Romeo and Juliet

[1]-- Two households, both akin in dignity (A)
[ii]-- (In fair Verona, where nosotros lay our scene), (B)
[3]-- From ancient grudge break to new wildcat, (A)
[4]-- Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. (B)
[5]-- From forth the fatal loins of these two foes (C)
[6]-- A pair of star-crossed lovers accept their life, (D)
[7]-- Whose misadventured piteous overthrows (C)
[eight]-- Doth with their decease bury their parents' strife. (D)
[9]-- The fearful passage of their expiry-marked love (E)
[ten]- And the continuance of their parents' rage, (F)
[eleven]- Which, but their children's end, goose egg could remove, (East)
[12]- Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage— (F)
[13]- The which, if yous with patient ears attend, (G)
[xiv]- What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. (G)

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: Why did Shakespeare utilise the sonnet form for the prologue?

Reply: Nosotros don't know for certain, just information technology seems possible that the sonnet form was called because of the sonnet'due south strict order and structure.

The events of the play volition exist chaotic. The words of the sonnet tell a story of potential violence and disarray.

Even so, these words are contained in a very orderly poetic course. The contrast of these two things adds complication and depth to Shakespeare's prologue.

One other popular theory proposes that the sonnet course is chosen because Romeo and Juliet is a love story, and sonnets are associated with dearest. This may be the case.

However, it seems more than likely that this theory is an interpretation that we can put on the prologue as we look back on the play. It may not have been a deliberate choice on Shakespeare's part.

We have no way to know for sure, equally I said, but it is enjoyable to written report and consider.

Question: Can you elaborate on how honey and fate are represented in Romeo and Juliet?

Answer: If you are looking for representations of dear and fate together, you need to look no further than lines 6 and vii of the prologue. Both of those lines, taken together, strongly imply that fate plays a huge role in the play. Apply of the term "star-crossed lovers" is a rather obvious reference to fate.

The stars are against Romeo and Juliet. The stars, in fact, are at cross purposes to the young lovers. Therefore, Romeo and Juliet are "star-crossed," and blighted to endure from circumstances across their command.

A less obvious representation of fate comes with the phrase "misadventured piteous overthrows." In that location is the sense of sadness (piteous), and tragic life-altering mistakes (misadventured overthrows). These events are beyond the lovers' control, and a strong representation of fate.

These ii lines set up line 8, where the use of "fearful passage" and "death-marked" are used in straight linkage to the honey between Romeo and Juliet.

Here in the prologue, we come across that death is a foregone conclusion, and that the lovers are fated to die from their passionate connection.

Question: "The which, if you with patient ears attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend". What does this line in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet hateful?

Answer: In short, it ways "If you will patiently mind to this story which we will soon act out for you hither onstage, what I have not explained here, we volition show you in our performance."

Let'southward break information technology down:

"The which" refers to the lines before. That is, the story of the dearest and expiry of Romeo and Juliet, and the feud between the Capulets and Montagues.

"If you with patient ears attend" means "If you volition patiently listen"

"What here shall miss" means whatever has been missed, or not completely explained, by this prologue.

"Our toil" is the work of the actors in performing the play.

"Shall strive to mend" ways that the performance will mend, or ready, whatsoever gaps in the story. The operation itself will explain whatever ideas that accept been missed by the statements in the prologue.

Thus, the line means:

"If you will patiently heed to the upcoming performance, all the details that the prologue may accept left out will exist shown onstage by the actors in this play."

Question: Why does Shakespeare tell us how the story is going to stop?

Answer: I know information technology might seem odd that Shakespeare tells us the ending of the Romeo and Juliet story in the prologue. But, it really wasn't all that unusual in Elizabethan England. This was a common practice in theater at the time.

The concept began with Greek theater, and was revived in Shakespeare's time. Typically, the prologue would reveal the key points of the story.

The audience wouldn't heed at all. In fact, some audiences would prefer this blazon of anticipated operation.

Question: What is the tragic theme of "Romeo and Juliet"?

Answer: There are several possible themes to discuss in "Romeo and Juliet."

It sounds as though you are looking for something that connects well with the definition of tragedy. In this case, one of the themes could be that unrestrained passion is fatal.

Nosotros see examples of this sort of thing throughout the play. Friar Laurence has several speeches that admonish confronting rash and violent actions. Tybalt as a consummate graphic symbol demonstrates the destruction of passionate emotions that are not balanced with dignity. From the very commencement of the play, unrestrained emotion drives characters to devastating violence.

A typical theme of "Romeo and Juliet" might be, merely, "dear." But that is too simplistic.

The TRAGIC theme of the play is improve stated as: "unrestrained passion can be fatal." Passion certainly was fatal for many of the characters in the play, and not only Romeo and Juliet.

Question: Is Romeo and Juliet a tragedy or a comedy?

Answer: Technically, The play Romeo and Juliet is neither a tragedy nor a comedy.

The play does not fit the classical definition of tragedy. In a traditional tragedy, there must be a main character who begins equally a good person, but has a fatal flaw that leads to downfall, and eventually, death. Before death, that main character must also have a moment of insight, and limited some grade of sensation that there has been a fall from grace.

None of the characters in Romeo and Juliet fulfill all of these characteristics. Friar Laurence comes closest. However, even though Friar Laurence does evidence a fatal flaw, downfall, and insight, he does not dice.

Romeo and Juliet both die, of class, simply they do not evidence evidence of the progression required to be considered tragic heroes.

So, Romeo and Juliet is not easily classified as a tragedy.

A Shakespearean one-act has a lighthearted tone and typically ends with the marriage of several characters, or another celebration of some sort. I think we can all concord that Romeo and Juliet does not fit with this definition of one-act.

Therefore, Romeo and Juliet is non classified as a tragedy and does not fit the requirements of a comedy, either.

Question: Why did Shakespeare write a prologue?

Answer: No one is really sure of Shakespeare's motives in writing this prologue. Even so, the prologue to Romeo and Juliet sets upwardly the story very finer.

It would be very common in Shakespeare's time for audiences to know all near a story earlier they e'er saw it acted onstage. And then, it'south not unusual that the prologue sets the scene and tells everything that is happening in the play earlier it fifty-fifty begins.

The cracking affair well-nigh this prologue, though, is that information technology really adds weight to the "star crossed lovers" theme past increasing the sense of fate.

From the very first, the fate of the immature lovers is already decided. This theme of fate weaves its mode throughout the residuum of the play and is underscored by the prologue itself.

And then, while nosotros don't know exactly why Shakespeare wrote it, we certainly know why it is a perfect way to start the play.

Question: What is the setting of "Romeo and Juliet"?

Reply: "Romeo and Juliet" takes place in the 14th century in the city of Verona, Italy.

Question: what does the chorus ask of the audition in the final two lines of Romeo and Juliet?

Answer: In the last ii lines of the prologue, the chorus says:

"The which if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."

The chorus is asking the audience to pay close attention to the deportment that will shortly accept place on stage.

© 2014 Jule Romans

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Source: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Romeo-and-Juliet-Prologue-Analysis-Line-by-Line#:~:text=Doth%20with%20their%20death%20bury%20their%20parents'%20strife.,-When%20the%20lovers&text=The%20death%20of%20Romeo%20and,the%20feud%20because%20of%20this.

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