In your study of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, be sure that you can answer the following questions on The Prologue:
- Who speaks The Prologue?
- What is the purpose of The Prologue?
- What poetic form does it take?
- Explain the importance of lines 5 and 6.
- Why does Shakespeare tell us how the story is going to end and what effect does this have on the audience?
- What themes are established in The Prologue?
What quotations should you know from the Prologue? You should really know the whole Prologue off-by-heart. It is a sonnet and 14 lines should not present too much of a challenge. Perhaps the most crucial phrases from are as follows:
‘star-crossed lovers’
and
‘death-marked love’