Examine how Shakespeare uses language in the Prologue, Act One Scene One and Act One Scene Five, to prepare the audience for what happens in the play as a whole.

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Fatima Shaikh

English coursework- Pre 1914 Drama

Examine how Shakespeare uses language in the Prologue, Act One Scene One and Act One Scene Five, to prepare the audience for what happens in the play as a whole.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story written by Shakespeare and the fact that Romeo and Juliet will end in tragedy is apparent in the first part of the play, which is the Prologue. The Prologue of Romeo and Juliet not only introduces the play but reveals the whole storyline to the audience. The Prologue also makes the audience very curious about how and why these things will happen and the prologue introduces us to the themes of the play. In the Elizabethan era, theatres were noisy and most people would start throwing rotten food when they did not like a play. Shakespeare used a powerful and intense Prologue to catch the audience’s attention and engage them into the play as a whole.

Romeo and Juliet come from “two households” who hold an “ancient grudge” which makes them enemies. The Capulets and Montagues have been enemies for decades or even centuries, no one really knows. The story of Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona.  Romeo and Juliet are referred to as “fatal loins” which means that they are unfortunate offspring of the “two foes”. We, as an audience, may feel sorry for Romeo and Juliet as they are led to an unfortunate fate and destiny because of their parents’ anger and enmity. The antagonism between the two families forbids the love of Romeo and Juliet and forbids them to be with each other which both lovers hope to be. At the end of the play, we can see that the antagonism and hatred between the “two households” leads to the unfortunate and unnecessary death of the two lovers.

Romeo and Juliet are also referred to as “start cross’d lovers”. From the very beginning it is evident that they were destined by the stars to an unfortunate future. The prologue reveals to us the story of their doomed love and their parents' anger, which nothing but the children's deaths could stop. This is evident in the quotation: “And the continuance of their parents’ rage, which, but their children’s end, nought could remove”. Once again, the audience may show sympathy towards the two lovers and may feel the empathy between Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet commit suicide for the sake of each other. This helps the audience feel the compassion and commitment between them. When Romeo and Juliet take their lives because they cannot be together, we as an audience can feel that there was true love between Romeo and Juliet and not only lust. Shakespeare makes the audience feels sympathy and pity for the two lovers, even before the play has started. From the beginning of the play, we as an audience feel that Romeo and Juliet are right in what they are doing and we start to envy the two families because of the hatred they cause between each other.

Shakespeare foreshadows that Romeo and Juliet will kill themselves by the end of the play and that with their death, their parents will reconcile. Also, in the prologue it states that the dreadful course of their love was destined and marked for death.  This is evident in the quotation: “The fearful passage of their death mark’d love".  This makes the audience feel very curious about their journey and how it will end in death. The curiosity of the audience engages them into the play and the audience are fully aware of the events that are going to take place and it also makes the audience wonder how the events will conclude in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

The Prologue is written in the form of a sonnet. A sonnet is a fourteen line verse set with a rhyming scheme and with ten syllables in each line. The ten syllables give it a fixed rhythm and this is referred to as iambic pentameter. The Prologue from Romeo and Juliet is fourteen lines long and has ten syllables in each line and also rhyming couplets. It is clearly apparent that the prologue is a sonnet. Shakespeare wrote the prologue in the form of a sonnet to keep the audience engaged. The form and structure of the Prologue has a rhythm to it which affects the audience’s attention.

The Prologue also has an oxymoron. An oxymoron describes two juxtaposed words having opposing or very diverse meanings which are put next to each other. For example in the prologue, “fatal loins” in an oxymoron as the word “fatal” means death and the word “loins” means childbirth. These two words are very different and diverse towards each other and this is what makes them an oxymoron.  Childbirth cannot be referred to as death because childbirth means beginning of a new life and not ending of a life. Romeo and Juliet are referred to as unfortunate because they are produced from “two foes” with “fatal loins”.  

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The Prologue contains a hint of verbal irony. Verbal irony is when one thing is said but it has a completely different meaning. For example, the Prologue opens with "Two households, both alike in dignity”.  When read, we think that the two families are very formal, solemn and noble. But as the play goes on, however, we realize that each family is violently competitive. And they are similarly undignified.

The Prologue reflects some of the themes of the play. Love and hate: The play contrasts Romeo and Juliet's love against their families' hate as illustrated by the feud. ...

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