ROMEO AND JULIET - THE PROLOGUE
Level 7-9
Shakespeare uses the prologue of Romeo and Juliet introduce the audience to the major issues discussed in the play such as feuding and fate, the main idea being the ancient conflict between the Capulets and Montagues and how they affect Romeo and Juliet’s love.
The Montagues and Capulets seem to have been in a long-lasting quarrel for as long as anyone can remember, “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny” describes the deep hatred the two houses have for each other, engrained in every member’s brain which portrays the theme of honour. But in contrast, two young people from opposite houses have fallen in love encouraging yet another bout of conflict from the everlasting feud. Romeo and Juliet are described as “star-cross’d lovers” which implies that their love was written in the stars as fate, which brings the attention of the audience to one of the main themes discussed in the play, fate. Fate brings Romeo and Juliet together only to bring them to inevitable death emphasised by their love being categorised as “death mark’d”. The prologue emphasises the tragedy of their fatal death but also paints the picture to the audience that Romeo and Juliet would have been perfect for each other if their families had not been quarrelling as they came from “two houses both alike in dignity” meaning that they were both nobility and therefore suitable for one another in the eyes of society.
The prologue also suggests that the death of the two heirs to the houses was the only thing that could break the feud and resolve the conflict to what seems to be a mutual respect for their dead loved ones. Shakespeare uses a metaphor in “death bury their parents’ strife” to represent that while Romeo and Juliet have to be buried because of their devasting death, the feud is also being buried metaphorically. Strangely enough the only event that can solve this conflict between the Montagues and Capulets, that caused so much death and danger for such a long period of time is the death of their own kinsman which is a little bit ironic.
The deep hatred between the Montagues and Capulets was the only thing stopping Romeo and Juliet from being free and in love leading the story back to cruel fate and the unnecessary conflict, only intensifying the tragedy.