Romeo and Juliet Prologue Analysis, Line by Line

If you are struggling to make sense of the prologue to Romeo and Juliet, try this handy line-by-line analysis.

We start first with the prologue in its entirety and a quick summary of the facts. Then, we move on to a translation and explanation of each line individually. To make things easier, the prologue is repeated in full again at the end of the analysis.

This analysis may make writing essays a bit easier as well.

The Prologue to Romeo and Juliet

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.

• The prologue is a sonnet with 14 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

• It describes the setting and basic conflict in the first stanza of four lines

• The next four-line 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 two lines remind the audience that there is more to come when the play is acted onstage

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 broken up to show the meter:

[1] Two house / holds, both / alike / in dig / nity (A)

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

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

[4] Where ci / vil blood / makes ci / vil hands / unclean. (B)

Review Iambic pentameter and Romeo and Juliet sonnets.

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

Two families, both equally respected

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

The Montagues and The Capulets

Both families are equally high in rank within the city of Verona. Remember that in the time period of the play, a “household” might include extended family, friends, and servants. So, the two households could make up a large part of the population of a smaller town.

A complete discussion of the line: Two households both alike in dignity,

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

Verona is in northern Italy. The play is intended to take place in the 14th or 15th century. That would be about 100 years in the past, to Shakespeare’s audience.

This line simply makes clear that the setting of the play will be in Italy, not England.

An old grudge and simmering resentment between the two families will burst into new violence.

The Capulets and Montagues have a long-standing feud that affects everyone in town. Even their servants hate each other. Though this feud has not erupted in violence for awhile, it will soon do so.

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

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

The Montagues and Capulets get blood on their hands, when they should really be avoiding this kind of low-class brawl.

A Double Meaning

Consider the play on words here with the two uses of the word “civil.” Even though they are supposed to be “civil” or seemly, decent, and well-behaved families, not soldiers, they still shed blood and are guilty of violence.

Also think of the image created by hands being unclean and stained with blood. These two things are examples of the poetic use of language in this prologue.

Rhyme Scheme and Iambic Pentameter

Note 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 take their life, (D)

[7] Whose misadventured piteous overthrows (C)

[8] Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. (D)

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

These two enemies bore children.

“From forth the fatal loins” is a reference to birth. Loins is another word for the area between the legs. A baby comes forth from its mother’s loins.

Referring to them as “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 discover that there will be two children, one from each family.

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

“Star-crossed” is the phrase that implies fate. The stars, or fates, are against the lovers from the start, as if their astrology dooms them. We can assume that one child will be a boy, and one will be a girl, and that they will fall in love.

We do 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 be read two ways: 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 end, with the lovers taking their own lives.

“Take their life” means, on the surface, that these two children gain life from their mothers. However, since we know that both Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, the phrase “take their life” has a double meaning that foreshadows later events.

Whose struggles and defeats should inspire our pity.

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

The Meaning of “Misadventured Piteous Overthrows”

The word “overthrows” refers to a lesser-known definition of the word. It is: “a removal from power, a defeat or downfall.” In this case, “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 feud. Thus, the lovers will have bad experiences worthy of pity and eventually be defeated. However, keep in mind that we have to stretch pretty far to come up with this interpretation.

When the lovers die, the Montagues and Capulets finally stop 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 die and the families will end the feud because of this.

Also note the double meaning of burying strife with death. When the lovers die, they are buried. The conflict between the families dies as well, and is buried along with Romeo and Juliet.

Rhyme Scheme and Iambic Pentameter

This third set of four lines is the third stanza. Note 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, but their children’s end, naught could remove, (E)

[12] Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage (F)

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

The thrilling story of their doomed love that will cause them to die

“Fearful passage” is a poetic way of saying the progress of their love is full of fear. In Shakespeare’s time, this also meant a story was thrilling to the audience.

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

What we don’t know is HOW that end will come about.

And the anger that continues between the lovers’ parents…

This line depends on the next line to make it complete. But, it begins by telling us that the story will include the continuing anger between the families. It implies that this “rage” will negatively affect everyone.

The real meaning comes in the next line.

The anger was so strong that, except for the death of their children, nothing could take it away.

Shakespeare has a tendency to reverse the order of words. In this line, that is most apparent. What it says is: only the death of the children could take away the rage. “Naught” means nothing.

So when we read “naught could remove” it means “nothing could remove.”

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

The complete meaning, then, is: The continuing feud between the Montagues and Capulets will only be ended because of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Nothing else would be strong enough to end the hate.

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

The chorus is now telling the audience that the whole story just laid out will be performed on the stage.

“Two hours traffic” means that for the next two hours, the performers will come and go onstage to enact the story. It is somewhat odd that the line says two hours.

In general, Shakespeare’s plays were much longer than two hours. They often lasted several hours or even an entire afternoon. This anomaly is interesting to people who wish to look deeper.

Rhyme Scheme and Meaning

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

[13] The which, if you with patient ears attend, (G)

[14] What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. (G)

This couplet has a simple meaning. It tells the audience that “If you pay attention to the play, everything will become clear. All the details missed in the prologue will be revealed in the performance.”

This performance, if you will listen carefully and be patient

The play will tell the whole story, if the audience will watch closely. “Attend” means to pay attention. We know that the audience does more than listen, but Shakespeare chooses to use the word ears, implying that listening to the words will be important. This makes sense because of the poetry of the play.

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

“What here shall miss” means: 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 great care to demonstrate the story. The key thing to keep in mind is that the entire prologue is a setup to this final line.

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

The Prologue to Romeo and Juliet

[1]– Two households, both alike in dignity (A)

[2]– (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), (B)

[3]– From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, (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 take their life, (D)

[7]– Whose misadventured piteous overthrows (C)

[8]– Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. (D)

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

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

[11]- Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove, (E)

[12]- Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage— (F)

[13]- The which, if you with patient ears attend, (G)

[14]- What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. (G)