The following activity is a great way to introduce the story of Romeo and Juliet to a group of students who are getting to know the play and introduces them to the opening prologue.
The Prologue You can also print the ten lines on this page and ask students to work in pairs to arrange them in the order they take place in the play. Help us by taking a short survey — it will only take a few minutes and will help us make the Shakespeare Learning Zone even better for everyone. Main Site Menu. Plot Test Youself. Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo dead. The Prologue The activity can be found on pages 2 and 3 and takes approximately 20 minutes.
It is only through death that they can preserve their love, and their love is so profound that they are willing to end their lives in its defense. In the play, love emerges as an amoral thing, leading as much to destruction as to happiness. But in its extreme passion, the love that Romeo and Juliet experience also appears so exquisitely beautiful that few would want, or be able, to resist its power.
Such structures range from the concrete to the abstract: families and the placement of familial power in the father; law and the desire for public order; religion; and the social importance placed on masculine honor. These institutions often come into conflict with each other.
The importance of honor, for example, time and again results in brawls that disturb the public peace. Though they do not always work in concert, each of these societal institutions in some way present obstacles for Romeo and Juliet.
The enmity between their families, coupled with the emphasis placed on loyalty and honor to kin, combine to create a profound conflict for Romeo and Juliet, who must rebel against their heritages. Further, the patriarchal power structure inherent in Renaissance families, wherein the father controls the action of all other family members, particularly women, places Juliet in an extremely vulnerable position.
The law and the emphasis on social civility demand terms of conduct with which the blind passion of love cannot comply. Religion similarly demands priorities that Romeo and Juliet cannot abide by because of the intensity of their love. Though in most situations the lovers uphold the traditions of Christianity they wait to marry before consummating their love , their love is so powerful that they begin to think of each other in blasphemous terms. The maintenance of masculine honor forces Romeo to commit actions he would prefer to avoid.
But the social emphasis placed on masculine honor is so profound that Romeo cannot simply ignore them. It is possible to see Romeo and Juliet as a battle between the responsibilities and actions demanded by social institutions and those demanded by the private desires of the individual. But the lovers cannot stop the night from becoming day.
And Romeo cannot cease being a Montague simply because he wants to; the rest of the world will not let him. This sense of fate permeates the play, and not just for the audience.
The characters also are quite aware of it: Romeo and Juliet constantly see omens. The concept of fate described above is the most commonly accepted interpretation. However, the play tends to focus more on the barriers that obstruct love than it does on love itself. But the lovers are also their own obstacles, in the sense that they have divergent understandings of love.
Although the language he uses with Juliet showcases a more mature and original verse, he retains a fundamentally abstract conception of love. Juliet, by contrast, tends to remain more firmly grounded in the practical matters related to love, such as marriage and sex. Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow. Following the secret marriage, Juliet's cousin Tybalt sends a challenge to Romeo.
Romeo refuses to fight, which angers his friend Mercutio who then fights with Tybalt. Mercutio is accidentally killed as Romeo intervenes to stop the fight. In anger, Romeo pursues Tybalt, kills him, and is banished by the Prince. Juliet is anxious when Romeo is late to meet her and learns of the brawl, Tybalt's death, and Romeo's banishment. Friar Laurence arranges for Romeo to spend the night with Juliet before he leaves for Mantua. Friar Laurence helps Juliet by providing a sleeping draught that will make her seem dead.
When the wedding party arrives to greet Juliet the next day, they believe she is dead. The Friar sends a messenger to warn Romeo of Juliet's plan and bids him to come to the Capulet family monument to rescue his sleeping wife.
The vital message to Romeo doesn't arrive in time because the plague is in town so the messenger cannot leave Verona. We recommend using Grammarly. It is the world's leading software suite for perfecting written English. It checks for more than types of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, enhances vocabulary usage, and suggests citations. A list of Phrasal Verbs Phrasal verbs are generally used in spoken English and informal texts. A list of figures of speech Do you want to provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity to your writing?
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