
What are some examples of sonnet in Romeo and Juliet?
Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd. For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. The Romeo and Juliet Epilogue: Poetic Structure. The epilogue to Romeo and Juliet is similar to a Shakespearean sonnet in both meter and rhyme scheme. Shakespearean sonnets have 14 lines with a specific rhyme scheme and meter.
What is the function of prologue in Romeo and Juliet?
The prologue establishes what the audience needs to know before the action begins, including:
- Setting: the play takes place in and around Verona, Italy.
- Conflict: two households have been feuding for ages.
- Mood: dark and sad. ...
- Theme: the star-crossed lovers' love and resulting deaths were the only thing that could end "their parents' rage." The feud ends, but at what cost?
How is Romeo and Juliet described in the prologue?
What are three themes of the prologue of Romeo and Juliet?
- Love and Violence.
- Fate.
- Individuals vs. Society.
- Language and Wordplay.
- Family and Duty.
How many sonnets are there in Romeo and Juliet?
Sonnets in Romeo and Juliet
- Two households, both alike in dignity
- If I profane with my unworthiest hand
- Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie

What type of sonnet is the prologue of Romeo and Juliet?
Elizabethan/Shakespearean sonnetThe structure of the prologue in Romeo and Juliet is an Elizabethan/Shakespearean sonnet. There are different types of sonnets. An Elizabethan sonnet is a 14-line poem that is split up into three quatrains (stanzas of four lines) and a couplet (a stanza of two lines).
What format is the prologue of Romeo and Juliet written in?
Shakespearean sonnetShakespeare uses a large variety of poetic forms throughout the play. He begins with a 14-line prologue by a Chorus in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet. Like this sonnet much of Romeo and Juliet is written in iambic pentameter, with ten syllables of alternating stress in each line.
How do you know that the prologue to Romeo and Juliet is a sonnet?
The prologue to Romeo and Juliet 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.
Is Romeo and Juliet Act 2 prologue a sonnet?
Summary and Analysis Act II: Prologue Act II opens with a prologue in sonnet form that highlights two key points: how Romeo is affected by meeting Juliet and the difficulties the lovers will face as members of two opposed families.
In what poetic form is the prologue written?
The Sonnet Form Shakespeare wrote the prologue of "Romeo and Juliet" in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet, which means that the prologue is a poem with 14 lines written in iambic pentameter.
Is a sonnet?
A sonnet is a one-stanza, 14-line poem, written in iambic pentameter. The sonnet, which derived from the Italian word sonetto, meaning “a little sound or song," is "a popular classical form that has compelled poets for centuries," says Poets.org.
Is Sonnet 18 from Romeo and Juliet?
Sonnet 18 does not appear in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare published his poetry separately from his plays, and there is virtually no overlap between...
Why is it called a Shakespearean sonnet?
The variation of the sonnet form that Shakespeare used—comprised of three quatrains and a concluding couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg—is called the English or Shakespearean sonnet form, although others had used it before him.
Where are all the sonnets in Romeo and Juliet?
A sonnet is a poem made up of 14 lines of iambic pentameter. That is, each line consists of ten syllables with a regular rhyme scheme. Both the prologues to Act I and Act II in Romeo and Juliet, as well as Romeo and Juliet's first exchanges in Act I, Scene 5, are sonnets.
Why do Romeo and Juliet speak in sonnet?
When Romeo and Juliet meet they speak just fourteen lines before their first kiss. These fourteen lines make up a shared sonnet, with a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg. A sonnet is a perfect, idealized poetic form often used to write about love.
How do you write a sonnet in Romeo and Juliet?
0:482:27How to Write a Sonnet - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipStep. 4 write in the letters that represent the rhyme scheme at the end of each of the fourteenMoreStep. 4 write in the letters that represent the rhyme scheme at the end of each of the fourteen lines Shakespearean sonnets often have a rhyme scheme of a b a b c d c d e f e f g g.
What is the prologue of Romeo and Juliet?
The stage directions indicate that the Chorus will recite the prologue; the “chorus” is a single actor, not a group of singers. The prologue establishes the setting of the play (Verona), introduces the primary players (Montague and Capulet families) and their ongoing feud with each other, tells of the doomed love between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet and, finally, explains that the only way to stop the fighting was through the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet.
How many lines are in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet?
The Sonnet Form. Shakespeare wrote the prologue of "Romeo and Juliet" in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet, which means that the prologue is a poem with 14 lines written in iambic pentameter. The sonnet also contains a specific rhyme scheme (abab cdcd efef gg) and can be broken down into three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet.
What is the stage direction of the Prologue?
The stage directions indicate that the Chorus will recite the prologue; the “chorus” is a single actor, not a group of singers. The prologue establishes the setting of the play (Verona), introduces the primary players (Montague and Capulet families) and their ongoing feud with each other, tells of the doomed love between Romeo Montague ...
What is the first line of the prologue about?
For instance, the first line, “Two households, both alike in dignity,” simply means that this play is about two families who are of equal status.
Why is it important to analyze the prologue?
In order to analyze the prologue, it is important to understand its purpose and format, the denotation of each word and how the words create the meaning of the piece as a whole.
Why do people shy away from reading Shakespeare?
Many people shy away from reading Shakespeare because of the complex sentence structure, language variances and mix of prose and verse. Understanding and analyzing Shakespeare doesn't have to be painful; readers need only follow certain steps to gain a thorough understanding of the prologue in "Romeo and Juliet." In order to analyze the prologue, it is important to understand its purpose and format, the denotation of each word and how the words create the meaning of the piece as a whole.
What is the purpose of the Prologue in Romeo and Juliet?
The obvious function of the Prologue as introduction to the Verona of Romeo and Juliet can obscure its deeper, more important function. The Prologue does not merely set the scene of Romeo and Juliet, it tells the audience exactly what is going to happen in the play. The Prologue refers to an ill-fated couple with its use ...
What is the chorus in the play "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes"?
. . . As a prologue to the play, the Chorus enters. In a fourteen-line sonnet, the Chorus describes two noble households (called “houses”) in the city of Verona. The houses hold an “ancient grudge” (Prologue.2) against each other that remains a source ...
What is the ancient grudge in the chorus?
The houses hold an “ancient grudge” (Prologue.2) against each other that remains a source of violent and bloody conflict. The Chorus states that from these two houses, two “star-crossed” (Prologue.6) lovers will appear. These lovers will mend the quarrel between their families by dying.

The Purpose of The Prologue
The Sonnet Form
- Shakespeare wrote the prologue of "Romeo and Juliet" in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet, which means that the prologue is a poem with 14 lines written in iambic pentameter. The sonnet also contains a specific rhyme scheme (abab cdcd efef gg) and can be broken down into three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet. In a Shakespearean sonnet, the f...
Diction Analysis
- A basic and yet important step in Shakespearean analysis is to understand the denotation of Shakespeare's diction. The prologue contains several words that may leave readers guessing. For instance, the first line, “Two households, both alike in dignity,” simply means that this play is about two families who are of equal status. “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny” introduces the …
Foreshadowing
- The prologue ends with a statement that foreshadows the ending before the play has begun: “And the continuance of their parents’ rage / Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove / Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage.” In other words, this two-hour-long play will show that the only thing that could stop the parents’ fighting was the deaths of their children. Finally, the rhymi…