Act 1 Prologue

The prologue sets the scene for the entire play. It explains that the plot is going to unfold in the beautiful town of Verona, where a new hatred between two old warring families has broken out. The prologue goes so far as to say that the family’s unlucky children will fall in love and, as a consequence, commit suicide. It is explained that the next two hours of the play will provide all the information for the points that are not raised in the prologue. During the prologue foreshadowing is used effectively to indicate to the reader what is going to happen throughout the play. As such, the tragic deaths of the characters come as no surprise to the reader. There is also a strong contrast demonstrated between the lines “In fair Verona where we lay our scene” and the “from ancient grudge break to new mutiny.” This shows how easily sinister actions can occur amidst true beauty.