Prologue + Chorus + Prince Flashcards
‘passion lends them power, time means, to meet/ tempering extremities with extreme sweet’ - chorus, act 1 scene 5
- This phrase from the chorus reflects the idea that the strength of their love gives romeo and juliet power to overcome the obstacles of their situation.
- The plosive alliteration suggests the obstacles in their path will be explosive + lead to extreme consequences - makes the emotions more potent.
- Assonance of “ee” (“means […] meet […] extremities […] extreme […] sweet”) heightens the intensity of the love and hope alluded to in these lines.
‘all are punish’d’ - prince, act 5 scene 3
- The prince’s final verdict at the end of the play, links back to mercutio’s curse in act 3 scene 1 (‘a plague a’both your houses’)
‘for never was a story of more woe than this of juliet and her romeo’ - prince, act 5 scene 3
- The prince’s last lines (also last lines of the play, represents his authority) are in iambic pentameter.
- It uses alternate rhymes but the last two lines are a rhyming couplet + has an extra syllable, which disrupts the rhythm + indicates that romeo + juliet didn’t follow society’s expectations which is why they died. the last two lines change because it separates romeo + juliet from society, links back to prologue ‘star-cross’d lovers’
The prologue
- 14 line sonnet with 10 beats per line and a volta,
- Iambic pentameter with ABAB rhyme scheme.
- Fixed sonnet + rhyme scheme suggest fate is definite.
- Establishes the main themes of the play: love, conflict, death and fate
‘Two households, both alike in dignity’ - prologue, act 1 scene 1
- The first line in the play shows the likeness of the families which makes their feud more ironic.
- To be “both alike in dignity” means that they had the same social standing.
- In the Elizabethan times a person’s social status was very important it dictated the way they lived their life, the clothes they wore, the friends they had, everything.
‘From ancient grudge break to new mutiny’- prologue, act 1 scene 1
- The audience is told that the feud is “ancient”. - this adjective has connotations with something old, sacred and almost untouched; as though it had been like this since the beginning of time, it is a force nothing can break.
- It is then juxtaposed by the “new mutiny” which means that there is new violence which foreshadows the intensity that is brought about through the young lovers.
‘A pair of starcross’d lovers take their life’ - prologue, act 1 scene 1
- Description of Romeo + Juliet which suggests them + their relationship goes against fate (the stars)
- This may be one of the most famous lines in the play because it perfectly sums up the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
- During the Elizabethan times, people were incredibly superstitious and believed in fate and that people’s lives were written in the stars, to be “star-cross’d” meant that they were frustrated by the stars.
‘Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife’ - prologue, act 1 scene 1
- The use of bury is a play on words as by putting the words “death” and “bury” together emphasises the importance of the lovers’ death.
- Their lover’s death was not only an act to show their eternal love for each other but it also ended their parents’ rivalry.
‘Tis true, and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall. Therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall’ - Sampson, act 1 scene 1
- This quote illustrates the violence, conflict and female subservience that pervades the play.
- The term “weaker vessels” is a Biblical allusion as women are described like this in the Bible.
- The adjective weaker is used as women were seen as the weaker sex and “vessel” as they were seen as ‘vessels’ to produce children as it was their duty and God-given purpose.
- The whole quote is a sexual innuendo when paired along with the forceful verb “thrust” exhibits the violence that is apart of the culture of the men, even when it comes to intimate things like sex
‘Nay as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is a disgrace to them if they bear it’ - Sampson, act 1 scene 1
- Here, Shakespeare introduces the idea of male pride and honour, he is essentially saying that if he can insult the Montagues and they do nothing to retaliate it is disgraceful to them.
- To “bite his thumb” was an insult, equivalent to swearing at someone in the 21st century.
‘If you ever disturb our streets again. Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace’ - Prince, act 1 scene 1
- The Prince is the authority figure in Verona, and so what he says becomes the law.
- We are told by the Prince that the families have “thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets”, this shows the disruption that the feud causes in Verona.
- Shakespeare also uses dramatic irony as the Prince says “your lives” will pay the price, when in fact the audience knows that it is not the parents who die but actually their children.
’ that fair for which love groaned for and would die / with tender Juliet matched is now not fair’ - chorus, act 2 scene 1
- Repetition of “fair […] fair” creates a cyclicity between the old love (Rosaline) and the new love (Juliet).
- This points to the transience of love and the parallels between Romeo’s loves
‘and for that offence immediately we do exile him hence.’ - prince act 3 scene 1
- The scene ends with Romeo being banished
‘musicians, o, musicians, ‘heart’s ease’, ‘heart’s ease’! O, an you will have me live, play ‘heart’s ease’ - Peter, act 4 scene 5
- Here, Peter asks for a happy song to placate his mournful nature, demonstrating the paradoxes which underpin the court - for some, happiness is seen as the natural (and perhaps inappropriate) remedy for mourning.
- Further, the title “Heart’s Ease” is an important one: all characters are searching for ease in their hearts (Juliet, for instance, wants to be with Romeo), yet this is ultimately denied, just as the musicians refuse to play the song here.
