act 2 scene x PROLOGUE


Enter Chorus CHORUS


Remember, the


Prologue tells the story – this summarises what has already happened and says what is to come.


Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie, And young affection gapes to be his heir;


That fair for which love groan’d for and would die, With tender Juliet match’d, is now not fair. Now Romeo is beloved and loves again, Alike betwitched by the charm of looks, But to his foe supposed he must complain,


Juliet Capulet, his


‘foe supposed’, i.e. not really his enemy. In Romeo and Juliet, the family hate is


transformed into love.


And she steal love’s sweet bait from fearful hooks: Being held a foe, he may not have access


Their powerful,


sweet love gives them strength


to overcome the extreme dangers that confront them.


To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear; And she as much in love, her means much less To meet her new-beloved any where: But passion lends them power, time means, to meet Tempering extremities with extreme sweet.


Exit The difference


now is that unlike Rosaline, Juliet


returns Romeo’s love: they are both bewitched.


5 Romeo’s love for


Rosaline is personifi ed as a dying man, whose heir (i.e. new love for Juliet ) is taking its place.


Juliet now loves someone she is supposed to fear.


10


Romeo cannot declare his love for her because of the family hatred.


The rhyming couplet at the end (meet/sweet) seems hopeful for Romeo and Juliet; but time will show how their story unfolds.


PERSONIFICATION means describing an object or a feeling as if it were a person with human qualities.


Notice that this Prologue, like the Prologue in Act 1, is a 14-line SONNET, ending with a rhyming couplet.


ROMEO AND JULIET 49


act 2


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