Question

Select the correct answers.

Read the prologue for act II of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet:

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

In the previous act, Romeo and Juliet have fallen in love, even though their families despise one another. Based on the excerpt, what are the two main purposes of this prologue?

It foreshadows what is yet to happen to the main characters in the play.
It creates an ominous mood that hints at the conflicts of the play.
It recaps past events that happened in the play or offstage.
It describes the setting where the play takes place.
It gives instructions about the stage props and the stage layout.

Answer 1

The correct answer are “It creates an ominous mood that hints at the conflicts of the play.” and It foreshadows what is yet to happen to the main characters in the play.

In this prologue, Shakespeare shows that Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet and she feels the same. But at this moment the reader learns that she is considered an enemy because both families are enemies. There is a recap of events that happened that explain the conflicts that will happen later during the story. Shakespeare creates this mood of danger in the play.

Answer 2

The right answers are: It foreshadows what is yet to happen to the main characters in the play and it creates an ominous mood that hints at the conflicts of the play. On the one hand, this prologue reveals that, despite the difficulty and the danger that the love that they feel for each other entails - they are supposed to be enemies and, therefore, they cannot court as lovers normally do - they will find the power, and the time, to meet and show their love. On the other hand, the prologue does create a threatening mood that illustrates the conflicts of the play - it reveals that Romeo is not in love with Rosaline anymore (even though he "groaned" for her), that he has fallen in love with Juliet, whose family happens to be in bad terms with his family, that they cannot meet and court as other lovers do, and that their passion (and passion often equals trouble), however, will mitigate their perilous love (the "extremities") with equally extreme "sweet."