Question

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

I did read a version of this so SPOILER WARNING SPOILER-- ahh, why bother? Everyone knows this story by now. *Ahem!* I believe it foreshadows Romeo and Juliet's deaths at the end, and I believe it nods to the conflict of that the two are in love but because of the feud between their families, it's forbidden, and it starts to settle in the ominous feelings which could in turn foreshadow the deaths too, IDK, don't take what I say to heart XD just what I think, hope this helps

Answer 2

It creates an ominous mood that hints at the conflicts of the play.

It recaps past events that happened in the play or offstage.

In this prologue, it begins by explaining that Romeo's feelings for Rosaline have gone and they are replaced by a new love. His new love returns his affections. However, she is his enemy. The prologue then talks about how Juliet is in love with her enemy. This is a recap of past events as well as hinting at the conflicts that come later in the play. The prologue reminds the reader that these two are not supposed to be in love and it will be a problem for them.