The chorus describes how Juliet had reciprocated his love for her. They describe how Romeo had forgotten about Rosaline after seeing Juliet. This 14-line sonnet also consists of the rhyme scheme of “abab cdcd efef gg.” The chorus sings the prologue to lead the audience through the new development of the story. Like the prologue of the play, the prologue of the second act establishes the doomed love story of Romeo and Juliet. Tempering extremities with extreme sweet. To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear Īnd she as much in love, her means much lessīut passion lends them power, time means, to meet With tender Juliet match’d, is now not fair.īut to his foe supposed he must complain,Īnd she steal love’s sweet bait from fearful hooks:
That fair for which love groan’d for and would die, Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie,Īnd young affection gapes to be his heir The couplet at the end beckons the audience to pay attention as the rest of the play will show the details that are missing from the prologue. The chorus explains to the audience that for the next two hours, they will watch a doomed love story of these two lovers, which suffers due to enmity between their parents. However, these lovers will commit suicide in the end, ending the family feud with them. The chorus further describes that from these two rival families, two “star-crossed” lovers will emerge. It describes the feud between two houses of Verona. The prologue serves as an introduction of the play.
The prologue is a 14-line sonnet with the rhyme scheme “abab cdcd efef gg,” which the chorus sings in the beginning of the play. As sonnets often address the subject of love with all its range and complexity, Shakespeare must have included them in the play, which deals with the theme of love versus family feud. One can only guess Shakespeare’s intention of adding sonnets in the play. Though most of the play is in iambic pentameter, 14 lines of those sections stand out due their particular rhyme scheme. They agree that there are three sections in the play that can be termed as sonnets. Critics have termed his sonnets as the beginning of modern love poetry.Ĭritics have also claimed that he has mixed the two genres of poetry and drama in his famous tragic love story Romeo and Juliet. He uses a particular rhyme scheme “abab cdcd efef gg” in his 14-line sonnets, which are divided into 3 quatrains and a couplet, and written in iambic pentameter. Even today, his collection of 154 sonnets are read the most. However, it was Shakespeare who made the form popular among readers. Originated in Italy, the form was brought to England by Shakespeare’s predecessors. Sonnet is a form of poetry, which consists of 14 lines and a particular rhyme scheme. However, only in few places, he has included a complete form of a sonnet. Romeo and Juliet has a poetic touch to it as Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter in the play as he does in his sonnets.
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