Romeo and Juliet Prologue

Two households, both alike in dignity,	Two families of the same social status
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,	In the beautiful city of Verona is where our story takes place
From ancient grudge break to mutiny,	From a long-standing hatred new fights break out
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.	These fights are involving the citizens
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes	From these two enemy families
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;	Two unlucky children born from these families fall in love and commit suicide
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows	Whose unfortunate fates
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.	Stop the fight between their families when they die
The fearful passage of their death-marked love,	The sad story of their relationship
And the continuance of their parents’ rage	And the fight between their families
Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove,	Which nothing could stop but their children’s deaths
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;	Is what our play is about for the next two hours
The which if you with patient ears attend,	If you listen patiently
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend	We will give you the details of the story

Q&A SummaryStory