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 |
Romeo and Juliet Prologue
July 8, 2019