6:10 Star-crossed lovers
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1. One of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, begins with a prologue
spoken by the chorus which introduces the play’s setting and events.
Read the text below and identify five pieces of information that are communicated to the audience.
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
2. Now attempt to translate the prologue into modern Standard English. You will need to change
phrasing and vocabulary but try to retain the same meaning and information. Draft your version of
the prologue in the box below.
http://education.ceranic.continuumbooks.com
© Helena Ceranic (2011) Resources for Teaching English: 11–14. London: Continuum.
3. Now look at the list of characters that feature in the play below. Design a diagram
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showing the links and relationships between all of the characters.
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List of characters
Romeo: The son of Lord and Lady Montague.
Juliet: The daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet.
Friar Lawrence: A friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet.
Mercutio: A kinsman to the Prince and Romeo’s close friend.
Nurse: A nurse who has cared for Juliet her entire life.
Tybalt: A Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side.
Capulet: The patriarch of the Capulet family, father of Juliet, husband of Lady Capulet,
and enemy, for unexplained reasons, of Montague.
Lady Capulet: Juliet’s mother, Capulet’s wife.
Montague: Romeo’s father, the patriarch of the Montague clan and bitter enemy of
Capulet.
Lady Montague: Romeo’s mother, Montague’s wife.
Paris: A kinsman of the Prince, and Capulet’s chosen suitor for Juliet.
Benvolio: Montague’s nephew, Romeo’s cousin and friend.
Prince Escalus: The Prince of Verona, a kinsman of Mercutio and Paris.
Balthasar: Romeo’s dedicated servant.
Sampson and Gregory: Two servants of the house of Capulet.
Abram: Montague’s servant.
Rosaline: The woman with whom Romeo is infatuated at the beginning of the play.
http://education.ceranic.continuumbooks.com
© Helena Ceranic (2011) Resources for Teaching English: 11–14. London: Continuum.