Who is the chorus in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet?

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare designates a single person (rather than a group of people) as the chorus. The individual only appears before the first and second acts to tell the audience how the play is going to end. In similar fashion to the singing Greek chorus, Shakespeare’s chorus speaks in a poetic sonnet.

What purpose does the chorus and the prologue serve at the beginning of each act?

In the play Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows the outcome of the play even before we meet the main characters. The chorus begins the play by presenting the Prologue. This introduction to the play sets up the story by explaining the plot that is about to take place.

What does the chorus reveal to the audience in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet?

The prologue which opens Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet provides a brief exposition of the play. The Chorus tells the audience that the play is set in Verona, Italy, and that the plot involves two feuding “households,” or families, “both alike in dignity,” meaning of equal high stature.

What is the role of a chorus in Shakespeare?

Henry V is unique among Shakespeare’s works for the way it uses a Chorus figure to present the story to the audience. This Chorus is like a professional storyteller: she addresses the audience directly to set the scene, introduce us to certain characters, and fill us in on events that happen between scenes.

How old was Romeo?

Romeo’s age is never given, but since he carries a sword, it can be assumed that he is not younger than Juliet’s thirteen years. It is much more likely that, given his immature responses to problematic events in the play, that he is probably about sixteen or seventeen years old.

How old is Juliet?

Juliet is thirteen years old. In Shakespeare’s primary sources, Juliet is considerably older than she is in the play.

What is the purpose of a prologue?

A good prologue performs one of many functions in a story: Foreshadowing events to come. Providing background information or backstory on the central conflict. Establishing a point of view (either the main character’s, or that of another character who is privy to the tale)

What events does the prologue foreshadow in Romeo and Juliet?

The deaths of Romeo and Juliet are the most heavily foreshadowed events in any of Shakespeare’s plays. We learn that the lovers will die in the Prologue: “A pair of star-crossed lovers… Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife” (1.1..).

Why is Lord Capulet hesitant on marrying Juliet to Paris?

Lord Capulet is initially reluctant to accept Paris’s proposal that he marry Juliet because he feels his daughter is too young to marry. Capulet suggests the proposal of marriage be delayed for two years so Juliet has more time before she becomes a bride.

What two families are fighting in Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet begins as the Chorus introduces two feuding families of Verona: the Capulets and the Montagues. On a hot summer’s day, the young men of each faction fight until the Prince of Verona intercedes and threatens to banish them.

What is Benvolio trying to do when Tybalt enters?

Benvolio, a kinsman to Montague, enters and draws his sword in an attempt to stop the confrontation. Benvolio explains that he is merely trying to keep the peace, but Tybalt professes a hatred for peace as strong as his hatred for Montagues, and attacks. The brawl spreads.

Why does the prologue spoil Romeo and Juliet?

Shakespeare spoils the whole play, telling the audience the entire premise of two lovers meeting and that they eventually “take their life”. Surely revealing this at the start of the play kills of tension as the audience already knows Romeo and Juliet will die at the end?

What is an example of a chorus?

The definition of a chorus is a group of singers or a refrain in a song. An example of a chorus is a church choir. An example of a chorus is the part of a song that repeats several times. A group of dancers and singers performing together in a modern musical show, opera, etc.

What are three functions of the chorus?

The main functions of the Chorus are to comment on the action of the play, give back story, and to connect the play to other myths.

What is the leader of a Greek chorus called?

In Attic drama, the coryphaeus, corypheus, or koryphaios (Greek κορυφαῖος koryphaîos, from κορυφή koryphḗ́, the top of the head) was the leader of the chorus. Hence the term (sometimes in an Anglicized form “coryphe”) is used for the chief or leader of any company or movement.